Virtual forum sessions management platform

Overview

The National Cybersecurity Competence Center invites proposals from qualified vendors or providers for a modern, scalable, and user-friendly platform to manage virtual interactive forum sessions. The platform will act as a centralized hub for creating virtual forum rooms with specific topics and a defined number of participants. Participants will be able to view available slots, register for a forum, and actively engage in discussions through commenting and other interactive features within the forums they are registered for.

Requirements

The following are the expected requirements, among others:

A. Forums Management System

• Forums management:
  • Set capacity
  • Manage moderators
  • Manage forum attributes (i.e. title, topic, attachments, dates, location/room)
• Manage start and end time for forum sessions

B. User Participation Features

• Real-Time Commenting: Users can post comments to presentations, speakers, or general session topics
• Comment Moderation: Admin controls for approving, deleting, or flagging inappropriate content
• Voting Mechanisms: when Admin and moderators create a poll, Users can express their vote

Technical specifications

User Interface Requirements

The platform interface should provide:

• Multi-Device Compatibility: Responsive design supporting desktop, tablet, and mobile access
• Accessibility Standards: WCAG 2.1 compliance with screen reader support and keyboard navigation
• Language Localization: supporting English as the primary language but being prepared for multi-language support
• Real-Time Updates: Instant comment display without page refresh requirements
• Customization of colors and logo
• Support for dark/light themes

Integration Capabilities

The platform should support:

• Support for Authentication Systems
• Analytics Dashboard
• Notification Systems: Email and SMS capabilities for important updates.
• REST API: endpoints to integrate platform features (schedule, live statistics etc.) to third-party websites. The API should be protected by API Keys.

User experience considerations

Participation Workflow

Users should experience a seamless engagement process:

1. Session Access: After being approved, Users should immediately be able to enter one room with clear navigation to current presentation
2. Comment Submission: Simple one-click comment posting —( Participate in the ongoing discussion)
3. Notification Management: Customizable alert preferences for specific speakers or topics
4. Personalized schedule: Users should be able to save in their schedule the talks in agenda

Moderation Tools

Administrative capabilities include:

• Content Filtering: Automated spam detection and keyword filtering
• User Management: Participant role assignment with permissions control
• Session Control: Ability to close rooms when the maximum capacity is reached
• Reporting Features: Detailed analytics on comment volume, engagement rates, and user demographics

Infrastructure and desired tech stack

Deployment

The platform should be deployable in a single docker compose stack for portability and scalability.
The main components of the stack are:

• backend (API)
• frontend
• database
• (eventual) cache layer

Backend

• Node.js (Typescript) with Fastify
• PostgreSQL, Redis (or ValKey) for caching
• Web Sockets for real-time communication
• OpenAPI for API documentation

Frontend

• Next.js (Typescript)
• TailwindCss
• HeadlessUI / Shadcn UI (to evaluate based on proposals)

Bid Submission

Proposals must be submitted by email to info@nc3.lu no later than Feb 28, 2026, 12:00 CEST. Submissions should be in either ASCII or PDF format and must clearly outline the features of the proposed solution. All proposals should be priced in EUR and clearly labeled as: Proposal for Customisable conference platform.

Each submission must include the following information:

• A comprehensive list of all available features
• Details of the application’s architecture and the eventual other technologies used
• Pricing
• Information on maintenance and support options

Document Classification

This document is classified as TLP:WHITE. Information may be distributed freely, subject to standard copyright controls.

Revision

Version 1.0: Feb 8, 2026 – Initial version (TLP:WHITE)