Together with the Hydraulic Laboratory, under the guidance of the consulting firm Verheaert, a preparation trajectory was started in spring 2020 in the framework of the project "Optimization accuracy test basin of the new drag tank.  One of the objectives of this trajectory was to sharpen the needs along the demand side/contracting authority. Several internal working sessions were organized to estimate the desired functionalities and innovation potential for the finishing layer of the new drag tank from the user's point of view.

On September 15, 2020, in Ostend, a face-to-face open market consultation with companies and potential service providers was organized (here the announcement of the market consultation in TED . During this event, various challenges and expected outcomes were discussed with the participants with the aim of probing the feasibility of the intended functional specifications and identifying potential risks inherent in the innovative solution.

The presentations given during the market consultation, the final report on the preparation process and the market consultation can be found under documents.

A government contract will be launched in mid-2021 with the object (1) that the finishing layer can be carried out over a distance of 90 meters without seams or joints and (2) that the geometric tolerance on the cross-section of the drag tank is brought to within millimeters for both the bottom and side walls.