1. are there specific technical requirements for the tender?

Once the EU thresholds are generally required at every stage of a public procurement procedure by both contracting authorities and companies. electronic means the so-called principle of e-procurement , § Section 97 (5) GWB .

Electronic communication primarily concerns

• electronic publication of the contract notice
• free provision of the tender documents, in particular the specifications, via the Internet
• electronic submission of tenders

The changeover to electronic communication is mandatory, irrespective of the subject matter of the contract award.

In the sub-threshold area since January 1, 2020, tenders and requests to participate for supply and service contracts within the scope of the Sub-Threshold Procurement Regulations (UVgO) must also be submitted by electronic means. However, this obligation does not apply if the estimated contract value does not exceed EUR 25,000 or if a procurement procedure is carried out in which no contract notice is published. The details are regulated in § Section 38 UVgO .

2. are eSignatures mandatory for contract awards above the EU thresholds?

In principle, electronic signatures, so-called e-signatures, are not mandatory for contracts awarded after the EU thresholds have been reached. are not mandatory . However, if the contracting authority places increased security requirements on the data requested and to be transmitted in the award procedure, it may require an electronic form of declaration for expressions of interest, confirmations of interest, requests to participate and tenders. The contracting authorities are free to choose between an advanced electronic signature, a qualified electronic signature, an advanced electronic seal or a qualified electronic seal (cf. § Section 53 (3) VgV ).

E-signatures can be purchased from various private sector providers. acquired providers.

3. are there specific portals that are used to submit a bid for a public tender?

EU-wide notices are published on the Internet by the Publications Office of the European Union ( TED - Tenders Electronic Daily ) and updated there every day.

There are also a large number of different procurement portals on which public contracting authorities - at federal, state or municipal level - generally put their projects out to tender online.

The federal government publishes tenders on its central procurement platforms. The federal states also operate their own procurement platforms.

In addition, a number of privately operated procurement portals collect tenders from public contracting authorities and publish them online.

• Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB)
• Sub-threshold procurement regulations (UVgO)
• Ordinance on the award of public contracts