The com\u00adplaint is the first for\u00admal instru\u00adment with which bid\u00adders can react to an alleged breach of pro\u00adcure\u00adment law. It is addressed to the award\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty itself \u2014 and is a pre\u00adreq\u00adui\u00adsite for a review pro\u00adce\u00addure before the pro\u00adcure\u00adment cham\u00adber to be admis\u00adsi\u00adble at all. Any\u00adone who uses the com\u00adplaint incor\u00adrect\u00adly, sub\u00admits it too late or con\u00adfus\u00ades it with the bid\u00adder\u2019s ques\u00adtion may lose all rights in the ongo\u00ading pro\u00adce\u00addure. <\/p>\n\n
Our Man\u00adag\u00ading Direc\u00adtor Dr. Christoph Kins com\u00adment\u00aded in detail on the func\u00adtion and strate\u00adgic impor\u00adtance of the rep\u00adri\u00admand in the Baden-W\u00fcrt\u00adtem\u00adberg State Gazette (issue of 13 March 2026). The fol\u00adlow\u00ading overview sum\u00adma\u00adrizes the key prac\u00adti\u00adcal aspects. <\/p>\n\n
The com\u00adplaint is the for\u00admal objec\u00adtion to an alleged breach of pro\u00adcure\u00adment law to the award\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty. It gives the con\u00adtract\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to cor\u00adrect the error itself \u2014 and at the same time secures the bid\u00adder\u2019s rights in the pro\u00adce\u00addure. The legal require\u00adments for ini\u00adti\u00adat\u00ading a review pro\u00adce\u00addure are set out in Sec\u00adtion 160 GWB. <\/p>\n\n
Not every dis\u00adagree\u00adment with the client jus\u00adti\u00adfies a rep\u00adri\u00admand. How\u00adev\u00ader, there are con\u00adstel\u00adla\u00adtions in which it is par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly obvi\u00adous: <\/p>\n\n
After an exclu\u00adsion due to a for\u00admal error:<\/strong> If an offer has been exclud\u00aded due to an alleged for\u00admal error, the com\u00adplaint is a use\u00adful means of ques\u00adtion\u00ading the jus\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion for the exclu\u00adsion.<\/p>\n\n In the event of exclu\u00adsion due to inad\u00ade\u00adqua\u00adcy:<\/strong> If the con\u00adtract\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty con\u00adsid\u00aders a ten\u00adder to be unrea\u00adson\u00adably low and excludes it, this can be object\u00aded to if the accep\u00adtance is not ten\u00adable from the bid\u00adder\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n\n In the case of a super\u00adfi\u00adcial rejec\u00adtion or exclu\u00adsion let\u00adter:<\/strong> If the let\u00adter does not con\u00adtain any com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble rea\u00adsons \u2014 in par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar no infor\u00adma\u00adtion on how the offer was eval\u00adu\u00adat\u00aded in com\u00adpar\u00adi\u00adson to the oth\u00ader offers \u2014 a rep\u00adri\u00admand may be use\u00adful to demand clar\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n In the event of errors in the award doc\u00adu\u00adments:<\/strong> If the award cri\u00adte\u00adria are unclear, the suit\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty require\u00adments are dis\u00adpro\u00adpor\u00adtion\u00adate\u00adly high or there are oth\u00ader defi\u00adcien\u00adcies in the spec\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions or the con\u00adtrac\u00adtu\u00adal con\u00addi\u00adtions, there is gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly a need for rep\u00adri\u00admand.<\/p>\n\n The bid\u00adder ques\u00adtion is not a sub\u00adsti\u00adtute for the com\u00adplaint. Bid\u00adders who wish to object to a breach of pro\u00adcure\u00adment law must mark this as a com\u00adplaint \u2014 not as a ques\u00adtion. Any\u00adone who for\u00admu\u00adlates a com\u00adplaint in terms of con\u00adtent but labels the let\u00adter as a bid\u00adder ques\u00adtion risks the con\u00adtract\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty not issu\u00ading a for\u00admal rejec\u00adtion. The con\u00adse\u00adquence: The 15-day dead\u00adline for sub\u00admit\u00adting a request for review (Sec\u00adtion 160 (3) sen\u00adtence 3 GWB) is not trig\u00adgered \u2014 the bid\u00adder retains the option of for\u00admal\u00adly sub\u00admit\u00adting a com\u00adplaint with\u00adout know\u00ading it. <\/p>\n\n This may seem cal\u00adcu\u00adlat\u00aded, but there is a risk that the client will not even rec\u00adog\u00adnize the hid\u00adden com\u00adplaint as such and the desired effect will not be achieved.<\/p>\n\n The right to com\u00adplain is sub\u00adject to strict dead\u00adlines. Any\u00adone who com\u00adplains too late los\u00ades their rights \u2014 the review bod\u00adies then no longer exam\u00adine the com\u00adplaint. This is known as preclu\u00adsion. <\/p>\n\n Errors in the ten\u00adder doc\u00adu\u00adments:<\/strong> Vio\u00adla\u00adtions of pro\u00adcure\u00adment law that are rec\u00adog\u00adniz\u00adable from the con\u00adtract notice or the doc\u00adu\u00adments must be report\u00aded by the end of the ten\u00adder peri\u00adod. This results from Sec\u00adtion 160 (3) No. 3 GWB. <\/p>\n\n Rec\u00adog\u00adnized legal errors:<\/strong> Any\u00adone who rec\u00adog\u00adnizes a breach of pub\u00adlic pro\u00adcure\u00adment law must report it with\u00adin ten cal\u00aden\u00addar days (Sec\u00adtion 160 (3) No. 4 GWB). The deci\u00adsive fac\u00adtor here is when the bid\u00adder actu\u00adal\u00adly had knowl\u00adedge \u2014 the bur\u00adden of proof for this lies with the con\u00adtract\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty. <\/p>\n\n After rejec\u00adtion of the com\u00adplaint:<\/strong> If the con\u00adtract\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty rejects the com\u00adplaint, the bid\u00adder has 15 cal\u00aden\u00addar days to sub\u00admit an appli\u00adca\u00adtion for review to the pro\u00adcure\u00adment cham\u00adber (Sec\u00adtion 160 (3) sen\u00adtence 3 GWB). This peri\u00adod begins upon receipt of the rejec\u00adtion. <\/p>\n\n Check the ten\u00adder doc\u00adu\u00adments for errors at an ear\u00adly stage \u2014 and react if you find any. If you rec\u00adog\u00adnize a legal vio\u00adla\u00adtion and delib\u00ader\u00adate\u00adly save it for lat\u00ader, you run the risk of fail\u00ading with your com\u00adplaint: Rec\u00adog\u00adnized errors must be report\u00aded with\u00adin ten days of becom\u00ading aware of them. <\/p>\n\n Con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly adhere to the dis\u00adtinc\u00adtion between bid\u00adder ques\u00adtions and com\u00adplaints. A bid\u00adder\u2019s ques\u00adtion is not a free tick\u00adet \u2014 it does not com\u00adply with com\u00adplaint dead\u00adlines. <\/p>\n\n If you receive a let\u00adter of rejec\u00adtion or exclu\u00adsion, check whether the jus\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion meets the require\u00adments. A super\u00adfi\u00adcial expla\u00adna\u00adtion can be grounds for a com\u00adplaint. <\/p>\n\n Seek legal advice when decid\u00ading whether to lodge a com\u00adplaint \u2014 espe\u00adcial\u00adly if it is unclear whether and when the time lim\u00adits under Sec\u00adtion 160 (3) GWB have already expired. <\/p>\n\n For\u00admu\u00adlate rejec\u00adtion and exclu\u00adsion let\u00adters in a com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble man\u00adner. A let\u00adter that pro\u00advides no infor\u00adma\u00adtion about the eval\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion of the offer in com\u00adpar\u00adi\u00adson to oth\u00ader offers unnec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly increas\u00ades the risk of rejec\u00adtion. <\/p>\n\n Respond to any com\u00adplaints received in a sub\u00adstan\u00adtive and time\u00adly man\u00adner. The rejec\u00adtion of a com\u00adplaint trig\u00adgers the 15-day dead\u00adline \u2014 which may also be in your inter\u00adest in terms of pro\u00adce\u00addur\u00adal secu\u00adri\u00adty. <\/p>\n\n Fur\u00adther infor\u00adma\u00adtion: Dr. Christoph Kins, Man\u00adag\u00ading Direc\u00adtor of abante Recht\u00adsan\u00adwalts\u00adge\u00adsellschaft, com\u00adment\u00aded in detail on the func\u00adtion and strate\u00adgic impor\u00adtance of the rep\u00adri\u00admand in the Baden-W\u00fcrt\u00adtem\u00adberg State Gazette (13 March 2026): The com\u00adplaint as an instru\u00adment in the award pro\u00adce\u00addure<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The com\u00adplaint in the award pro\u00adce\u00addure: Time lim\u00adits, strat\u00ade\u00adgy and the dif\u00adfer\u00adence to the bid\u00adder ques\u00adtion The com\u00adplaint is the first for\u00admal instru\u00adment with which bid\u00adders can react to an alleged breach of pro\u00adcure\u00adment law. It is addressed to the award\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty itself \u2014 and is a pre\u00adreq\u00adui\u00adsite for a review pro\u00adce\u00addure before the pro\u00adcure\u00adment [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":22304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[743,720,1],"tags":[870],"team_kategorien":[],"lexikon_kategorie":[],"class_list":["post-24302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bidders-and-applicants","category-client","category-unkategorisiert","tag-bidder"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24303,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24302\/revisions\/24303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24302"},{"taxonomy":"team_kategorien","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/team_kategorien?post=24302"},{"taxonomy":"lexikon_kategorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lexikon_kategorie?post=24302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Rebuke and bid\u00adder ques\u00adtion: an impor\u00adtant dif\u00adfer\u00adence<\/h2>\n\n
Dead\u00adlines: the deci\u00adsive fac\u00adtor<\/h2>\n\n
Tips for bid\u00adders<\/h2>\n\n
Tips for clients<\/h2>\n\n