{"id":24321,"date":"2026-04-24T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abante.de\/significant-contract-extension-triggers-new-tendering-obligation\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:21:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:21:26","slug":"significant-contract-extension-triggers-new-tendering-obligation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/significant-contract-extension-triggers-new-tendering-obligation\/","title":{"rendered":"Sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant con\u00adtract exten\u00adsion trig\u00adgers (new) ten\u00adder\u00ading oblig\u00ada\u00adtion!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its deci\u00adsion dat\u00aded March 6, 2026 (case ref\u00ader\u00adence: Verg 29\/22), the High\u00ader Region\u00adal Court of D\u00fcs\u00adsel\u00addorf ruled that the sub\u00adse\u00adquent addi\u00adtion of fast charg\u00ading infra\u00adstruc\u00adture to con\u00adces\u00adsion agree\u00adments con\u00adsti\u00adtutes a mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal change that requires a new award pro\u00adce\u00addure.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can find the video of the rul\u00ading dis\u00adcus\u00adsion here:<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe hcb-fetch-image-from=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W4B__8xBTE4\" title=\"Wesentliche Vertragserweiterung l\u00f6st (Neu-)Ausschreibungspflicht aus!\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W4B__8xBTE4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Facts of the case<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legal dis\u00adpute was sparked by the deci\u00adsion of the fed\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly owned A\u2011GmbH to extend exist\u00ading con\u00adces\u00adsion agree\u00adments for ancil\u00adlary high\u00adway oper\u00ada\u00adtions (petrol sta\u00adtions, ser\u00advice sta\u00adtions, hotels) from the late 1990s. With\u00adout a new award pro\u00adce\u00addure, the exist\u00ading con\u00adces\u00adsion hold\u00aders were grant\u00aded the right and oblig\u00ada\u00adtion to set up and oper\u00adate nation\u00adwide fast-charg\u00ading infra\u00adstruc\u00adture for elec\u00adtric vehi\u00adcles in 2022 by means of a sup\u00adple\u00admen\u00adtary agree\u00adment. A com\u00adpeti\u00adtor saw this as an inad\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adble de fac\u00adto award and com\u00adplained about the lack of a call for ten\u00adders. Fol\u00adlow\u00ading a pre\u00adlim\u00adi\u00adnary rul\u00ading pro\u00adce\u00addure before the ECJ, the High\u00ader Region\u00adal Court of D\u00fcs\u00adsel\u00addorf had to make a final deci\u00adsion on the valid\u00adi\u00adty of these agree\u00adments.     <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key point of the deci\u00adsion<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The High\u00ader Region\u00adal Court of D\u00fcs\u00adsel\u00addorf took the view that the con\u00adstruc\u00adtion and oper\u00ada\u00adtion of fast charg\u00ading infra\u00adstruc\u00adture was not part of the orig\u00adi\u00adnal old con\u00adtracts. Accord\u00ading to the inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion of the con\u00adtracts at the time they were con\u00adclud\u00aded in 1997\/1998, the term \u201cfill\u00ading sta\u00adtion\u201d only cov\u00adered the sup\u00adply of fos\u00adsil fuels; elec\u00adtro\u00admo\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty was not a fore\u00adsee\u00adable sub\u00adject of reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion for the con\u00adtract\u00ading par\u00adties at that time. In addi\u00adtion, the sub\u00adject mat\u00adter of the con\u00adtract has been sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly expand\u00aded, as the pro\u00advi\u00adsion of charg\u00ading elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty now forms an inde\u00adpen\u00addent mar\u00adket seg\u00adment that places com\u00adplete\u00adly new tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal demands on the infra\u00adstruc\u00adture and thus mas\u00adsive\u00adly changes the over\u00adall char\u00adac\u00adter of the orig\u00adi\u00adnal con\u00adces\u00adsion. In this respect, the amend\u00adment to the orig\u00adi\u00adnal con\u00adces\u00adsion con\u00adsti\u00adtutes a mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal change to the con\u00adtract. In addi\u00adtion, the excep\u00adtions that allow the orig\u00adi\u00adnal con\u00adces\u00adsion to be sup\u00adple\u00adment\u00aded with\u00adout an award pro\u00adce\u00addure do not apply. Although the rapid devel\u00adop\u00adment of e\u2011mobility in the 1990s was not specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly fore\u00adsee\u00adable, the con\u00adtract amend\u00adment was not nec\u00ades\u00adsary in terms of pub\u00adlic pro\u00adcure\u00adment law. Such an adjust\u00adment with\u00adout a new award pro\u00adce\u00addure is only per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adble if it is absolute\u00adly nec\u00ades\u00adsary to ensure the prop\u00ader ful\u00adfill\u00adment of the orig\u00adi\u00adnal oblig\u00ada\u00adtions \u2014 such as refu\u00adel\u00ading and rest\u00ading \u2014 which was not the case here.        <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, the exten\u00adsion of the orig\u00adi\u00adnal con\u00adces\u00adsion with\u00adout car\u00adry\u00ading out an award pro\u00adce\u00addure was invalid.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tips for pub\u00adlic clients<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Duty to review tech\u00adni\u00adcal devel\u00adop\u00adments:<\/strong> In the case of long-term con\u00adtrac\u00adtu\u00adal rela\u00adtion\u00adships, new ser\u00advice pro\u00adfiles (such as mod\u00adern ener\u00adgy infra\u00adstruc\u00adture) can\u00adnot gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly sim\u00adply be \u201cadded on\u201d. Check at an ear\u00adly stage whether new require\u00adments form an inde\u00adpen\u00addent mar\u00adket.   <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Trans\u00adparen\u00adcy require\u00adment:<\/strong> Do not rely on sup\u00adposed in-house priv\u00adi\u00adleges or exclu\u00adsiv\u00adi\u00adty claus\u00ades in old con\u00adtracts if the mar\u00adket sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion has changed fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion of neces\u00adsi\u00adty:<\/strong> A con\u00adtract amend\u00adment with\u00adout a call for ten\u00adders is only per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adble with\u00adin extreme\u00adly nar\u00adrow lim\u00adits. Mere eco\u00adnom\u00adic expe\u00addi\u00aden\u00adcy is not suf\u00adfi\u00adcient to cir\u00adcum\u00advent com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion.   <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tips for bid\u00adders and fund\u00ading recip\u00adi\u00adents<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Com\u00adpeti\u00adtor mon\u00adi\u00adtor\u00ading: <\/strong>Pay atten\u00adtion to trans\u00adparen\u00adcy announce\u00adments regard\u00ading con\u00adtract changes. If a client awards ser\u00advices with\u00adout com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion that go beyond the orig\u00adi\u00adnal con\u00adcept, this can block your oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to enter the mar\u00adket.   <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legal cer\u00adtain\u00adty of addi\u00adtions: <\/strong>If you take on addi\u00adtion\u00adal tasks as an exist\u00ading con\u00adces\u00adsion\u00adaire, have the admis\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of the exten\u00adsion checked under pub\u00adlic pro\u00adcure\u00adment law. An inef\u00adfec\u00adtive sup\u00adple\u00admen\u00adtary agree\u00adment can lead to a loss of invest\u00adment secu\u00adri\u00adty.   <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Focus on exper\u00adtise:<\/strong> In new award pro\u00adce\u00addures for inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive infra\u00adstruc\u00adture, tech\u00adni\u00adcal excel\u00adlence and mod\u00adern solu\u00adtions count for more than sim\u00adply own\u00ading loca\u00adtions.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In its deci\u00adsion dat\u00aded March 6, 2026 (case ref\u00ader\u00adence: Verg 29\/22), the High\u00ader Region\u00adal Court of D\u00fcs\u00adsel\u00addorf ruled that the sub\u00adse\u00adquent addi\u00adtion of fast charg\u00ading infra\u00adstruc\u00adture to con\u00adces\u00adsion agree\u00adments con\u00adsti\u00adtutes a mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal change that requires a new award pro\u00adce\u00addure. You can find the video of the rul\u00ading dis\u00adcus\u00adsion here: Facts of the case The legal [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":22525,"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":[703,248],"tags":[707,870,706],"team_kategorien":[],"lexikon_kategorie":[223],"class_list":["post-24321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-public-procurement-law-in-15-minutes","category-jurisdiction","tag-award-procedure","tag-bidder","tag-public-procurement-law","lexikon_kategorie-review-procedure"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24321","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\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24321"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24322,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24321\/revisions\/24322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24321"},{"taxonomy":"team_kategorien","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/team_kategorien?post=24321"},{"taxonomy":"lexikon_kategorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lexikon_kategorie?post=24321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}