{"id":24326,"date":"2026-02-20T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abante.de\/and-equals-or-taking-cumulative-requirements-for-proof-of-suitability-seriously\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:21:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:21:32","slug":"and-equals-or-taking-cumulative-requirements-for-proof-of-suitability-seriously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/and-equals-or-taking-cumulative-requirements-for-proof-of-suitability-seriously\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAnd\u201d equals \u201cor\u201d? Tak\u00ading cumu\u00adla\u00adtive require\u00adments for proof of suit\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty seri\u00adous\u00adly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Decem\u00adber 3, 2025, the Rhineland Pub\u00adlic Pro\u00adcure\u00adment Cham\u00adber (VK) ruled in its deci\u00adsion (Ref.: VK 34\/25) that the cumu\u00adla\u00adtive require\u00adment of cer\u00adtifi\u00adcates of com\u00adpe\u00adtence for con\u00adtrac\u00adtors and man\u00adagers must be tak\u00aden at face val\u00adue \u2014 there is no \u201cor\u201d here.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our video dis\u00adcussing the judg\u00adment<\/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=7LQhqlS4vhE\" title=\"\u201eUnd\u201c \u2260 \u201eoder\u201c! Kumulative Anforderungen an Eignungsnachweise ernst nehmen\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7LQhqlS4vhE?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\">As part of a Europe-wide invi\u00adta\u00adtion to ten\u00adder for land\u00adscap\u00ading work, the client request\u00aded proof of stud\u00adies or cer\u00adtifi\u00adcates of pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal qual\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion for both the \u201cser\u00advice provider or con\u00adtrac\u00adtor\u201d and the \u201ccom\u00adpa\u00adny\u2019s man\u00adage\u00adment\u201d. The sub\u00adse\u00adquent appli\u00adcant sub\u00admit\u00adted the ten\u00adder with the low\u00adest price.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How\u00adev\u00ader, upon sub\u00adse\u00adquent request for sup\u00adport\u00ading doc\u00adu\u00adments, the bid\u00adder only sub\u00admit\u00adted evi\u00addence for the employ\u00adees planned for the project. As no evi\u00addence was pro\u00advid\u00aded for the man\u00adag\u00ading direc\u00adtor of the GmbH, who was entered in the com\u00admer\u00adcial reg\u00adis\u00adter, the client exclud\u00aded the bid. The bid\u00adder argued that the man\u00adage\u00adment was not oper\u00ada\u00adtional\u00adly involved in the con\u00adstruc\u00adtion project and that a GmbH, as a legal enti\u00adty, could not sub\u00admit any proof of stud\u00adies itself.    <\/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 VK Rhein\u00adland con\u00adfirmed the legal\u00adi\u00adty of the exclu\u00adsion and based its deci\u00adsion on sev\u00ader\u00adal key con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions. First\u00adly, the cham\u00adber clar\u00adi\u00adfied that the word\u00ading takes prece\u00addence over inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion: the objec\u00adtive recip\u00adi\u00adent hori\u00adzon of a rea\u00adson\u00adable and knowl\u00adedge\u00adable bid\u00adder is deci\u00adsive. As the con\u00adjunc\u00adtion \u201cand\u201d already address\u00ades two groups of peo\u00adple accord\u00ading to gen\u00ader\u00adal lin\u00adguis\u00adtic under\u00adstand\u00ading, it leaves no scope for an alter\u00adna\u00adtive inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anoth\u00ader cru\u00adcial point is the rel\u00ade\u00advance of com\u00adpa\u00adny man\u00adage\u00adment. The pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal com\u00adpe\u00adtence of the entre\u00adpre\u00adneur is essen\u00adtial for the orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion\u00adal han\u00addling and con\u00adtrol of process\u00ades. In the case of a GmbH, this respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty reg\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly falls to the man\u00adag\u00ading direc\u00adtor. In addi\u00adtion, the cham\u00adber empha\u00adsized that the bid\u00adder does not have to check the pur\u00adpose of the bid: A bid\u00adder does not have to ques\u00adtion the pur\u00adpose of the con\u00adtract\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty\u2019s require\u00adments, pro\u00advid\u00aded that these are \u2014 as affirmed here \u2014 relat\u00aded to the con\u00adtract.     <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Final\u00adly, the prin\u00adci\u00adple of preclu\u00adsion applies. If the bid\u00adder had con\u00adsid\u00adered the claim to be inad\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adble or tech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly impos\u00adsi\u00adble, it should have object\u00aded to this before sub\u00admit\u00adting the bid.   <\/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>Pre\u00adcise word\u00ading:<\/strong> Use clear links in the ten\u00adder doc\u00adu\u00adments and notices (e.g. \u201ccumu\u00adla\u00adtive\u201d or \u201cas well as\u201d) to avoid mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00adings with \u201cand\u201d.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion of addi\u00adtion\u00adal require\u00adments:<\/strong> Set clear dead\u00adlines for addi\u00adtion\u00adal require\u00adments and name the miss\u00ading doc\u00adu\u00adments explic\u00adit\u00adly with ref\u00ader\u00adence to the orig\u00adi\u00adnal selec\u00adtion cri\u00adte\u00adria.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ensure equal treat\u00adment:<\/strong> Ensure that the suit\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty test is car\u00adried out with the same lev\u00adel of detail for all bid\u00adders in order to min\u00adi\u00admize areas of attack in the review process.  <\/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>Lit\u00ader\u00adal ful\u00adfill\u00adment:<\/strong> Take every require\u00adment in the ten\u00adder doc\u00adu\u00adments at its word. \u201cAnd\u201d nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly means that all list\u00aded ele\u00adments must be ver\u00adi\u00adfied.   <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ear\u00adly com\u00adplaint: <\/strong>If a claim seems unrea\u00adson\u00adable or can\u00adnot be ful\u00adfilled for your type of com\u00adpa\u00adny (e.g. GmbH), you must com\u00adplain about this before the end of the offer peri\u00adod.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Com\u00adplete\u00adness for sub\u00adse\u00adquent claims:<\/strong> Make metic\u00adu\u00adlous use of dead\u00adlines for fol\u00adlow-up requests. Miss\u00ading evi\u00addence for the com\u00adpa\u00adny orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion can lead to exclu\u00adsion, even for tech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly excel\u00adlent project teams.   <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Decem\u00adber 3, 2025, the Rhineland Pub\u00adlic Pro\u00adcure\u00adment Cham\u00adber (VK) ruled in its deci\u00adsion (Ref.: VK 34\/25) that the cumu\u00adla\u00adtive require\u00adment of cer\u00adtifi\u00adcates of com\u00adpe\u00adtence for con\u00adtrac\u00adtors and man\u00adagers must be tak\u00aden at face val\u00adue \u2014 there is no \u201cor\u201d here. Our video dis\u00adcussing the judg\u00adment Facts of the case As part of a Europe-wide [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"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],"tags":[697,870,706,708],"team_kategorien":[],"lexikon_kategorie":[209,198,206],"class_list":["post-24326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-public-procurement-law-in-15-minutes","tag-award","tag-bidder","tag-public-procurement-law","tag-review-procedure","lexikon_kategorie-procedure-of-the-procurement-procedure","lexikon_kategorie-suitability","lexikon_kategorie-suitability-criteria"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24326","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=24326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24327,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24326\/revisions\/24327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24326"},{"taxonomy":"team_kategorien","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/team_kategorien?post=24326"},{"taxonomy":"lexikon_kategorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lexikon_kategorie?post=24326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}