{"id":24330,"date":"2026-03-26T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abante.de\/subsequent-contract-amendment-between-flexibility-and-public-procurement-law\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:21:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:21:32","slug":"subsequent-contract-amendment-between-flexibility-and-public-procurement-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/subsequent-contract-amendment-between-flexibility-and-public-procurement-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Sub\u00adse\u00adquent con\u00adtract amend\u00adment: between flex\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty and pub\u00adlic pro\u00adcure\u00adment law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cWe have to adjust the remu\u00adner\u00ada\u00adtion \u2014 but does that jeop\u00adar\u00addize the entire ten\u00adder?\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This issue is often a crit\u00adi\u00adcal point in long-term coop\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion between pub\u00adlic clients and ser\u00advice providers. Whether price esca\u00adla\u00adtion claus\u00ades are miss\u00ading or unfore\u00adseen events ren\u00adder a cal\u00adcu\u00adla\u00adtion invalid \u2014 the fear of a nec\u00ades\u00adsary re-ten\u00adder\u00ading res\u00adonates with every con\u00adtract amend\u00adment. How\u00adev\u00ader, a recent rul\u00ading by the ECJ in the <em>Polis\u00admyn\u00addigheten<\/em> case (Case C\u2011282\/24) now pro\u00advides impor\u00adtant clar\u00adi\u00adty for pro\u00adcure\u00adment prac\u00adtice.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The case: When tow\u00ading costs become a legal dis\u00adpute<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The start\u00ading point was a case involv\u00ading a Swedish police author\u00adi\u00adty that had con\u00adclud\u00aded frame\u00adwork agree\u00adments for tow\u00ading ser\u00advices. Short\u00adly after the con\u00adtract was con\u00adclud\u00aded, the remu\u00adner\u00ada\u00adtion mod\u00adel was adjust\u00aded: A radius was increased, fixed prices were raised and kilo\u00adme\u00adter prices were low\u00adered. What sound\u00aded prag\u00admat\u00adic led to a hefty fine from the Swedish Com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion Author\u00adi\u00adty for an alleged\u00adly unlaw\u00adful mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal change. The case even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly end\u00aded up before the ECJ.     <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The most impor\u00adtant insight: dif\u00adfer\u00aden\u00adti\u00ada\u00adtion is manda\u00adto\u00adry<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cen\u00adtral mes\u00adsage of the rul\u00ading is a relief for prac\u00adti\u00adtion\u00aders: a \u201csig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant change\u201d is not auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly to be equat\u00aded with a \u201cchange in the over\u00adall nature\u201d of the con\u00adtract. Both terms are inde\u00adpen\u00addent test cri\u00adte\u00adria.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In essence, this means:  <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Green light for adjust\u00adments:<\/strong> The sub\u00adse\u00adquent adjust\u00adment of remu\u00adner\u00ada\u00adtion mod\u00adels with\u00adin frame\u00adwork agree\u00adments is per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adble as long as the total con\u00adtract val\u00adue only increas\u00ades slight\u00adly and the bal\u00adance of the con\u00adtract is not fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly shift\u00aded.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The lim\u00adit of what is per\u00admit\u00adted:<\/strong> Only when the object or type of con\u00adtract is fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly changed \u2014 for exam\u00adple by replac\u00ading a con\u00adstruc\u00adtion con\u00adtract with a ser\u00advice con\u00adtract or by con\u00advert\u00ading a con\u00adtract into a con\u00adces\u00adsion \u2014 is the red line for \u201cchang\u00ading the over\u00adall char\u00adac\u00adter\u201d crossed.  <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Clas\u00adsi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion: Sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic back\u00adground and method<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his com\u00admen\u00adtary in the <strong>EWS (issue 1\/2026), start\u00ading on page 36<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/team-mitglieder\/daniel-schoelzel\/\" data-type=\"team-mitglieder\" data-id=\"21726\">Daniel Sch\u00f6lzel<\/a> points out that this deci\u00adsion rep\u00adre\u00adsents an \u201cimpor\u00adtant clar\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion\u201d, but at the same time a \u201cmissed oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty\u201d. While we high\u00adlight the prac\u00adti\u00adcal con\u00adse\u00adquences here, the analy\u00adsis in the spe\u00adcial\u00adist arti\u00adcle is based on <strong> <\/strong>the <strong>in-depth sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic deriva\u00adtion <\/strong>by the ECJ. Mr. Sch\u00f6lzel high\u00adlights the <strong>clas\u00adsic legal canon of inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion<\/strong> used by the ECJ \u2014 from the gram\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal to the sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adic to the tele\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion of Art. 72 of the Pub\u00adlic Pro\u00adcure\u00adment Direc\u00adtive \u2014 with which the con\u00adcep\u00adtu\u00adal sep\u00ada\u00adra\u00adtion of the char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtics was clear\u00adly jus\u00adti\u00adfied.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcance for the nation\u00adal con\u00adtext in Ger\u00admany<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The deci\u00adsion has a direct impact on Ger\u00adman pro\u00adcure\u00adment prac\u00adtice and the appli\u00adca\u00adtion of <strong>Sec\u00adtion 132 GWB<\/strong>, which trans\u00adforms the Euro\u00adpean require\u00adments into nation\u00adal law. For Ger\u00adman con\u00adtract\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adties, the rul\u00ading pro\u00advides impor\u00adtant guid\u00adance and con\u00adfirms a legal opin\u00adion that the <strong>High\u00ader Region\u00adal Court of D\u00fcs\u00adsel\u00addorf<\/strong>, for exam\u00adple, had already indi\u00adcat\u00aded in 2022. There is now more cer\u00adtain\u00adty that the terms \u201csub\u00adstan\u00adtial change\u201d and \u201cchange in the over\u00adall nature\u201d are to be under\u00adstood sep\u00ada\u00adrate\u00adly from each oth\u00ader in Sec\u00adtion 132 GWB. In addi\u00adtion, the pro\u00advi\u00adsion opens up scope for flex\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty, which must not be obstruct\u00aded by equat\u00ading terms of change too close\u00adly.     <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Con\u00adclu\u00adsion: gray areas remain \u2014 doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion is every\u00adthing<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the new clar\u00adi\u00adty, one fly in the oint\u00adment remains: the ECJ has failed to define the term \u201cchange in the over\u00adall char\u00adac\u00adter\u201d con\u00adclu\u00adsive\u00adly and with legal cer\u00adtain\u00adty. The ques\u00adtion of when there is a fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal shift in the bal\u00adance remains unclear.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In prac\u00adtice, this means that the risk of <strong>pend\u00ading inef\u00adfec\u00adtive\u00adness<\/strong> in bor\u00adder\u00adline cas\u00ades (Sec\u00adtion 135 ARC) remains, as a con\u00adtract notice is reg\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly not pub\u00adlished if <em>no change in the over\u00adall char\u00adac\u00adter<\/em> is assumed. Care\u00adful review and doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion of the scope and qual\u00adi\u00adty of the amend\u00adment there\u00adfore remain essen\u00adtial.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The com\u00adplete aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic com\u00admen\u00adtary with all details on the legal sys\u00adtem can be found in the cur\u00adrent issue of the jour\u00adnal Europ\u00e4is\u00adches Wirtschafts- und Steuer\u00adrecht (EWS), issue 1\/2026, from page 36 onwards.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe have to adjust the remu\u00adner\u00ada\u00adtion \u2014 but does that jeop\u00adar\u00addize the entire ten\u00adder?\u201d This issue is often a crit\u00adi\u00adcal point in long-term coop\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion between pub\u00adlic clients and ser\u00advice providers. Whether price esca\u00adla\u00adtion claus\u00ades are miss\u00ading or unfore\u00adseen events ren\u00adder a cal\u00adcu\u00adla\u00adtion invalid \u2014 the fear of a nec\u00ades\u00adsary re-ten\u00adder\u00ading res\u00adonates with every con\u00adtract amend\u00adment. [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"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":[248,877],"tags":[881,879,880,878,717],"team_kategorien":[],"lexikon_kategorie":[208],"class_list":["post-24330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jurisdiction","category-publications-2","tag--section-135-gwb","tag-polisyndighets","tag-price-escalation-clause","tag-rs-c-282-24","tag-towing-services","lexikon_kategorie-framework-agreement"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24330","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\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24331,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24330\/revisions\/24331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24330"},{"taxonomy":"team_kategorien","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/team_kategorien?post=24330"},{"taxonomy":"lexikon_kategorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abante.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lexikon_kategorie?post=24330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}