e-CERTIS

The EU Commission has launched e-CERTIS, a free, on-line source of information to help companies and contracting authorities deal with different forms of documentary evidence required when tendering for public contracts.

The following information is designed to help you understand the functions of the system and how it can be of assistance during the tendering process.

What is e-CERTIS?

e-CERTIS is a guide to the different documents & certificates required from companies tendering for public contracts in any EU country. It helps:

companies to identify which documents and certificates they need to submit when tendering for a contract in a European country
contracting authorities in European countries to establish what documents they need to ask tenderers for – or can accept.

Documents covered

e-CERTIS does not cover the full range of documents contracting authorities may request – just the most frequently requested documents.

What kind of documents and certificates?

Tenderers bidding for contracts in other European countries may be asked to provide documents demonstrating they are qualified to perform the contract (Article 45 of Directive 2004/18/EC) – for instance that:

they haven't been charged with criminal or professional misconduct
they are legally and financially sound
they have sufficient resources to fulfil the contract etc.

Usually, such proof takes the form of official certificates issued by national authorities or statements by the tenderer’s representative, certified in various ways (e.g. sworn before a notary or judge). They take different forms, may be issued by different authorities and are issued in the local language.

e-CERTIS can be useful for:

1. First-time bidders in a purely national context. If interested in bidding for the first time for a contract put out to tender by an authority in his own country, an inexperienced supplier may find the system convenient in terms of identifying the types of documents they need to possess (e.g. where can a document be obtained? What is the procedure to request it?)
Cross-border tendering: companies submitting a bid in another Member State are sometimes asked for certificates which do not exist in exactly the same form in their own country, or for familiar information in a different format. This creates costs and uncertainty for potential bidders and could ultimately deter them from bidding.
Contracting organisations: who need to be sure that the documents they receive, possibly from several countries, meet the requirements set out in the terms of reference both as regards content and in terms of the authority of the issuer.

What can e-CERTIS do for you?

e-CERTIS has been designed to help you:

understand what information is being requested or provided
identify mutually acceptable equivalents.

You can do this fairly quickly, using a range of search criteria, including keyword searches (however, you should remember that this will have to be done in the original language of the document being searched for).

How do you use e-CERTIS?

What is the status of e-CERTIS search results?

e-CERTIS is a reference source. It simply gives you a better understanding of the various documents requested and accepted in different countries, and their content. The fact that e-CERTIS suggests that a document from country A corresponds to a particular certificate from country B is not legally binding.

Who keeps e-CERTIS up to date?

e-CERTIS is a joint initiative – the Commission provides and manages the system and national editorial teams make sure the information in it is complete, accurate and up to date.

How can I access e-CERTIS?

e-CERTIS is accessible on the website of the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Internal Market. You can access it through http://ec.europa.eu/markt/ecertis/login.do