Selection criteria

This is done following the principles stated in section Eligibility for contract.

Proof of economic and financial capacity may in particular be furnished by one or more of the following documents:

• appropriate statements from banks or evidence of professional risk indemnity insurance;
• the presentation of balance sheets or extracts from balance sheets for at least the last two years for which accounts have been closed, where publication of the balance sheet is required under the company law of the country in which the economic operator is established;
• a statement of overall turnover and turnover concerning the works, supplies or services covered by the contract during a period which may be no more than the last three financial years.

The technical and professional capacity of economic operators must be evaluated and verified in accordance with the following rules.

In procurement procedures for supplies requiring installation operations, services and/or works etc, such capacity must be assessed with particular reference to their know-how, efficiency, experience and reliability.

Evidence of such capacity may, depending on the nature, quantity or scale and purpose of the supplies, services or works to be provided, be furnished on the basis of one or more of the following documents:

• the educational and professional qualifications of the service provider or contractor and/or those of the firm's managerial staff and, in particular, those of the person or persons responsible for providing the services or carrying out the works;

• a list:
  • of the principal services provided and supplies delivered in the past three years, with the sums, dates and recipients, public or private.
  • of the works carried out in the last five years, with the sums, dates and place. The list of the most important works must be accompanied by certificates of satisfactory execution, specifying whether they have been carried out in a professional manner and have been fully completed;
• a description of the technical equipment, tools and plant to be employed by the firm for performing a service or works contract;
• a description of the technical equipment and measures employed to ensure the quality of supplies and services, and a description of the firm's study and research facilities;
• an indication of the technicians or technical bodies involved, whether or not belonging directly to the firm, especially those responsible for quality control;
• in respect of supplies: samples, descriptions and/or authentic photographs and/or certificates drawn up by official quality control institutes or agencies of recognised competence attesting the conformity of the products with the specifications or standards in force;
• a statement of the average annual manpower and the number of managerial staff of the service provider or contractor in the last three years;
• an indication of the proportion of the contract which the service provider may intend to subcontract. The contracting authority may also require the candidate or tenderer to submit any information on the financial, economic, technical and professional capacities of the envisaged subcontractor, in particular when subcontracting represents a significant part of the contract;
• for public works contracts and public service contracts, and only in appropriate cases, an indication of the environmental management measures that the economic operator will be able to apply when performing the contract.

If the documentary evidence submitted is not written in one of the official languages of the European Union, a translation into the language of the procedure must be attached. Where the documents are in an official language of the European Union other than the one of the procedure, it is however strongly recommended to provide a translation into the language of the procedure, in order to facilitate the evaluation of the documents.



Sources and useful links:

• EuropeAid website - Eligibility
• Practical Guide to Contract procedures for EC external actions