{"id":852,"date":"2021-06-19T22:10:26","date_gmt":"2021-06-19T22:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legalblog.ie\/?p=852"},"modified":"2021-06-19T22:51:10","modified_gmt":"2021-06-19T22:51:10","slug":"award-qualifications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/award-qualifications\/","title":{"rendered":"Award Qualifications"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/award-qualifications\/#Qualifications_Systems_Specifications\" title=\"Qualifications Systems &amp; Specifications\">Qualifications Systems &amp; Specifications<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/award-qualifications\/#Exclusions_of_Tenderers\" title=\"Exclusions of Tenderers\">Exclusions of Tenderers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/award-qualifications\/#Notices\" title=\"Notices\">Notices<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/award-qualifications\/#Information_to_be_GIven\" title=\"Information to be GIven\">Information to be GIven<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Qualifications_Systems_Specifications\"><\/span>Qualifications Systems &amp; Specifications<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Awarding authorities may use qualification systems to select businesses to invite to tender or negotiate for a contract under the Utilities Directive.\u00a0 The systems must be based on objective criteria and quantification.\u00a0 Businesses must be able to participate at any time.\u00a0 The rules on qualification must be available on request.\u00a0 Updating and changes in the criteria must be communicated.<\/p>\n<p>Qualification systems may be made with reference to technical specifications.\u00a0 They must be published in the contract documents.\u00a0 They must be by reference to EU standards or where they do not exist, national standards or equivalent.\u00a0 Environmental characteristics may be provided for.\u00a0 The criteria may be performance or functional or a mixture of performance and functional and technical standards.<\/p>\n<p>The awarding authority may not reject a tender on the basis that it does not comply with specifications if the tenderer proves that the solutions satisfy the requirements in an equivalent manner to that provided for by the technical specifications.\u00a0 It may not reject tenders on the basis of national standards transposing an EU standard, common technical or international specification if they address the performance requirements set out in the tender, provided that the tenderer proves that they meet the performance and functional requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Unless objectively justified, specifications may not refer to a particular make, source, trademark, patent, origin unless objectively justified and strictly necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Technical specifications regularly referred to in supply contracts by the authority or those covered by periodic indicative notices, must be made available on request to interested businesses.\u00a0 Where they are based on documents available, reference to those documents is sufficient.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Exclusions_of_Tenderers\"><\/span>Exclusions of Tenderers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Awarding authorities may exclude participants in a public contract if the subject of a conviction for certain offences including occupation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud or money laundering.\u00a0 Tenderers may be excluded on the basis of insolvency, bankruptcy, winding up, professional misconduct findings, breach of social security contributions requirements or failure to pay taxes or is \u00a0guilty of serious misrepresentation in relation to information in the above matters.<\/p>\n<p>Sufficient evidence of the situation of tenderers may be provided by judicial records or equivalent documents by judicial or administrative authorities or by revenue authorities.\u00a0 Where none such are issued by the State, confirmation by declaration or oath before a competent authority suffices.\u00a0 The authority may vouch the information with the relevant authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Where the awarding authority sets criteria in relation to qualifications on the basis of economic and financial capacity, tenderers may rely on the capacity of other entities which give appropriate undertakings.\u00a0 Groups may rely on the capacity of one or more group members.<\/p>\n<p>Where the criteria require technical or professional ability, tenderers may rely on the capacity of other entities proving that they have the required resources, such as group members.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Notices\"><\/span>Notices<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When establishing a qualification system, contracting authorities must comply with obligations in relation in relation to notices on the system.\u00a0 \u00a0There must be a notice setting out the purpose of the system and how to have access to its rules and operation.\u00a0 \u00a0Information must include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>details of the awarding authority;<\/li>\n<li>particulars of whether the contract is reserved for sheltered employment;<\/li>\n<li>statement of the purpose of the system including a description of goods, works, services;<\/li>\n<li>statement of the conditions to be fulfilled in relation to quantification under the system and the methods by which they will be verified;<\/li>\n<li>period of validity;<\/li>\n<li>notice that there is a request for a competition;<\/li>\n<li>address for obtaining information regarding the qualification system;<\/li>\n<li>details of any appellate or appeal body or a mediation service together with details of time limits for lodging appeals;<\/li>\n<li>indication of award criteria, weighting, and relative importance of the relevant information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Where the system is for more than three years, the notice must be published annually.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Information_to_be_GIven\"><\/span>Information to be GIven<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The contracting authority has obligations regarding information to be given to prospective tenderers who apply for qualification.\u00a0 Decisions must be given within a period of six months.\u00a0 If it takes longer than four months, the applicant must be informed and reasons justifying the longer period must be given together with the ultimate decision date.<\/p>\n<p>Applicants who are disqualified must be informed of the decision and the reason for the decision within 15 days decision.\u00a0 The refusal must have an objective basis such as capacity, technical ability, fraud, and corruption etc.<\/p>\n<p>Where a system of qualifications is operated, it may be terminated only for reasons based on qualifications.\u00a0 A prior notice must be given together with reasons for the termination.<\/p>\n<p>Contracting authorities must recognise as equivalent, certificates from bodies established in other EU states.\u00a0 In judging qualification, technical, administrative and financial conditions may not be imposed which are discriminatory or which duplicates objective evidence of qualification already available.\u00a0 Relevant standard assurance bodies in \u00a0Europe must be accepted on an equal basis.<\/p>\n<p>Criteria for qualitative selection in open negotiation procedures must be undertaken in accordance with objective rules and criteria which are publicised and available to interested parties.\u00a0 In restricted negotiation procedures, the criteria are based on the need to reduce the number of candidates to a level justified to make the procurement procedure economically justifiable in terms of its objectives.<\/p>\n<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-852\" data-postid=\"852\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-852 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Qualifications Systems &amp; Specifications Awarding authorities may use qualification systems to select businesses to invite to tender or negotiate for a contract under the Utilities Directive.\u00a0 The systems must be based on objective criteria and quantification.\u00a0 Businesses must be able to participate at any time.\u00a0 The rules on qualification must be available on request.\u00a0 Updating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":856,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852\/revisions\/856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}