Glossary · Page 6 of 7

Procurement Glossary

All key terms around public procurement and tendering — explained clearly.

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Realisation Contest in Public Procurement Law 2026

Realisation contest: design contest with concrete implementation intent – procedure, jury, award of the planning contract and procurement-law classification.

Recycling in Procurement Law 2026

Recycling in procurement law: sustainable procurement and circular economy as award criteria in public contracts.

Reference Projects in Procurement Law 2026 – Suitability Proof and Requirements

Reference projects serve in procurement law as proof of technical capacity. Requirements, limits and pitfalls at a glance.

Request for Clarification in Public Procurement Law 2026

Request for clarification: formal enquiry from the contracting authority to clarify unclear tender content in a procurement procedure. Limits and admissibility.

Request to Participate in Procurement Law 2026 – Application in the Restricted Procedure

Request to participate: application documents for two-stage procurement procedures. Content, deadlines and suitability evidence at a glance. Procurement law 2026.

Requests to Participate in Procurement Law 2026 – Overview and Procedure

Requests to participate: plural form and procedural context. Processing, examination and selection of applications in two-stage procurement procedures. Procurement law 2026.

Resolution of the Main Action in Public Procurement Law 2026

Resolution of the main action in public procurement: termination of a review procedure without a decision on the merits where the legal interest in protection has subsequently ceased to exist.

Restricted Tender in Procurement Law

Restricted tender: only selected undertakings are invited to submit tenders. Permissible in the below-threshold range under BVergG 2018 and UVgO.

Restricted Tender with Call for Competition 2026

Restricted tender with call for competition: two-stage procurement procedure with pre-selection of suitable bidders. Process, conditions and legal basis.

Restricted Tender without Call for Competition 2026

Restricted tender without call for competition: direct invitation of selected undertakings without public notice. Conditions and limits.

Right to Be Heard in Procurement Law 2026

Right to be heard in procurement law: fundamental right to comment before adverse decisions – significance in award and review proceedings.

Risk Allocation in Procurement Law 2026 – Principles and Limits

Risk allocation in procurement law governs which party bears which risks of a public contract. Principles, contract drafting and concession awards.

RPW 2013 – Design Competition Guidelines in Procurement Law 2026

RPW 2013: German guidelines for design competitions in architecture and urban planning – scope, procedure and procurement law classification.

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Early Payment Discount (Skonto) in Procurement Law

An early payment discount (Skonto) is a percentage price reduction for prompt payment that can be stated in tenders and must be handled separately under procurement law.

EU Thresholds in Procurement Law 2026

EU thresholds determine the contract values above which EU-wide tendering obligations apply. Current amounts, calculation rules and national differences.

Immediate Appeal in Procurement Law 2026

Immediate appeal (sofortige Beschwerde) in German procurement law: remedy against decisions of the procurement chamber to the Higher Regional Court – time limits, procedure and suspensive effect.

Immorality in Procurement Law 2026

Immorality in procurement law: tenders or arrangements contrary to public policy – elements, legal consequences and distinctions.

Secondary Legal Protection in Procurement Law 2026 – Damages After Award

Secondary legal protection in procurement law refers to the claim for damages after a contract has been awarded. Conditions and distinction from primary legal protection.

Sectors Procurement Ordinance (SektVO) in German Procurement Law

The German Sectors Procurement Ordinance (SektVO) regulates above-threshold procurement by utilities contracting entities in water, energy, transport and postal services. Implements Directive 2014/25/EU.

Secure Signature Creation Device (SSCD) in Procurement Law 2026

Secure Signature Creation Device (SSCD): hardware component for creating qualified electronic signatures – definition, requirements and use.

Security Deposit in Procurement Law 2026

Security deposit in procurement law: security provided by a bidder or contractor to safeguard the claims of the public contracting authority.

Selection Criteria in Procurement Law 2026

Selection criteria in procurement law: criteria for selecting candidates in a call for competition. Distinction from suitability and award criteria.

Self-Cleaning in Procurement Law

Self-cleaning: measures by an undertaking after a ground for exclusion to restore reliability. Art. 57(6) Directive 2014/24/EU, § 125 GWB, § 83 BVergG 2018.

Separately Contestable Decision in Procurement Law 2026

Separately contestable decisions are certain contracting authority decisions in a procurement procedure against which legal protection must be sought immediately.

Serial Construction in Procurement Law 2026 – Framework Contracts and Type Approvals

Serial construction means the standardised erection of buildings from type plans. Procurement-law framework conditions for framework agreements and call-off procedures.

Service in Public Procurement 2026

Service in public procurement: umbrella term for works, supplies and services that public contracting authorities procure through regulated tendering procedures.

Sham Bid in Procurement Law 2026 – Collusion and Competition Law

A sham bid is a manipulated tender in public procurement that simulates competition. Definition, legal consequences and prevention.

Sham Tender in Procurement Law 2026 – Manipulation and Legal Consequences

A sham tender simulates a competitive procurement procedure even though the contractor has already been determined. Definition, detection and legal consequences.

Signature Card in Procurement Law

The signature card is a chip card with a qualified certificate and forms the basis for the qualified electronic signature when submitting tenders electronically.

SIMAP in Procurement Law

SIMAP is the EU information system for public procurement and provides the technical infrastructure for publishing tenders on TED.

Simple Electronic Signature in Public Procurement 2026

Simple electronic signature (SES): the lowest signature level under eIDAS. Definition, distinction from AES and QES, and use in public procurement.

Single Market Relevance in Public Procurement Law 2026

Single market relevance: criterion for cross-border interest in a contract. Decisive for transparency obligations below EU thresholds.

Single-Stage Procedure in Public Procurement 2026

Single-stage procedure in procurement law: procurement procedure without a preceding call for participation. Distinction from the two-stage procedure and use cases.

Single-Stage Procurement Procedure in Public Procurement

In the single-stage procurement procedure, all interested parties submit their bid simultaneously; suitability check and bid evaluation take place in one step.

Site Visit in Public Procurement Law

The site visit is the inspection of the place of performance before bid submission – voluntary or mandatory – and is subject to the principle of equal treatment.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Procurement Law 2026

SMEs in procurement law: measures to facilitate access by small and medium-sized enterprises to public tenders and contracts.

Small-Lot Rule in Procurement Law 2026

Small-lot rule: a simplification provision allowing individual lots below specified value thresholds to be awarded under simplified procedures or to be exempted from EU law.

Social and Other Specific Services in Procurement Law 2026

Social and other specific services: privileged procurement regime with higher threshold and simplified procedural requirements under EU procurement law.

Source PIN in Austrian Procurement Law 2026

Source PIN (Stammzahl): the unique entity identifier in Austrian eGovernment – significance for electronic procurement and bidder identification.

Special Contract Conditions (BVB) in Public Procurement Law 2026

Special contract conditions (BVB) in public procurement law: contract-specific provisions as part of the tender documents. Content, relationship to general conditions and legal effect.

Special Services in Public Procurement Law 2026

Special services in public procurement law: social and other specific services with simplified procurement procedures under Annex XIV of Directive 2014/24/EU.

Specification in Procurement Law 2026

Specification in procurement law: technical requirements for products and services in procurement documents – types, permissible formulations and standards reference.

Specifications with Performance Programme 2026

Specifications with performance programme in public procurement: functional description of works in which bidders themselves take over planning and execution.

Standing to Appeal in Procurement Law 2026

Standing to appeal in procurement law: who can lodge an immediate appeal against decisions of the procurement chamber? Conditions and distinction from standing to apply.

Standstill Notification in Public Procurement

The standstill notification is the contracting authority's notice to all bidders of the intended award decision prior to contract conclusion.

Standstill Period in Procurement Law

The standstill period is the statutory waiting time between award decision and contract conclusion that gives bidders the opportunity for review.

Start-Up Companies in Procurement Law 2026

Start-up companies in procurement law: challenges for young companies in public tenders and approaches to solutions.

State Aid in Procurement Law 2026

State aid in procurement law: state subsidies and their relationship with public procurement. EU state aid law, distinctions and compliance.

State Procurement Acts in Public Procurement 2026

State procurement acts: state-specific procurement rules below the EU thresholds – collective bargaining, minimum wage, sustainability obligations and differences between the federal states.

Sub-Threshold Negotiated Award 2026 – Procurement Procedure with Negotiation

The sub-threshold negotiated award is a procurement procedure in which the contracting authority negotiates with selected undertakings about bid content and conditions.

Subcontract in Public Procurement 2026 – Use of Subcontractors in Public Contracts

Subcontract: engaging subcontractors in public contracts. Notification duties, suitability requirements and contractor liability in 2026.

Subcontractor (Subunternehmer) in Procurement Law

Subcontractor (Subunternehmer) in procurement law: company engaged by the contractor for parts of the performance. Disclosure obligation, liability. AT: BVergG 2018, DE: § 36 VgV.

Subcontractor in Public Procurement Law

Subcontractor in public procurement law: company to which parts of the contract are passed on. Disclosure duty, suitability check. Art. 71 Directive 2014/24/EU, § 83a BVergG 2018.

Subcontractor List in Public Procurement Law 2026

Subcontractor list: list of the subcontractors planned by the bidder, to be disclosed in award procedures for suitability verification and transparency.

Subject Matter of Procurement in Procurement Law 2026

Subject matter of procurement: definition of the service to be procured as supply, works or service contract. Significance for the procurement procedure.

Subject Matter of the Contract in Public Procurement Law 2026

Subject matter of the contract: the specific service procured under a public contract. Significance for the choice of procedure and specifications.

Submission in Procurement Law

The submission is the public appointment for opening submitted tenders in the procurement procedure under equal treatment of all bidders.

Supplementary Contract Terms (EVB) in Public Procurement Law 2026

EVB (Supplementary Contract Terms): sector-specific contract clauses in public procurement, notably EVB-IT for IT procurement.

Supplies in Public Procurement 2026

Supplies in public procurement: definition, thresholds, distinction from service contracts and applicable procedural rules.

Utilities Activity in Procurement Law 2026 – Definition and Examples

Utilities activities are the economic activities in water, energy, transport and postal services regulated in the Utilities Directive that trigger special procurement obligations.

Utilities Contracting Entity in Procurement Law

Utilities contracting entities are public and private companies with special rights in water, energy, transport and postal services, subject to special procurement rules.

Utilities Directive 2014/25/EU – Procurement Law 2026 Overview

Directive 2014/25/EU governs procurement in water, energy, transport and postal services. Scope, specifics and national implementation.

Utilities Sector in Procurement Law 2026 – Definition and Scope

The utilities sector covers public activities in water, energy, transport and postal services, subject to special procurement rules under the Utilities Directive.

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Task in the General Interest in Public Procurement Law 2026

Task in the general interest: definition, significance for the concept of contracting authority, and distinction from commercial activity in EU procurement law.

Task Not of a Commercial Character in Public Procurement Law 2026

Task not of a commercial character: criterion for classifying legal entities as contracting authorities within the meaning of procurement law.

Technical Specifications in Procurement Law 2026 – Requirements & Limits

Technical specifications define the requirements for services in procurement procedures. Standards, specifications and non-discrimination explained.

Technical Variant Bid 2026 – Definition and Admissibility in Procurement Law

Technical variant bid: bidder proposes a technically deviating solution. Conditions, admissibility and evaluation in public procurement law.

TED Database in Procurement Law 2026

TED Database: Europe's central tendering database for EU-wide procurement notices – function, content, access and significance for bidders and contracting authorities.

TED eSender in Procurement Law 2026

TED eSender: Certified transmission service for EU procurement notices to the EU's TED portal – function, certification and replacement by eForms.

TED in Procurement Law

TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) is the EU's mandatory publication platform for public contracts above the thresholds, with new tenders published daily.

Tender Database in Procurement Law 2026

Tender database: digital platform for searching and analysing public tenders. Overview of TED, Ausschreibungen.at and other providers.

Tender Evaluation in Procurement Law 2026 – Examination & Scoring

Tender evaluation: how public contracting authorities examine tenders in stages and score them against award criteria to identify the most economically advantageous tender.

Tender Gazette in Procurement Law 2026

Tender gazette: official or private publication medium for public tenders in the national sub-threshold area. Examples and significance.

Tender Opening in Public Procurement Law 2026

Tender opening in public procurement: the formal session at which tenders are opened after the tender deadline – procedure, tenderer rights and legal basis.

Tender Readiness in Procurement Law 2026

Tender readiness: prerequisite for launching a procurement procedure. When is a project ready to be tendered? Definition and checklist.

Tender Result in Procurement Law 2026

Tender result: notification of the successful tenderer and the evaluation results after closure of a procurement procedure. Transparency and tenderers' rights.

Tender Validity Period in Procurement Law 2026

The tender validity period is the time during which a bidder is bound by their tender and the contracting authority can make the award.

Tied Bid in Public Procurement 2026

Tied bid in public procurement: impermissible linking of a bid to conditions or other services that are not subject of the tender.

Time Limit for Requests to Participate

Time limit for requests to participate: the minimum period for submitting requests in a two-stage procedure. Minimum of 30 days under Art. 29 Directive 2014/24/EU.

Total Price in Procurement Law 2026

Total price refers to the complete, final bid price submitted by a bidder for the tendered service, inclusive of all ancillary costs.

Trade (Gewerk) in Procurement Law

A trade is a self-contained service area in construction and forms the basis for specialist-lot procurement and lot-based awarding.

Trade Authorisation (Befugnis) in Procurement Law

Trade authorisation: trade- and profession-law licensing as suitability evidence in Austrian procurement law. Trade licence, civil engineer authorisation. § 68(1) BVergG 2018.

Trade Licence Qualification in Procurement Law 2026

Trade licence qualification denotes the official authorisation of an undertaking to carry on a regulated trade and serves as proof of eligibility.

Transparency Principle in Procurement Law

The transparency principle obliges contracting authorities to conduct traceable, documented and published procurement procedures as a fundamental principle of EU procurement law.

Types of Procurement Procedures 2026 – Overview of All Procedural Forms

Overview of types of procurement procedure: Open procedure, restricted procedure, negotiated procedure, competitive dialogue and innovation partnership explained.

Types of Public Contracts in Public Procurement Law

Public contracts are divided into three main categories: works contracts, supply contracts and service contracts – with different thresholds.

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