Subcontracting
Subcontracting is permitted but subject to rules. The tenderer may rely on the capacity of third parties (subcontractors) to meet selection criteria, provided the necessary commitments are submitted.
Emergency suspension request against award of framework agreement for towing and storage of vehicles rejected – discretion in quality assessment, no special price investigation required with only two tenderers
The Council of State rejected the emergency suspension request by BV G. against the award by Police Zone 5366 Geel-Laakdal-Meerhout of a framework agreement for towing, recovery and storage of vehicles to BV M., because none of the three grounds — concerning the environmental permit, the quality assessment and the price investigation — was serious: the contracting authority had discretion in the qualitative evaluation, the specifications expressly allowed the use of subcontractors, and a price difference of 16 percent with only two tenderers did not require a special price investigation.
Sewer inspection Kortrijk: suspension due to unjustified exclusion of tenderer proposing the same subcontractor as another tenderer
The Council of State suspends the non-selection of a tenderer for a sewer cleaning and inspection contract in Kortrijk, because no legal provision or specification prohibits a subcontractor from offering its services to multiple tenderers — the prohibition on multiple tenders (Article 54(2) of the Placement Royal Decree) applies to the tenderers themselves, not their subcontractors, even when the subcontracted work constitutes the core element of the contract.
Een grondig prijsonderzoek met meerdere rondes kan volstaan om een schijnbaar abnormaal lage prijs te aanvaarden — ook wanneer de gekozen inschrijver uitgaat van een lager aantal operationele dossiers door het revolving-effect
De Raad van State verwerpt de vordering tot schorsing van de gunning van een opdracht voor minnelijke invordering van schuldvorderingen voor de SWDE en de CILE, omdat de aanbestedende overheid binnen de grenzen van een zorgvuldige beoordeling is gebleven door de prijsverantwoording van de gekozen inschrijver te aanvaarden na een uitgebreid prijsonderzoek met meerdere rondes — en omdat de grieven over GDPR-schending bij onderaanneming in Tunesië, sociale dumping en procedurele onregelmatigheden bij de BAFO-fase niet ernstig genoeg zijn om tot schorsing te leiden.
Winter services Bastogne: no damages despite annulment of award — applicant fails to prove extent of loss because he performed the services through his own company and as subcontractor
The Council of State rejects a claim for €42,070 in damages following the annulment of a winter services award in the Bastogne district, because the automatic 10% indemnity (article 16(3) of the Act of 17 June 2013) only applies when the contract was actually concluded — here the contract was never concluded as the suspension intervened before conclusion — and the applicant fails to demonstrate the extent of his damage, since his company (in which he holds 180 of 186 shares) obtained the replacement contract and he personally performed as subcontractor for the first winter period.
Road maintenance Baelen: price justification based on subcontractor offer for different quantities is manifestly unreasonable
The Council of State annuls the award of a road maintenance framework agreement because the contracting authority could not accept the winning tenderer's price justification for three bituminous surface treatment items — a mere reference to a subcontractor's offer without detailed substantiation is insufficient, and the subcontractor calculated prices based on 1,000 m² while the bill of quantities specified 100 m², meaning the unit prices for the bill quantities were not justified.
Rejection of extreme urgency suspension against award of renovation works at Hemptinne Barracks (Heverlee) via mini-competition under Defence framework agreement — mandatory site visit correctly verified via visit report — reliance on third party's capacity for contractor accreditation (category D, class 4) is permitted — accreditation does not expire automatically after five years but is subject to review
The Council of State rejected NV R.'s extreme urgency suspension claim against Defence's award of renovation works at Hemptinne Barracks (Heverlee) to BV G. via mini-competition under a framework agreement, as the mandatory site visit was correctly verified via the visit report, reliance on a third party's capacity (NV I.) for the required category D class 4 accreditation is permitted under the 2016 Act and 2017 Royal Decree, and the third party's accreditation had not automatically expired after five years but is merely subject to quinquennial review.
This page shows all rulings of the Council of State (Belgium's supreme administrative court) on subcontracting in public procurement. Each ruling is summarized by TenderWolf in plain language, with a legal lesson and a practical question to ask yourself. View all rulings →