The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

European Single Procurement Document: Use, content and form of the ESPD

60.—(1) At the time of submission of requests to participate or of tenders, a contracting authority must accept the ESPD, consisting of an updated self-declaration as preliminary evidence instead of certificates issued by public authorities or third parties confirming that the relevant economic operator fulfils any of the following conditions—

(a) it is not in one of the situations referred to in regulation 58 (exclusion grounds) in which economic operators must or may be excluded;

(b) it meets the relevant selection criteria that have been set out under regulation 59 (selection criteria);

(c) where applicable, it fulfils the objective rules and criteria that have been set out under regulation 66 (reduction of the number of otherwise qualified candidates to be invited to participate).

(2) Where the economic operator relies on the capacities of other entities under regulation 64 (reliance upon the capacities of other entities), the ESPD must also contain the information referred to in paragraph (1) in respect of such entities.

(3) The ESPD must consist of a formal statement by the economic operator that the relevant ground for exclusion does not apply or that the relevant selection criterion is fulfilled and must provide the relevant information as required by the contracting authority.

(4) The ESPD must further identify the public authority or third party responsible for establishing the supporting documents and contain a formal statement to the effect that the economic operator will be able, upon request and without delay, to provide those supporting documents.

(5) Where the contracting authority can obtain the supporting documents directly by accessing a database as mentioned in paragraph (11), the ESPD must also contain the information required for this purpose, such as the internet address of the database, any identification data and, where applicable, the necessary declaration of consent.

(6) An economic operator may reuse an ESPD which has already been used in a previous procurement procedure, provided that the economic operator confirms that the information contained in it continues to be correct.

(7) The ESPD must be provided exclusively in electronic form.

(8) A contracting authority may require candidates and tenderers at any moment during the procedure to submit all or any of the supporting documents where this is necessary to ensure the proper conduct of the procedure.

(9) Before awarding the contract, except a contract based on a framework agreement concluded in accordance with regulation 34(6) or (7)(a) (framework agreements), the contracting authority must require the tenderer to which it has decided to award the contract to submit up-to-date supporting documents in accordance with regulation 61 (means of proof) and, where appropriate, regulation 63 (quality assurance standards and environmental management standards).

(10) The contracting authority may invite economic operators to supplement or clarify the certificates received under regulations 61 (means of proof) and 63 (quality assurance standards and environmental management standards).

(11) Despite paragraphs (8) and (9), a contracting authority must not require economic operators to submit—

(a) supporting documents or other documentary evidence where and in so far as the contracting authority has the possibility of obtaining the certificates or the relevant information directly by accessing a national database in any member State that is available free of charge, such as a national procurement register, a virtual company dossier, an electronic document storage system or a prequalification system; or

(b) a supporting document which the contracting authority already possesses.