Does the Public Procurement Act require an ISO certificate to take part?
Not automatically. The Public Procurement Act allows the contracting authority to set selection criteria relating to bidders’ technical and professional ability (Art. 59(1)(3)). These include a requirement for the bidder to apply a quality management system or environmental protection systems and standards (Art. 63(1)(10) and (11)).
The criteria and the documents used to prove them are stated in advance - in the contract notice. They must be appropriate to the subject matter, value, scope and complexity of the contract, and they set the minimum requirements for eligibility (Art. 59(2) and (5)). If the notice requires a management system, the evidence is a certificate.
| Requirement | Legal basis | What you submit |
|---|---|---|
| Quality management system, including for access for people with disabilities | Art. 63(1)(10) and Art. 64(3) | A certificate under the relevant series of European standards - in practice ISO 9001 |
| Environmental protection systems or standards | Art. 63(1)(11) and Art. 64(4) | EMAS or a certificate to a European or international standard - for example ISO 14001 |
Which certification bodies does the contracting authority accept?
Under Art. 64(5), certificates must be issued by independent bodies accredited under the relevant series of European standards by the Executive Agency “Bulgarian Accreditation Service” or by another national accreditation body that is a party to the Multilateral Agreement on mutual recognition of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA MLA), for the relevant field.
The next paragraph adds that the contracting authority accepts equivalent certificates issued by bodies established in other Member States. What matters is the body’s accreditation, not the country in which it is established.
Meets Art. 64(5)
- The body is accredited by the Executive Agency “Bulgarian Accreditation Service”.
- The body is accredited by another national body that is an EA MLA signatory for management system certification.
- The standard is within the scope of the body’s accreditation.
Does not meet it
- The body has no accreditation.
- The “accreditation” comes from an organization that is not a national accreditation body.
- The standard is outside the scope of accreditation.
Checking whether a body is accredited takes a few minutes - the steps are in the article How to check whether an ISO certificate is valid.
Is a certificate issued through ESCERT accepted?
Yes. The certificates you obtain through Euro Standard Certification are issued by CERTIND S.A. - a certification body accredited by RENAR to ISO/IEC 17021-1 (certificate No. SM 041). RENAR is Romania’s national accreditation body and a signatory of the EA MLA for management system certification. That is why certificates to the standards within the scope of accreditation - including ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 - meet the condition of Art. 64(5).
- Accredited bodyCERTIND S.A. is accredited by RENAR to ISO/IEC 17021-1 - certificate No. SM 041.
- Recognition in the EURENAR is a signatory of the EA MLA for management system certification.
- Verifiable certificateThe status can be checked with CERTIND S.A. and in the global IAF CertSearch database.
- Audits in BulgarianAudits are conducted in Bulgarian throughout the country.
The full scope of accreditation by standard is on the Accreditation page.
When is the certificate submitted in the procedure?
- 1Read the contract notice
In it, the contracting authority sets out the selection criteria and the documents that prove them - for example, which standard and for what activity.
- 2Declare it in the ESPD
When you submit your tender, compliance with the selection criteria is declared in the European Single Procurement Document (Art. 67(1)), which is submitted electronically.
- 3Provide the certificate on request
At any time after the tenders are opened, the contracting authority may request the documents that prove what is declared in the ESPD (Art. 67(5)).
Compliance is declared at the time of submission, so the certificate must already be in place at that point. Plan certification ahead of the tenders you are preparing for.
What should you check in the certificate before you submit a tender?
- A scope that does not cover the subject matter
Selection criteria are linked to the subject matter of the contract. If the certificate covers trading and the contract is for construction, it does not prove what is being asked for.
- A missed surveillance audit
The certificate is valid for three years only if the surveillance audits are passed. Without them, it may be suspended before its expiry date.
- Details that do not match
The name and address on the certificate must match the Commercial Register.
Also check the version of the standard. A certificate to ISO 9001:2015 is valid until 30 September 2029 at the latest - the end of the transition to ISO 9001:2026.
What if you do not have a certificate in time?
The law allows an exception: the contracting authority also accepts other evidence of equivalent measures when the bidder had no access to a certificate or could not obtain it within the time limits for reasons beyond its control. The bidder must, however, prove that the measures are equivalent to those required (Art. 64(7) and (8)). This is an exception, not a substitute for the certificate.
It depends mainly on how ready the management system is and on the time needed to address any nonconformities.
Describe your activity and receive a quote during business hours - with the scope, the audit duration and the price.
The body that certifies you cannot implement the system for you - this is an impartiality requirement under ISO/IEC 17021-1. Implementation is done by you or by an independent consultant, and the certification process begins once the system is up and running.
Questions about ISO certificates in public procurement
Is ISO 9001 mandatory for taking part in a public procurement procedure?
Not by law. A certificate is needed when the contracting authority has set a requirement for a quality management system as a selection criterion (Art. 63(1)(10) of the Public Procurement Act). The criteria and documents are stated in the contract notice.
Does the contracting authority accept a certificate from a foreign certification body?
Yes, if the body is accredited for the relevant field by a national accreditation body that is a signatory of the EA MLA (Art. 64(5) of the Public Procurement Act). The law expressly requires the contracting authority to accept equivalent certificates from bodies established in other Member States (Art. 64(6)).
Are certificates issued through ESCERT accepted?
Yes. They are issued by CERTIND S.A., accredited by RENAR to ISO/IEC 17021-1 (No. SM 041). RENAR is a signatory of the EA MLA for management system certification, so certificates to the standards within the scope of accreditation meet the condition of Art. 64(5) of the Public Procurement Act.
When is the certificate submitted in a public procurement procedure?
At submission, compliance with the selection criteria is declared in the ESPD (Art. 67(1) of the Public Procurement Act). The contracting authority may request the certificate itself at any time after the tenders are opened (Art. 67(5)).
What should I do if I cannot get certified before the deadline?
The law allows other evidence of equivalent measures only if you had no access to a certificate or could not obtain it in time for reasons beyond your control - and you must prove equivalence (Art. 64(7) and (8)). That is why certification is planned ahead of tenders.