The Public Contracts Regulations 2015

Reliance on the capacities of other entities U.K.

63.—(1) With regard to—

(a) criteria relating to economic and financial standing as set out under regulation 58(7) to (14), and

(b) criteria relating to technical and professional ability as set out under regulation 58(15) to (18),

an economic operator may, where appropriate and for a particular contract, rely on the capacities of other entities, regardless of the legal nature of the links which it has with them, subject to the following provisions of this regulation.

(2) With regard to criteria relating to the educational and professional qualifications mentioned in regulation 60(9)(f), or to relevant professional experience, economic operators may however only rely on the capacities of other entities where those entities will perform the works or services for which these capacities are required.

(3) Where an economic operator wants to rely on the capacities of other entities, it shall prove to the contracting authority that it will have at its disposal the resources necessary, for example by producing a commitment by those entities to that effect.

(4) The contracting authority shall, in accordance with regulations 59 to 61, verify whether the entities on whose capacity the economic operator intends to rely fulfil the relevant selection criteria and whether there are grounds for exclusion under regulation 57, and—

(a) the contracting authority shall require that the economic operator replaces an entity which does not meet a relevant selection criterion, or in respect of which there are compulsory grounds for exclusion; and

(b) the contracting authority may require that the economic operator substitutes an entity in respect of which there are non-compulsory grounds for exclusion.

(5) Where an economic operator relies on the capacities of other entities with regard to criteria relating to economic and financial standing, the contracting authority may require that the economic operator and those entities be jointly liable for the execution of the contract.

(6) A group of economic operators within the meaning of regulation 19(3) may rely on the capacities of participants in the group or of other entities, and paragraphs (1) to (5) apply in relation to such a group in the same way that they apply in relation to an economic operator.

(7) In the case of works contracts, service contracts and siting or installation operations in the context of a supply contract, contracting authorities may require that certain critical tasks be performed directly by the tenderer itself or, where the tender is submitted by a group of economic operators within the meaning of regulation 19(3), by a participant in that group.