e-Certis

e-Certis is the European Commission's free online database of the certificates, attestations and other evidence that each EU and EEA country uses in public procurement. It shows which documents prove that a supplier meets the qualification requirements and has no exclusion ground, such as paid taxes and social security, no criminal convictions, no bankruptcy and valid insurance. It is especially useful when you want to bid in another country.

How does e-Certis work?

Three things are easy to mix up:

• The ESPD is the self-declaration you submit with your tender. It is preliminary evidence: you confirm that you meet the requirements.
• e-Certis is the catalogue. It tells you which documents serve as final evidence in each country and who issues them.
• National register services such as Norway's eBevis let the contracting authority fetch a tax certificate, company registration and other data directly from public registers.

The legal basis is Article 61 of the Public Procurement Directive (2014/24/EU). Member States must keep the information on certificates and evidence in e-Certis up to date, and contracting authorities must primarily ask for the types of evidence covered by e-Certis. The European Commission runs the database, while each country enters and maintains its own information. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein take part as EEA countries.

Searching is free and open. You choose a country and what you need evidence for, and you see the document's name, who issues it and how it corresponds to evidence in other countries.

An example: A Norwegian contractor wants to bid for a road contract tendered by a Swedish municipality. At home, she attaches a tax certificate from the Norwegian Tax Administration and a company certificate from the Brønnøysund Register Centre. As a Norwegian company she will normally provide Norwegian evidence in Sweden too, but the Swedish authority does not know these documents. In e-Certis she sees what Swedish suppliers usually provide, such as information from Skatteverket and a registration certificate from Bolagsverket, and which Norwegian documents correspond to them. She can get the right papers in time and explain to the authority what they show.

Why does e-Certis matter for suppliers?

Collecting certificates takes time, and in another country you often do not know what the authority expects. e-Certis gives you the answer before you submit your tender, not after you have won and been given a short deadline to provide evidence. If you are starting to bid under LOU in Sweden, udbudsloven in Denmark or hankintalaki in Finland, it is a good first stop.

The database also helps in dialogue with the authority. If they ask for a document that does not exist in your country, you can show what the national equivalent is. Tools like Cobrief help you see which requirements and documentation a tender asks for, so you know what to look up.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use e-Certis to submit a tender?

No. e-Certis is a reference tool. You do not submit anything there, and the authority does not ask for confirmation from the database.

Are Norwegian documents in e-Certis?

Yes. Norway takes part as an EEA country, so you find Norwegian evidence such as the tax certificate and company certificate, with information on who issues them.

Is e-Certis the same as the ESPD?

No. The ESPD is the form you fill in and submit with your tender. e-Certis tells you which documents are used to confirm what you declared in the ESPD.

In short: e-Certis is Europe's map of certificates and evidence. Check it before you bid in another country, and you avoid surprises when the authority asks for documentation.