Writing the technical specification for a sports equipment tender
In a public tender for sports equipment, the technical specification is the only document that remains enforceable during delivery: anything not written into it is not owed by the successful bidder, and everything written into it is contractually due. In France that document is the CCTP, the cahier des clauses techniques particulieres; every European procurement regime has its equivalent. A weak specification exposes the buyer to equipment that is under specified, non compliant or incompatible with the wider project, while still being formally conforming. This guide sets out the recurring defects we see in sports equipment specifications, the clauses that fix each one, and how the award criteria should be weighted so that the document does what it was written for.
Who this concerns
Technical services directors, procurement officers, elected members responsible for sport, project owners and their advisers, working for municipalities, combined authorities, departments, public care homes, schools and social care organisations. The equipment may be an outdoor fitness trail, a strength floor, a sports hall surface or a playground, and the failure modes are the same across all four.
Six recurring defects and how to fix them
| Defect | Consequence | Correct clause |
|---|---|---|
| Naming a brand without adding an equivalence clause | Restriction of competition and a challengeable award. European procurement law, transposed in France at article L2152-7 of the public procurement code, prohibits reference to a specific make without allowing equivalents | Describe required performance: steel thickness, maximum load, applicable standard, warranty duration, rather than a model reference |
| Not stating the usage class | A bidder can offer domestic class equipment at a lower price with a fraction of the service life | State conformity to EN ISO 20957 with class S for professional and commercial use for indoor equipment, and EN 16630 for outdoor equipment |
| Leaving flooring out of the lot | Machines arrive to an unsuitable substrate: vibration, accelerated wear, acoustic non conformity | Include sports flooring in the equipment supply and installation lot, or create a separate lot with mandatory coordination written into both |
| Under specifying maintenance | Supply without service: the first faults go unrepaired for months | Require preventive maintenance with a stated duration, frequency and response time, plus spare parts availability for a minimum of ten years |
| Not requiring conformity documentation at delivery | After an accident the authority cannot produce certificates, and its civil and criminal liability is engaged | Require a conformity dossier at handover: EN ISO 20957 or EN 16630 certificates, CE declaration where applicable, signed installation record |
| Weighting price above 60 per cent | The lowest bid wins systematically, at the expense of durability and service | Weight price at 40 to 50 per cent, with technical value, service and environmental criteria carrying the balance |
Getting the usage class right
This clause is worth stating precisely, because it is frequently written incorrectly. Under EN ISO 20957-1 in its 2024 revision, class S designates professional and commercial use, class H designates domestic use, class I designates inclusive equipment usable by people with disabilities, and classes A, B and C describe accuracy of measurement. There is no semi professional class, and class I is not a heavier duty version of class S. A specification that asks for class I when it means intensive commercial use will receive offers that are either non responsive or accidentally correct.
For an inclusive installation, on the other hand, class I is exactly the right requirement, and it should be stated alongside class S rather than instead of it.
The standards to cite, by equipment type
| Equipment | Standard to cite | Documentation to require |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor strength and cardio machines | EN ISO 20957, class S | Conformity certificate per model |
| Outdoor fitness and street workout | EN 16630 | Conformity certificate, foundation drawing, installation record |
| Parkour equipment | EN 16899 | Conformity certificate, stated free fall heights |
| Playground equipment | EN 1176 | Conformity certificate, inspection guidance |
| Impact attenuating surfacing | EN 1177 | Test report stating the critical fall height for the exact product and thickness |
| Sports hall floors | EN 14904 | Test report against the required classification |
Award criteria that produce a usable result
A defensible weighting for sports equipment sits around 40 to 50 per cent price, 30 to 40 per cent technical value, 10 to 20 per cent service and maintenance, and 5 to 10 per cent environmental performance. What matters as much as the weights is that each non price criterion is assessed against evidence requested in the tender documents. Technical value should be scored against the specification points the buyer actually cares about, such as adjustment ranges, structural rating and spare parts strategy, and not against the general quality of the bid document.
The three pieces of a compliant bid
From the supplier side, three documents carry the response: the technical submission, which carries most of the score; the evidence of conformity to the applicable standards; and the priced schedule of quantities. The technical submission should be built from the award criteria in the tender rules, point by point, and not from a commercial brochure. A buyer can improve the quality of what they receive simply by structuring the tender rules so that the submission has an obvious skeleton to follow.
Frequently asked questions
Can we name a product we have already tested?
Only with an equivalence clause, and even then it is safer to translate what you liked about that product into performance requirements. If a specific feature is genuinely essential, describe the feature and the reason, since a defensible technical justification is what protects the award from challenge.
Should flooring be a separate lot?
It can be, provided coordination between lots is a contractual obligation on both parties with a named coordinator. The failure mode is not the separation itself but the absence of any obligation on either party to align the floor build up with the equipment loads and anchoring.
How long should spare parts availability be?
Ten years is a reasonable requirement for structures and machines with a fifteen to twenty year service life. Ask for wear parts to be held in stock rather than made to order, and require the parts list with references to be supplied at handover.
What environmental criteria are appropriate?
Criteria that can be evidenced: material recyclability, coating processes, transport distance and packaging, plus repairability through the parts commitment. Avoid criteria that only reward the possession of a particular label, since that narrows competition in the same way a brand reference does.
What is the most common cause of a project going wrong after award?
Documentation that was never required. If the conformity dossier, the installation record and the maintenance schedule are not written into the specification, they will not arrive, and the authority is then holding compliant looking equipment it cannot evidence.
Get technical input before you publish
Light In Fitness has supplied public buyers across France since 2013, with more than 2,500 customers equipped, and can provide performance based technical wording, indicative pricing for budget setting and conformity documentation lists before a tender is published. Send us the project outline and you will receive a costed technical proposal within 24 working hours. Delivery covers France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg, with export quoted per project. See outdoor gym equipment and strength training machines, or request a quote.
Réalisations documentées
- Cage street workout ultime, Carcassonne – armée française
- Cage street workout ultime, Tahiti – armée française, Polynésie
- Cage SP Max, centre EPIDE de Combrée – établissement public d’insertion
- Cage SP Max, lycée Saint-Bénigne de Dijon – établissement scolaire
Sources et références
- Code de la commande publique – texte intégral en vigueur (Légifrance)
- Direction des affaires juridiques, ministère de l’Économie – réglementation de la commande publique et fiches techniques
- NF EN ISO 20957-1 – équipement d’entraînement fixe, partie 1 : exigences générales de sécurité et méthodes d’essai (AFNOR)
- AFNOR Normalisation – dossier thématique sur les appareils d’entraînement fixes et leurs classes d’usage
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- Exercise Referral: Matching Prescribed Activity Categories to the Right Equipment
- The 10 Gym Fit-Out Mistakes We Have Seen for 10 Years — and How to Avoid Them
