Supplier qualification documents for a sports equipment tender
A contracting authority should not ask every candidate for the same paperwork: at selection stage a self declaration and evidence of capacity are enough, and tax and social security certificates are required only from the candidate the authority intends to award to. That two stage rule comes from article 59 of Directive 2014/24/EU and is repeated in every national transposition. This page sets out the documents a sports equipment supplier should be able to produce, the public identifiers of Light In Fitness, and the timescales that govern performance of the contract.
The legal references quoted here are the French transposition, used as a worked model because it spells the rules out in detail. If you are buying in another member state, the structure is the same and the article numbers change. If you are buying outside the European Union, use the document list as a due diligence checklist. Procedures, thresholds and electronic invoicing are covered separately on buying sports equipment through public tender.
Public identifiers of Light In Fitness
These details let a buyer verify the existence and standing of the company from official registers without asking us for a document, which is what article 59(5) of the directive intends when it forbids requiring evidence the authority can obtain itself from a free national database.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Trading name | Light In Fitness, trading name of the sole trader business of Michaël Galy, business sign World Way Factory |
| Legal form | Sole trader, entrepreneur individuel under French law |
| Director | Michaël Galy |
| Company registration number, SIREN | 793 296 401 |
| Establishment number, SIRET of the registered office | 793 296 401 00029 |
| Intra community VAT number | FR35793296401 |
| Commercial register entry | 793 296 401 R.C.S. Tours, Tours commercial court registry, 30 May 2013 |
| Registered office | 6-8 rue Victor Laloux, 37000 Tours, France |
| Activity | Wholesale of professional sports and fitness equipment, manufacture of bespoke sports structures |
| Administrative contact | contact@lightinfitness.com, +33 6 20 72 66 96 |
Which documents at which stage of the procedure
Confusing the two stages is the most common drafting error in sports equipment consultations. Demanding every certificate from every candidate lengthens the procedure with no legal basis and discourages smaller specialist manufacturers from bidding.
| Stage | Documents expected | Basis in the French model |
|---|---|---|
| Selection, all candidates | Self declaration that no exclusion ground applies, evidence of professional, technical and financial capacity, references for comparable supplies | Articles R2143-3 and following |
| Selection, alternative form | The European Single Procurement Document, a standard self declaration form that replaces the documents above and which the authority may not refuse | Article R2143-4, transposing article 59 of the directive |
| Selection, documents that may not be demanded | Anything the authority can obtain free of charge from an electronic system run by an official body, or that the same authority already holds from an earlier procedure and that is still valid | Articles R2143-13 and R2143-14 |
| Award, successful candidate only | Tax compliance certificate, social security compliance certificate, certificates and means of proof announced in the tender documents | Articles R2144-4 and R2144-5 |
| Award, failure to produce | Candidature declared inadmissible, candidate eliminated, contract offered to the next ranked candidate | Article R2144-7 |
France also publishes optional standard forms known as DC1, the letter of application, DC2, the candidate declaration of capacity, and DC4, the subcontracting declaration. Using them is optional for the candidate unless the tender rules impose them; DC3 was withdrawn. Other member states publish equivalents, and the European Single Procurement Document works everywhere in the Union. If you are buying outside the EU, the practical equivalent is a signed supplier declaration plus registry extracts and insurance certificates.
Exclusion grounds covered by the self declaration
The self declaration signed at selection stage covers two distinct families of grounds, set out in article 57 of the directive. Mandatory grounds bind the authority; discretionary grounds are for it to assess. Both families allow self cleaning: a candidate may demonstrate that it has taken remedial measures sufficient to prove its reliability despite a past event.
| Category | French articles | Subject matter |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory exclusions | L2141-1 to L2141-6-1 | Final criminal convictions, breach of tax and social security obligations, liquidation, undeclared work, together with the self cleaning mechanism |
| Discretionary exclusions | L2141-7 to L2141-11 | Serious shortcomings on an earlier contract, conflict of interest, attempts to influence the decision, misleading information |
Continuing due diligence on the supplier
Beyond procurement law, most European jurisdictions impose a labour law duty on the client to check that its contractors declare and pay their workforce. In France that duty comes from article L8222-1 of the labour code and is one of the few obligations that continues throughout performance rather than stopping at award.
- It applies to any contract worth 5,000 euros or more excluding VAT, under article R8222-1.
- The documents to obtain from a contractor established in France are listed in article D8222-5; the central one is the attestation de vigilance, a compliance certificate issued by the social security collection agency URSSAF.
- The check is repeated every six months until the end of performance, matching the six month validity of the certificate.
- Failure to check exposes the client to joint liability for unpaid social contributions under article L8222-2.
For a supplier established in another country, the equivalent evidence is a certificate of good standing from the relevant social security and tax authorities, translated where the tender documents require it.
Subcontracting during performance
On a sports equipment contract, subcontracting normally concerns floor laying, earthworks or anchor installation. Article 71 of Directive 2014/24/EU allows authorities to require the identity of subcontractors and to check them against the exclusion grounds. The French regime adds a formal acceptance step.
- The main contractor may subcontract only after the authority has accepted the subcontractor and approved its payment terms, under article L2193-10.
- The declaration must contain the items listed in article R2193-1, including the nature of the works, the maximum amount and the payment terms.
- Where it is submitted after the contract has been notified, it is delivered against receipt or sent by recorded delivery, under article R2193-3.
- Silence from the authority for 21 days from receipt of a complete declaration counts as acceptance and approval, under article R2193-4.
Payment periods and late payment interest
| Type of public buyer | Overall payment period | French article |
|---|---|---|
| Central government and its public establishments | 30 days | R2192-10 |
| Local and regional authorities and their public establishments | 30 days | R2192-10 |
| Public hospitals and armed forces health service | 50 days | R2192-11 |
| Public undertakings and industrial and commercial public bodies, excluding local ones | 60 days | R2192-11 |
The period runs from receipt of the payment request. Interest accrues automatically, with no formality and no reminder, from the day after the period expires. The rate is the European Central Bank main refinancing rate in force on the first day of the half year, plus eight percentage points, and a fixed recovery charge of 40 euros is added. These figures come from Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment, so the same eight point margin and 40 euro minimum charge apply throughout the Union.
Technical documents to demand from a sports equipment supplier
Administrative documents establish that the company is in good standing. They say nothing about whether the equipment complies. Three technical requirements filter out most undocumented offers:
- The complete normative reference, with the part number and the use class, not just the standard number.
- The declaration of performance for the floor covering, with its full reaction to fire classification, and the critical fall height where the surfacing protects against falls.
- For outdoor equipment, a third party test report naming the edition of EN 16630 and listing by name every station covered, plus the galvanising thickness or the stainless steel grade.
These requirements are developed on our equipment standards and compliance page. Warranty durations and the claim procedure are on equipment warranties, and response times on after sales and spare parts.
Frequently asked questions
Should tax and social security certificates be requested from every candidate?
No. Under article 59 of the directive and its national transpositions, they are requested only from the candidate the authority intends to award the contract to. A self declaration is sufficient at selection stage, and asking for more slows the procedure without improving the outcome.
What happens if the intended awardee fails to produce the certificates?
The candidature is declared inadmissible and the candidate is eliminated. The contract is then offered to the next ranked candidate, who in turn must produce the evidence. In the French model this is article R2144-7.
Can an authority refuse a European Single Procurement Document?
No. Within the European Union a candidate may submit the ESPD instead of the usual documents, whatever the contract value, and the authority must accept it. It is a standard self declaration that the candidate meets the selection criteria and is not affected by an exclusion ground.
Are the French DC1 and DC2 forms compulsory?
No. Using them is optional for the candidate unless the tender rules impose them. They are published by the legal affairs directorate of the French ministry for the economy, and DC3 no longer exists. A supplier bidding from abroad can use the ESPD instead.
How quickly is a subcontractor deemed accepted?
In the French model, silence from the authority for 21 days from receipt of a complete declaration counts as acceptance of the subcontractor and approval of its payment terms. Check the equivalent period in your own transposition, as it varies.
Requesting our supplier file
Current administrative certificates, data sheets and the normative references matching your consultation are sent on request to contact@lightinfitness.com. We return a priced quotation within 24 working hours, with the compliance documents your file requires.
Use request a quote, review the organisations we have equipped on client references, or see our public sector fitness equipment offer.
Sources: Directive 2014/24/EU articles 57, 59 and 71; Directive 2011/7/EU; French code de la commande publique, articles R2143-3, R2143-4, R2143-13, R2143-14, R2144-4, R2144-5, R2144-7, L2141-1 to L2141-11, L2193-10, R2193-1, R2193-3, R2193-4, R2192-10 to R2192-13, R2192-31, D2192-35; French labour code, articles L8222-1, L8222-2, R8222-1, D8222-5. General information only, not legal advice.