Notes on the Bidding Process (VMS Process)

 

The Contract Award Process

The individual steps of an award procedure, such as the submission of bids, requests to participate, or confirmations of interest, et cetera, should generally be supported or carried out electronically. As a matter of principle, RWTH conducts all award processes in the area of supplies and services from 25,000 euros (net) using an electronic platform.

Thus, for contracts worth over 25,000 euros, only electronic bids are permitted. An exception is permitted if only one bidder is eligible.

The contracting authority and the contractor (company) communicate only electronically from the announcement to the award of the contract, but also when sending and receiving rejection letters.

For you as a bidder, this means that information on the award process, such as notices of change, your questions and comments within an award process, missing information and required evidence (such as on suitability) or any clarifying information concerning the bid, as well as answers to your questions or information on the award of contracts, are transmitted electronically.

RWTH Aachen University uses the d-nrw platform offered by cosinex.

 

Electronic Bids in Text Form (Without Signature)

 

The process for submitting electronic bids has been simplified. For the submission of electronic bids, public procurement law generally provides for text form in accordance with Section 126b of the German Civil Code (BGB), unless RWTH requires that a bid be submitted with a personal signature or with an electronic signature. This means that bids submitted in text form no longer have to be signed or signed electronically. In the case of electronic submission of bids in text form, the bidder and, importantly, the natural person authorized to represent the bidder must be named. If this information is missing, the bid will be excluded from the award process.

However, it is still permitted – and has no effect on the acceptance of a bid – if the documents are submitted electronically via the award platform, but come with an "analog" signature.

 

Please Note: Electronic Bids Must Be Received in Time

 

Your electronic bid must be received in full before the deadline for submission of bids. Decisive is the date of receipt of the documents, not the day of sending.

When submitting an electronic offer, please take into account that the transmission speed may depend on the quality of your Internet connection and the size of the documents to be transmitted. However, there may also be technical malfunctions that prevent timely submission. In principle, responsibility for timely receipt of the bids lies with the respective bidder. The bidder cannot, for example, claim that there was a technical malfunction of which they were unaware or that there was a technical problem at some point that prevented them from submitting their bid on time.

Although RWTH may be responsible for possible technical problems such as malfunction of the award platform, you as a bidder are required to report (reprimand) technical problems in good time and without delay in order to obtain an extension of the deadline for submission of the bids, if necessary. RWTH will extend the bid deadline in this case.

Electronic bids that are not received in due form or time will be excluded. The only exception is if the bidder is not responsible for a late submission. However, the bidder has a duty to contribute to clarifying the reason for late submission.

Therefore, please report a technical malfunction to the officer named in the award documents and, importantly, do not send your bid additionally by email in the event of a technical problem. A bid sent by e-mail is considered to have been “received openly” and cannot be considered. It will therefore be excluded from the award process.