The Public Contracts Regulations 2015

Technical specifications U.K.

42.—(1) The technical specifications shall be set out in the procurement documents.

Scope of the technical specifications

(2) The technical specifications shall lay down the characteristics required of works, services or supplies.

(3) In the case of a public works contract, the technical specifications shall define any characteristics required of a material, product or supply so that it fulfils the use for which it is intended by the contracting authority.

(4) The characteristics referred to in paragraph (3) may include—

(a) levels of environmental and climate performance, design for all requirements (including accessibility for disabled persons) and conformity assessment, performance, safety or dimensions, including the procedures concerning quality assurance, terminology, symbols, testing and test methods, packaging, marking and labelling, user instructions and production processes and methods at any stage of the life cycle of the works;

(b) rules relating to design and costing, the test, inspection and acceptance conditions for works and methods or techniques of construction and all other technical conditions which the contracting authority is in a position to prescribe, under general or specific regulations, in relation to the finished works and to the materials or parts which they involve.

(5) In the case of public supply or service contracts, the required characteristics may include quality levels, environmental and climate performance levels, design for all requirements (including accessibility for disabled persons) and conformity assessment, performance, use of the product, safety or dimensions, including requirements relevant to the product as regards the name under which the product is sold, terminology, symbols, testing and test methods, packaging, marking and labelling, user instructions, production processes and methods at any stage of the life cycle of the supply or service and conformity assessment procedures.

(6) In the case of any public contract, the required characteristics may also refer to—

(a) the specific process or method of production or provision of the requested works, supplies or services, or

(b) a specific process for another stage of its life cycle,

even where such factors do not form part of the characteristics' material substance provided that they are linked to the subject-matter of the contract and proportionate to its value and its objectives.

(7) The technical specifications may also specify whether the transfer of intellectual property rights will be required.

Formulating the technical specifications

(8) For all procurement which is intended for use by natural persons, whether the general public or staff of the contracting authority, the technical specifications shall, except in duly justified cases, be drawn up so as to take into account accessibility criteria for disabled persons or design for all users.

(9) Where mandatory accessibility requirements are [F1 imposed by [F2 assimilated law]], technical specifications shall, as far as accessibility criteria for disabled persons or design for all users are concerned, be defined by reference thereto.

(10) Technical specifications shall afford equal access of economic operators to the procurement procedure and shall not have the effect of creating unjustified obstacles to the opening up of public procurement to competition.

(11) Without prejudice to mandatory national technical rules, to the extent that they are compatible with [F3 assimilated law], the technical specifications shall be formulated in one of the following ways:—

(a) in terms of performance or functional requirements, including environmental characteristics, provided that the parameters are sufficiently precise to allow tenderers to determine the subject-matter of the contract and to allow contracting authorities to award the contract;

(b) by reference to technical specifications and, in order of preference, to—

(i) national standards transposing European standards,

(ii) European Technical Assessments,

(iii) common technical specifications,

(iv) international standards,

(v) other technical reference systems established by the European standardisation bodies, or

(vi) when none of the above exist, national standards, national technical approvals or national technical specifications relating to the design, calculation and execution of the works and use of the supplies,

but each reference shall be accompanied by the words ‘or equivalent’;

(c) in terms of performance or functional requirements as referred to in sub-paragraph (a), with reference to the technical specifications referred to in sub-paragraph (b) as a means of presuming conformity with such performance or functional requirements;

(d) by reference to the technical specifications referred to in sub-paragraph (b) for certain characteristics, and by reference to the performance or functional requirements referred to in sub-paragraph (a) for other characteristics.

(12) Unless justified by the subject-matter of the contract, technical specifications shall not refer to a specific make or source, or a particular process which characterises the products or services provided by a specific economic operator, or to trade marks, patents, types or a specific origin or production with the effect of favouring or eliminating certain undertakings or certain products.

(13) But such reference is permitted on an exceptional basis, where a sufficiently precise and intelligible description of the subject-matter of the contract in accordance with paragraph (11) is not possible, in which case the reference shall be accompanied by the words “or equivalent”.

Applying the technical specifications

(14) Where a contracting authority uses the option of referring to the technical specifications referred to in paragraph (11)(b), it shall not reject a tender on the grounds that the works, supplies or services tendered for do not comply with the technical specifications to which it has referred, once the tenderer proves in its tender by any appropriate means, including the means of proof referred to in regulation 44, that the solutions proposed satisfy in an equivalent manner the requirements defined by the technical specifications.

(15) Where a contracting authority uses the option laid down in paragraph (11)(a) to formulate technical specifications in terms of performance or functional requirements, it shall not reject a tender for works, supplies or services which comply with a national standard transposing a European standard, a European technical approval, a common technical specification, an international standard or a technical reference system established by a European standardisation body, where those address the performance or functional requirements which it has laid down.

(16) In its tender, the tenderer shall prove by any appropriate means, including those referred to in regulation 44, that the work, supply or service in compliance with the standard meets the performance or functional requirements of the contracting authority.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 42(9) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1319), regs. 1(2), 6(30)(a) (with Sch. paras. 3-5)

F2 Words in reg. 42(9) substituted (1.3.2024) by The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (Consequential Provision) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/80), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 2(7)(a)

F3 Words in reg. 42(11) substituted (1.3.2024) by The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (Consequential Provision) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/80), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 2(7)(b)