The Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016

Economic operators

This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum

37.—(1) Economic operators that, under the law of the member State in which they are established, are entitled to provide the relevant service, shall not be rejected solely on the ground that, under the law of England and Wales or, as the case may be, Northern Ireland, they would be required to be either natural or legal persons.

(2) In the case of—

(a)service contracts,

(b)works contracts, and

(c)supply contracts which cover in addition services or siting and installation operations,

legal persons may be required to indicate, in the tender or the request to participate, the names and relevant professional qualifications of the staff to be responsible for the performance of the contract in question.

Groups of economic operators

(3) Groups of economic operators, including temporary associations, may participate in procurement procedures and shall not be required by utilities to have a specific legal form in order to submit a tender or a request to participate.

(4) Where necessary, utilities may clarify in the procurement documents how groups of economic operators are to meet the criteria and requirements for qualification and qualitative selection referred to in regulations 77 to 81 provided that this is justified by objective reasons and is proportionate.

(5) Any conditions for the performance of a contract by such groups of economic operators which are different from those imposed on individual participants shall also be justified by objective reasons and shall be proportionate.

(6) Utilities may require groups of economic operators to assume a specific legal form once they have been awarded the contract, to the extent that such a change is necessary for the satisfactory performance of the contract.