Knowledge base › Submitting, award and objections
First ask, then complain to the authority, then if needed the Commissie van Aanbestedingsexperts. What each step does and does not do.
Checked on 15-09-2026
Not every objection has to go to court. PIANOo applies the principle of first ask, then complain: you raise unclear points in the question round first. If a problem remains, the next step is a complaint to the contracting authority itself. Complaints can concern the set-up of the tender before submission, a selection or award decision, or the wrongful failure to put a contract out to tender.
Contracting authorities can set up a complaints desk, within or outside their own organisation; its details are then given in the tender documents. There is currently no legal obligation to do so. PIANOo reports that a bill has been submitted that would make an independent complaints desk mandatory for all contracting authorities.
If you are not satisfied with how your complaint was handled, you can turn to the Commissie van Aanbestedingsexperts (Procurement Experts Committee). It mediates between parties and gives non-binding advice on complaints about possible breaches of the Aanbestedingswet 2012. Under its rules you must first have raised the complaint in writing with the contracting authority and given it a reasonable period to respond. Complaints are filed through the form on its website and filing is free of charge. Its opinions are in principle published in anonymised form.
Important: at present a complaint does not suspend an ongoing tender procedure. The closing date and the standstill period keep running. That may change: a bill submitted on 22 December 2025 proposes that a complaint would suspend the procedure for 14 days once the Commissie van Aanbestedingsexperts takes it up. This is a proposal, not yet a rule in force. Anyone who wants to prevent the contract from being concluded after an award decision does so through interim proceedings (kort geding).
What this means for you: a complaint is a quick and free way to raise an unclear or disproportionate requirement, especially in the stage before submission. File a complaint as early as possible, in writing and specific, referring to the passage in the tender documents. If it concerns an award decision, keep an eye on the standstill period, because a complaint does not stop it.
These articles explain how public tendering works; they are not legal advice. If you are unsure about a specific tender, ask your question through the clarification round or consult a lawyer.
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