Knowledge base › Submitting, award and objections
What happens after the award decision: supplying evidence, final award, the contract and the chance for the runner-up.
Checked on 15-09-2026
In a European tender you declare in the ESPD when you submit that no exclusion ground applies to you and that you meet the suitability requirements. The authority assumes in principle that this is correct, but requests the evidence from the party to which it intends to award the contract, at the latest at award. For exclusion grounds this is usually the Certificate of Conduct for Tenders (Gedragsverklaring aanbesteden, GVA); for suitability it concerns documents such as references, certificates or financial information. The authority may ask you to explain or supplement those documents.
If the information supplied turns out to be incorrect, the winner is excluded and, according to PIANOo, the authority awards the contract to the bidder ranked second. For the runner-up, a rejection is therefore not always the end. Keep in mind the period during which your tender remains valid under the tender documents.
If there is no objection after the standstill period, the final award follows, usually with a message that no objection was lodged and the contract can be concluded. The contract repeats the arrangements from the tender and adds subordinate provisions, such as the start date, supervision and invoicing. Negotiating after the award is not permitted, not even if both parties want to.
The authority publishes the outcome within 30 days of the final award through TenderNed, including the name of the winner and the value of the contract. These publications are public and are a source of market information: who wins which contracts, and at what value.
What this means for you: apply for a GVA as soon as you decide to bid, so you do not depend on the processing time. Keep a standing folder with your Chamber of Commerce extract, references, certificates and annual accounts, so you can supply evidence quickly. If you finished second, follow the publication and keep your team and price available for as long as your tender is valid.
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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