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What you declare in the ESPD, who fills it in and when you actually have to show the supporting evidence.
Checked on 15-09-2026
The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD, in Dutch UEA) is a standard form in which you declare as a company that you meet the requirements of a tender. The law calls this a self-declaration: you state whether any exclusion grounds apply to you, whether you meet the suitability requirements and how you score on any selection criteria (article 2.84 of the Dutch Public Procurement Act 2012). The ESPD is mandatory in tenders above the European threshold, and also below it where the authority sets exclusion grounds or suitability requirements.
The form has several parts. Part II A contains your details, such as your Chamber of Commerce number and the size of your company. Part II B lists who may represent your company. If you rely on another company to meet the suitability requirements, that company submits its own ESPD (part II C). Part II D covers subcontractors, if the authority asks for them. In part III you answer the questions on exclusion grounds, such as convictions and payment of taxes and contributions. If you bid as a consortium, each member fills in its own ESPD.
The authority requests the supporting evidence from the bidder to whom it intends to award the contract (article 2.102). It may also request it earlier during the procedure if that is needed for the proper conduct of the procedure (article 2.101). What can be asked in the self-declaration may not be requested in another way (article 2.85). You may resubmit a self-declaration used before, provided you confirm the information is still correct.
Contracting authorities draw up the ESPD with TenderNed's ESPD tool, or with the built-in ESPD wizard if the tender runs through TenderNed. The interactive PDF version was discontinued on 31 March 2024.
What this means for you: you declare now and prove later, but what you declare must be correct on the day you submit. A seriously false declaration is a ground for exclusion (article 2.87). So before your first tender, prepare the documents you must be able to show behind the declaration: the Certificate of Conduct for Tenders (Gedragsverklaring aanbesteden, GVA), the Tax Administration statement, the Chamber of Commerce extract, references, certificates and proof of insurance.
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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