ESPD Request

The ESPD Request is the starting document in the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) process. Issued by the contracting authority at the beginning of a procurement procedure, it specifies exactly which questions a supplier must answer, which exclusion grounds apply, and what selection criteria thresholds must be met. Without reading the ESPD Request carefully, a supplier cannot complete an accurate ESPD Response.

What is an ESPD Request?

Under Directive 2014/24/EU Article 59, contracting authorities must provide an ESPD Request when running above-threshold procedures. The document is machine-readable in ESPD XML Format and is typically published on the national e-procurement portal alongside the contract notice and procurement documents.

The ESPD Request contains several layers of information.

Exclusion grounds. The authority marks which mandatory exclusion grounds (Article 57(1) and 57(2) of Directive 2014/24/EU) and which discretionary exclusion grounds (Article 57(4)) apply to this particular procedure. Not all discretionary grounds need to be activated; the buyer selects those relevant to the contract type and risk profile.

Selection criteria. The buyer specifies its requirements across four categories: suitability (professional registers, authorisations), economic and financial standing (minimum turnover, insurance, accounts), technical and professional ability (references, staff, equipment, quality systems), and quality assurance standards. Each criterion includes the threshold or evidence type the supplier must meet.

Lot structure. Where the procurement is divided into lots, the ESPD Request maps criteria to individual lots, allowing different thresholds per lot.

Procedure metadata. The ESPD Request embeds the contracting authority's name, the procedure identifier, the applicable legal regime (classic, utilities, defence), and the publication reference so the ESPD Response can be matched back to the correct notice.

The European Commission's ESPD online service and most national e-procurement platforms generate ESPD Requests automatically from the fields entered by the buyer when creating the contract notice.

Why the ESPD Request matters for bidders

The ESPD Request is the checklist that governs your ESPD Response. Reading it before preparing your response prevents the most common mistake in cross-border bidding: answering questions the buyer did not ask, or missing questions that were asked. Mismatches between request and response are a frequent cause of tender rejection.

Pay particular attention to the selection criteria statement thresholds. If the request sets a minimum annual turnover of EUR 2 million and your accounts show EUR 1.8 million, you should consider whether reliance on another entity (Article 63 of Directive 2014/24/EU) is an option before submitting.

Example

A Belgian federal authority publishes a request for IT services. Its ESPD Request activates all mandatory exclusion grounds plus three discretionary grounds (grave professional misconduct, distortion of competition, and conflict of interest). For selection criteria, it requires a minimum annual turnover of EUR 5 million for three consecutive years, evidence of two comparable contracts in the past five years, and ISO/IEC 27001 certification. A Lithuanian software firm downloads the ESPD Request XML, imports it into the European Commission's ESPD service, and answers each activated criterion in its ESPD Response.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find the ESPD Request for a specific tender?

The ESPD Request is published on the national e-procurement platform for the country running the procedure. It is usually linked from the contract notice on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) as an attachment. The European Commission's ESPD service also allows you to import a Request XML file directly.

Can a contracting authority change the ESPD Request after publication?

Substantial changes to the ESPD Request (for example, adding new exclusion grounds or raising selection thresholds) typically require publication of a corrigendum and may require an extension of the response deadline. Minor clarifications may be issued as Q&A without amending the formal documents.

What if the ESPD Request asks for information I cannot provide?

If you cannot satisfy a criterion, you should consider whether any of the permitted alternatives apply: reliance on another entity under Article 63, forming a consortium, or challenging the criterion's proportionality through the formal clarification process. Submitting a response that falsely claims compliance is a serious exclusion criteria risk.