Compliance requirements
The bidder must confirm that neither it nor its management, supervisory body members, authorised representatives or other persons able to represent or control it have relevant final convictions within the applicable five-year period for participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, terrorist offences, money laundering or terrorist financing, or child labour and other forms of human trafficking.
The bidder must not have outstanding tax or social security payment obligations. The notice sets the threshold at EUR 0; the notice also explains that an Estonian tax debt certificate is not issued where the debt is below EUR 100 or payment has been deferred under the applicable rules. Any breach that has been remedied through payment or a binding agreement must be disclosed as required.
The bidder must not have breached applicable environmental, social or labour-law obligations, be bankrupt, subject to insolvency or liquidation proceedings, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, be in a comparable situation, have assets administered by a liquidator or court, or have suspended business activities. The bidder must also not have committed a serious professional misconduct, entered into agreements intended to distort competition, have an unresolved conflict of interest, or have participated in preparing the procurement in a way that creates an unavoidable competitive advantage.
The bidder must not have had an earlier public or network-sector contract terminated early or been subject to damages or comparable sanctions because of a serious or repeated breach. It must not have submitted false or misleading information, withheld required information, failed to provide requested supplementary documents, or sought confidential information or improperly influenced the contracting authority.
The bidder must confirm that the contract would not breach an international or Estonian government sanction. The national exclusion grounds also cover enabling an unlawfully staying foreign national to work, being a subject of an international sanction, convictions for tax offences and restrictions on participation based on the bidder’s place of establishment or residence. Where an exclusion ground may apply, the bidder must provide the requested explanations and evidence; where permitted, it may also present measures taken to restore its reliability.
Qualification criteria and exclusion grounds
The bidder must be registered in the commercial register of an EU, EEA or WTO GPA member country where registration is required by law. Upon request, a valid registration certificate must be provided; an Estonian bidder does not need to submit a copy if the information is publicly available in the commercial register.
For both lots, the bidder’s net turnover in railway transport and/or railway maintenance or repair during each of the last three completed financial years before the procurement was launched—2023, 2024 and 2025—must be at least EUR 100,000 excluding VAT. The bidder must provide turnover data in the European Single Procurement Document and, upon request, extracts from the relevant annual accounts or equivalent evidence. Reliance on another entity’s financial capacity is permitted subject to the required information, separate procurement passport and, upon request, the other entity’s consent.
For Lot 1, the bidder must have properly completed, during the 36 months preceding the procurement launch, at least one contract for railway measurement with a track measurement vehicle on public railway lines where rolling stock with an axle load of at least 21 tonnes operates, with a value of at least EUR 150,000 excluding VAT. As an alternative for a public railway infrastructure company, the requirement is met if it owns or is authorised by its owner to use a track measurement vehicle that has measured at least 1,000 km of railway during that period.
For Lot 2, the bidder must have properly completed, during the same 36-month period, at least one locomotive service contract on the specified type of public railway lines, with a value of at least EUR 50,000 excluding VAT. For each relevant reference, the bidder must provide the value, dates, contracting entity and description, and must provide a client confirmation or equivalent evidence upon request.
The bidder must own the required rolling stock or demonstrate the right to use it. The rolling stock must have all permits and registrations required to operate on the contracting authority’s railway infrastructure or on EU railway lines with a track gauge of 1520/1524 mm. If the permits are not available when the bid is submitted, the bidder must provide a written guarantee that the service can be performed with the required permits from 20 December 2026. Technical data and proof of ownership or use rights must be provided.
For Lot 1, the track measurement vehicle must have control equipment capable of performing the measurements specified in the technical description and must have a certificate issued by an authorised body confirming that the equipment has been inspected and complies with the requirements.
If a self-propelled track measurement vehicle is used for Lot 1, the team members must hold valid certificates, permits and other evidence authorising them to provide the service on AS Eesti Raudtee infrastructure. Foreign professional certificates must be recognised or under recognition by the Estonian competent authority where required, and the certificate or recognition must remain valid throughout contract performance.
For Lot 2, each locomotive service area must be covered by a team. The locomotive driver must have the required certificate for operating on Eesti Raudtee infrastructure and driving the proposed rolling stock, at least one year of locomotive-driver experience and a locomotive driver’s licence. The assistant locomotive driver must have at least one year of experience and a Level 4 assistant locomotive driver qualification or equivalent. CVs and certificates or equivalent evidence must be submitted. Foreign qualifications are subject to the same recognition requirements and must remain valid throughout contract performance.
Where personnel or equipment rely on another entity, the bidder must provide the required details and, upon request, the relevant consent and evidence. The bid must include the required participation application, price information, team and equipment evidence, and other documents specified in the compliance requirements.