Tendering procedure

December 22, 2025

Author: Jakob Fischer, Brandenburg University of Technology

Building on Episode 1 (The tendering procedure for the pilot project in Germany – Part 1: The competition), this blog post explains the Specification for the “Youth Centre at Sternentor” and outlines selected bidder questions that were received during the four-week publication period and answered by the client (the City of Hohenmölsen).

Specification (Part B)

The specification explains to the bidders the construction project on the basis of key information and basic requirements, along with the attached annexes. The annexes include the exposé already prepared by the BTU (Head of German ReCreate Cluster) as well as initial design documents. The approved development plan was provided by the City of Hohenmölsen (ReCreate partner and client for the construction project).

As in the procedural conditions (Part A) – described in the first episode of the blog series – the Specification (Part B) also take into account the necessary reference to the reuse of used concrete components. The specification is divided into 12 chapters (A to L). These are explained below:

Chapter A (background and description of the project) provides bidders with an introduction to the construction project, the background to the need for the new building, and the necessary reference to sustainability. Accordingly, emphasis is to be placed on an “energy-efficient building design, the use of recycled and sustainable building materials, climate friendliness and a low carbon footprint“. In addition, the construction project should “ideally demonstrate the feasibility of climate-friendly and resource-efficient construction in the public sector“.

Chapter B (tasks and objectives) deals with the special requirements, local conditions and structural design. From the outset, the conditions for reusing the reinforced concrete components from the demolition project in Höhenmölsen, which are already stored in temporary storage, are clarified. Proof of fire protection and structural stability is still required, as well as compliance with current energy efficiency building guidelines. As the reuse of used concrete components is not yet widely practised, a section of the specification outlines the significance from an ecological and economic perspective. The bidder/bidding consortium is provided with initial basic facts about the circular construction, such as the avoidance of manufacturing energy and CO₂e-emissions by over 90%, the relief of limited landfill capacities, and verifiable cost savings in shell construction.

An essential component is the explicit mentioning of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg as scientific support within the framework of the European research project ReCreate, as well as other participants explained in Chapter C.

The room layout is specified in Chapter D and supplemented by the attached exposé. The building is to cover a total of 835 m² (according to the draft plans).

The scope of planning services (Chapter E) reveals a significant difference compared to other planning services. As the advanced ReCreate project has already accomplished initial investigations, discussions, agreements and designs, the project is not entirely at the beginning stage but is already in service phase 3 according to HOAI (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure; translation: “Schedule of Services and Fees for Architects and Engineers). This means that the bidder/consortium does not have to offer any fundamental changes or new designs for the cubature, use and room layout.

Chapter F (Cost budget/subsidies) explains the planned use of subsidies from the “New European Bauhaus” (NEB) programme and the planning and time requirements for the approval of subsidies. At the time of the tender, the subsidies have been reserved at the Investment Bank of Saxony-Anhalt and can be released on condition that a complete design plan has been reviewed. Furthermore, in order to receive funding, it must be ensured that all work on the construction project is completed by mid-2027.

Chapter G (Timetable for the provision of planning services) and Chapter H ( Phased commissioning) clarify which service phases are to be performed within which time frame. The services in service phases 3 (design planning) and 4 (approval planning) must be completed by January 2026 at the latest, so that implementation planning (service phase 5), tendering and awarding of construction contracts (service phases 6 and 7) can then begin. The shell construction (part of service phase 8) is therefore scheduled for the third quarter of 2026. The commissioning of the aforementioned service phases is at the discretion of the client and will be carried out in stages, i.e. at different times and, if necessary, with additional/new contractors. At present, the above-mentioned service phases are divided into three service levels, i.e. commissioning in stages.

The framework conditions for the deployment of the project management specified in the tendering procedure are explained in Chapter I and the mandatory liability insurance in Chapter J. The project management may not be replaced without justifiable reasons or without the consent of the client (City of Hohenmölsen). This requirement is intended to ensure continuous communication with the responsible project management. Furthermore, the bidder/consortium must provide proof of liability insurance covering personal injury up to €3 million and property damage and financial loss up to €1 million.

Chapter K (Contract Terms) and Chapter L (Annexes) refer to the attached and additional tender documents.

“The individual chapters of the Specification (Part B) show that the scope and conditions for participation in the present tender process differ only marginally from tenders in which the reuse of used concrete components is not the subject of the planning and contract. The more often this fact and the minor hurdles or differences become apparent, especially to the contracting authorities and clients, the sooner we will see widespread reuse practices.”

Bidder questionnaire

The list of bidder questions is an important component of the public tender as a means of communication between bidders/consortia and the client (the City of Hohenmölsen). A total of 18 questions regarding the tender documents were received during the four-week publication period. Selected questions and answers are outlined below:

There were frequent questions as to whether the restriction on the reuse of used concrete components could be broadened and whether, for example, experience with the reuse of steel components or the preparation of the design of construction projects using reused concrete components would suffice. These requests could not be met by the client. In the course of preparing the tender documents, it became apparent that a high level of qualification/experience on the part of the contractors with regard to the specific requirements of concrete component reuse for a construction project with strict time and monetary constraints is essential.

Another uncertainty/question was whether and to what extent the necessary services for technical building equipment, fire protection tests and further preliminary planning had already been carried out or whether corresponding concepts for processing service phase 3 were available. In response, reference was made to the “Architect and Engineer Contract – Property Planning Services” (Part C) found in the tender documents and to the fact that these services are to be provided in full in the first service stage (compare Chapters G and H).

Other bidder questions dealt with misunderstandings, interpretation issues and technical/planning concerns, all of which were answered by the client. The unresolved issues were discussed in the bidder meetings and will be clarified in a timely manner before approval in January 2026.

by ReCreate project

August 29, 2025

Jakob Fischer, Brandenburg University of Technology

The pilot project ‘Youth Centre at Sternentor’ in Hohenmölsen is entering the next important phase of the Recreate project. The construction project with dismantled and reusable concrete elements, initiated by the mayor Andy Haugk (town of Hohenmölsen, state of Saxony-Anhalt), designed by architect Christoph Henschel and scientifically supervised and managed by project leader Prof. Angelika Mettke (Department of Structural Recycling, BTU Cottbus Senftenberg), was put out to tender EU-wide for the project planning.

This article is intended to show that a tender with reusable reinforced concrete elements does not differ significantly from business-as-usual tendering procedures. This is a very important finding for the acceptance and spread of reuse projects in the future.

Introduction

The overarching aim of ReCreate is to realise a pilot project in each of the four partner countries (Finland, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands), i.e. a building made from dismantled and reused concrete elements. Tasks such as acquiring the donor building, analysing the used concrete elements, logistics and transport of the elements, as well as planning the pilot project are implemented in an interdisciplinary manner in the four countries by the respective industrial partners and the scientific teams at the respective universities. This article describes one of the final steps for the German pilot project, which ultimately leads to the realised construction project. This involves the invitation to tender for the realisation of all planning and construction services in accordance with HOAI (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure; translation: “Schedule of Services and Fees for Architects and Engineers).

During the course of ReCreate, several pre-drafts and a final design for the Hohenmölsen youth centre have already been created. HOAI-service phases 1-9:

1. basic evaluation

2. preliminary planning

3. design planning

4. approval planning

5. implementation planning

6. preparation of award of contract

7. participation in the award of contract

8. project supervision – construction supervision and documentation

9. project management

Together with the first structural parameters and calculations, both HOAI-service phase 1 (basic evaluation) and HOAI-service phase 2 (preliminary planning), could be completed through the ReCreate project. Accordingly, the tender for construction and planning services only had to be considered from HOAI-service phase 3 (design planning) and upwards.

However, before the tendering and awarding of planning and construction services could take place, the town of Hohenmölsen had to guarantee the financing of the youth centre. Through intensive application processes, the required investment sum of around €2.81 million was reserved via the Just Transition Fund (New European Bauhaus programme) in March 2025. However, before the final funding decision is issued, the complete design planning (service phase 3) must be submitted and it must be ensured that the entire construction project can be completed by mid-2027.

The funds from the ReCreate budget are not released as direct investments for the construction of the pilot projects; only construction and planning services that can be directly and exclusively justified by the additional costs of reuse could be financed via ReCreate.

Tender preparation

Once the funding through the JFT had been reserved, the law firm DAGEFÖRDE was commissioned to draw up the necessary tender documents in consultation with the town of Hohenmölsen and prepare them so that they could be published via an official tender platform (in this case: TED). Publication took place on 19^th June 2025 and was open to the public for 4 weeks until 18^th July 2025. The services were awarded as an EU-wide negotiated procedure with a call for competition in accordance with Section 119 (5) of the Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB – Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen) and Section 17 of the Public Procurement Ordinance (VgV – Vergabeverordnung).

The contents and special features of the tender documents – consisting of parts A to D – are described below with regard to reuse aspects. Episode 1 of this blog series explains the procedural conditions (Part A). The specifications (Part B) and the catalogue of questions for bidders in the tender documents will follow in Part 2.

Part A – Procedural Conditions

Part B – Project Specifications

Part C – Architects and engineer contract – Object planning services

Part D – Application for participation

Procedural Conditions (Part A)

Part A of the tender documents contains, among other things, information about the parties involved in the award process, general framework conditions, the procedure, as well as requirements and eligibility criteria for the participants in the competition. In the case of more than four participants, eligibility and Selection criteria were formulated, which will be explained in more detail later. If the participants fulfil the eligibility criteria, they are invited to submit offers and become bidders.

As mentioned at the beginning, the tender documents were available for public inspection and download for four weeks. In the first 21 days after publication, participants were able to submit objections, questions or even complaints regarding the content or form of the tender documents in the event of ambiguities or contradictions. This option was used several times and is included in the second part of this blog under ‘Bidder question catalogue’.

The award procedure described here is a so-called 2-stage award procedure. This means that there is first a phase with a public competition (the 4 weeks mentioned above) and then a bidding phase.

In the first phase, no tenders are submitted, only the Proof of Suitability (see next section). In the second phase, suitable participants and a maximum of four participants are invited by the procurer (City of Hohenmölsen) to submit an initial bid. If more than four participants have expressed an interest in the competition and fulfil the eligibility criteria, only the four participants with the highest scores will be invited to submit an initial bid in accordance with the selection criteria (see below). After submission of the initial bid, the city will invite the bidders to so-called bidder meetings (scheduled for week 36 this year).

Suitability Criteria

The seven suitability criteria to be established and fulfilled by the company or the bidding consortium comprise so-called self-declarations, two of which have been assigned with minimum requirements (*):

At this point, it is important to mention that only the planning with precast reinforced concrete elements had to be carried out for the suitability for the object planning, but not the reuse of these. However, reuse becomes relevant in the next step if more than four participants are selected.

Selection Criteria

If participants can fulfil the seven self-declarations including the two minimum requirements, they move on to the next round, the bidding phase. However, if more than four bidders have taken part and fulfil the suitability criteria, a selection procedure follows in which a maximum of 1000 points can be achieved. These are calculated by adding up the following four selection criteria:

The term ‘reuse’ mentioned under the selection criterion is defined in the tender documents as follows:

“ ’Reuse’ means the utilisation of dismantled precast reinforced concrete elements from a donor building for the construction of another/new building.”

This definition and mentioning of the term ‘reuse’ in the tender documents is of great importance, as it avoids ambiguities and subsequent misunderstandings even before participation or submission of a tender.

The scores resulting from the eligibility and selection criteria determine whether the four participants with the highest total score are invited to submit an initial bid. The participants now become bidders.

As soon as the four bidders have submitted their initial offer, the so-called bidder interviews take place. Bidders can still be excluded at this stage. Once the bidder interviews have been completed, the bidders still in the competition are asked to submit a final offer. These offers undergo a final evaluation in accordance with the published award criteria. In the end, one bidder becomes the contractor and is awarded the contract to provide the building services for the ‘New construction of the Sternentor youth and leisure centre’ project. The Architect and engineer contract for object planning services (Part C) can therefore be signed.

As soon as this decision has been made (probably at the beginning/mid-October 2025), this blog series will be continued here on our homepage. Episode 2 will be published in the early Autumn with the specifications and the catalogue of bidder questions.