Digital Competition Register for Public Procurement – Successful cooperation between Bundeskartellamt and ITZBund

With the assistance of the Federal Information Technology Centre (ITZBund), the Bundeskartellamt launched the fully digital Competition Register for Public Procurement in 2021. Companies that are found to have committed certain offences based on which they can or must be excluded from a public award procedure under procurement law are entered in the register. Consulting the digital register makes it considerably easier for public contracting entities to check whether there are any reasons for excluding a certain company. In this way, the register also plays an important role in combating economic crime.

In order to operate the Competition Register, the Bundeskartellamt relies on ITZBund’s standards and services, such as the federal electronic filing system E-Akte Bund.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: “The Competition Register is an important element in the digitalisation of public administration. With ITZBund’s assistance we have done some pioneering work and have successfully launched this complex project. Numerous bodies are already digitally connected with the register and make use of the possibility to check whether a company is to be excluded from a procurement procedure due to having committed an offence. The first offences have already been entered in the register. I strongly urge all public contracting entities which are not yet registered to do so without delay. Otherwise, they will not be able to comply with their statutory obligation to consult the register.”

Dr Alfred Kranstedt, Director of ITZBund: “We are pleased that we were able to successfully assist the Bundeskartellamt in implementing this important project. Thanks to the technical and organisational standards used in ITZBund’s modern data centres, it can be ensured that sensitive data are protected. Our secure data centres form the necessary technical backbone and foundation for new applications such as the digital Competition Register.”

Since 1 December 2021 public contracting entities can use the Competition Register’s web portal in public procurement procedures to check whether a certain company has been listed. As from 1 June 2022 they will be obliged to consult the Competition Register in award procedures for contracts exceeding certain order values. Many registered contracting entities already make use of the possibility to consult the register in award procedures. Guidelines on how to consult the register can be downloaded on the Competition Register’s website (in German only).

Prior registration is necessary for public contracting entities to be able to consult the register. Detailed information and material on how to register can be found on the Competition Register’s website (in German).