Federal government replaces guidelines for the prequalification of construction companies starting November 2026

The Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building has revised the guideline for conducting a prequalification procedure for construction companies. The announcement dated March 10, 2026, was published on Friday, October 2, 2026, in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) under the official reference BAnz AT 02.10.2026 B2 and comes into force effective November 1, 2026. It replaces the previous guideline dated May 13, 2022 (BAnz AT 20.06.2022 B5).

According to the Ministry, the revision was necessary because the guideline “required a fundamental adjustment to the legal requirements.” It implements Article 64 Paragraph 1 of Directive 2014/24/EU and covers the contract-independent evidence of suitability required under § 6a VOB/A, § 6a EU VOB/A, and § 6a VS VOB/A. The Official Register PQ-VOB is maintained by the Verein für die Präqualifikation von Bauunternehmen e. V., which is entered in the association register at the District Court of Bonn under register sheet VR 8498 and makes the register publicly accessible via www.PQ-Verein.de.

The guideline applies to all domestic and foreign main and ancillary construction companies. It is not valid for companies providing services or supplies or those engaged in freelance activities. Public contracting authorities take prequalification into account in both below-threshold and above-threshold areas.

Procedure and Deadlines

• Decision on acceptance or rejection of an application: within 14 days.
• Processing period for the decision on prequalification: maximum 14 days.
• Information regarding documents to be updated: at least 20 calendar days before their expiry.
• Release of the electronic entry in the Official Register PQ-VOB: no later than three working days.
• Electronic query of the competition register by the PQ bodies: at least every six months.

Prequalification bodies must be accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065 and must establish a complaints procedure according to the same standard. Evidence in foreign languages must be submitted with a German translation; equivalence can be verified via the European database eCertis.

Evidence of Suitability and References

Annex 1 lists 16 criteria with the associated evidence and update deadlines. Most self-declarations (Form PQ-A) are valid for a maximum of 13 months and must be updated immediately in the event of changes. At least three references must be proven for each prequalified service area; references whose completion date is more than five calendar years in the past lose their validity. The number of employees employed on an annual average basis must be updated by March 31.

Deletion, Blocking, and Self-Cleaning

A prequalification is revoked if the requirements of the guideline are not met or if the company requests it. In the event of culpable violations—such as incorrect evidence, failure to notify of significant changes, the use of non-prequalified subcontractors, or false references to the prequalification—the construction company will be blocked; a new application is then not possible before 24 months have elapsed. Self-cleaning is governed by § 6a paragraph 1 VOB/A, § 6f EU VOB/A, § 6f VS VOB/A, as well as §§ 7 and 8 of the Competition Register Act (WRegG); for matters that are to be entered into the competition register, the Federal Cartel Office decides.

Service Areas and Use of Symbols

Annex 2 divides the service areas into Directory A (individual services) and Directory B (complete services); these follow the scopes of application of the General Technical Contract Conditions for Construction Works (ATV) in Part C of the VOB. For written references to the registration, companies may use the association logo registered as a collective mark with the Patent and Trade Mark Office, including the registration number. The announcement was signed in Bonn on March 10, 2026, under the file reference BII1 - 70424/8#1, on behalf of Heiko Roeder.

The new guideline applies from November 1, 2026, and obliges construction companies as well as public contracting authorities to adapt their evidence and procedures to the amended specifications by that date. Anyone relying on a prequalification in the future must expect shorter update cycles, stricter reference requirements, and seamless documentation.

Source: Federal Gazette, BAnz AT 02.10.2026 B2 dated October 2, 2026, Announcements, pp. 1–16 (official reference: BAnz AT 02.10.2026 B2).