Conditions for selection

Participation in the Open Call is possible if you fulfill the following requirements:

  1. You can certify that none of the mandatory grounds for exclusion, grounds for exclusion related to tax and social debts and optional grounds for exclusion (articles 67 to 69 of the Public Procurement Act) apply to you
  2. For some projects you have to show your suitability. You do this by providing a membership attestation from (the equivalent of) the Order of Architects or proof of registration on the spatial planners register
  3. You fulfill technical and professional competence requirements. This is done be showing that you are active as a designer by providing three examples of services or projects you have carried out satisfying following conditions:
    1. The services or projects were performed during the last three years
    2. The services or projects were undertaken in your own name as designer (not for another office)
    3. For each separate service or project you received a fee or competition renumeration of at least € 1.000 (excl. VAT if applicable)
    4. The projects have to have reached the stage of competition design, preliminary design, urban planning permit, execution dossier, execution of works, provisional delivery or completion of study assignment (art. 68, §4, 1°, b) of the RD of 18 April 2017) in the last 3 years. 

Step 1 Registering

Register for My Open Call and complete company number and contact details

Go to mijnoo.vlaamsbouwmeester.be

  • Click on ‘I am not yet registered for My Open Call’
  • Fill in the requested fields
    • Agency name
    • Company number
    • Person representing the company
    • Password
    • Address
    • Contact details (e-mail, phone, mobile, website)
    • Preferred language (Dutch or English)
    • Indicate that you are not a robot

We will start working on your profile. We will check that all info has come through correctly and we will check if you were not already registered.

If we have approved your registration, you will receive an e-mail from ‘Vlaams Bouwmeester’ confirming your account for My Open Oproep. You can now log in to My Open Call

Step 2 Login

Login to My Open Call

Go to mijnoo.vlaamsbouwmeester.be

  • Enter the e-mail address you used to register
  • Enter your password

If you were already registered for My Open Call before 1 October 2024, you need to create a new password once. You can do this via ‘I forgot my password’

If you have forgotten your password, you can do this via ‘I forgot my password’

If you can’t remember which e-mail address you used to log in, you can contact us on +32 2 553 01 11

Step 3 Completing agency data

Complete the data in the profile

If you are logged in, you will be taken to the My Open Call homepage: https://mijnoo.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/en/profile

If any data is missing, you will see this on the page ‘Your profile is missing required information. Edit’. Clicking the ‘Edit’ button will take you to your profile on My Open Call. You can always return to your profile via the button at the top right.

Your profile contains the information needed to apply for Open Call projects. This information can be changed throughout the year. Documents can also be changed when there are no Open Call actions. We divide this information into three parts:

  1. Grounds for exclusion
  2. Suitability for exercising a professional activity
  3. Technical and professional competence

  We go through those three parts and the documents that are uploaded.

Grounds for exclusion

European Single Procurement Document (ESPD)

Every agency participating in the Open Call must upload the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD).

The UEA is a declaration on honour that you are not in one of the exclusion grounds. For Belgian companies, we check this via the data in the crossbench enterprise. As we cannot check the data of non-Belgian companies in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, non-Belgian companies have to upload some additional documents in their profile.

What is an ESPD?
  • The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is a self-declaration of the businesses’ financial status, abilities and suitability for a public procurement procedure. 
  • To participate in the Open Call every office has to upload an ESPD.
  • An ESPD remains valid as long as the content is correct.
  • An ESPD is a PDF-file.
How can i generate and upload my ESPD ?

The Flemish Government Architects Team has made a model for the ESPD in .xml format. This format is only usable on the website where you can generate the final document. You can’t edit or generate this document with an app on your computer. To create your ESPD follow these steps:

  1. Download (right mouse button > save as) the ESPD.request.xml file.
  2. Navigate to the ESPD-service and choose your language.
  3. Check the mark ‘I am an economic operator
  4. Subsequently check ‘Import an ESPD (request or response)
  5. Upload the ESPD.request.xml file you downloaded in step 1
  6. Select the country where you are located (place of residence of the office you apply with)
  7. Fill in parts II through V (no signature is necessary)
  8. Click the button ‘overview’ on the bottom of the page
  9. Download the file in ‘both formats’ at the bottom of the page
  10. Go to the ‘My Open Call’ page > click on the ‘My profile’ button on the top right > Upload the PDF document at ‘1. Grounds for exclusion > ESPD > edit’ and enter the date the file was made.
  11. Click ‘Save’.
Do i have to include subcontractors in the ESPD?

No, with this ESPD you certify that none of the mandatory grounds for exclusion, grounds for exclusion related to tax and social debts and optional grounds for exclusion (articles 67 to 69 of the Public Procurement Act) apply to you. The Flemish Government Architects Team will check this through documents from the ‘Crossroads Bank for Enterprises’ for Belgian offices or through the requested documents for foreign applicants.

Only when you are invited to submit a tender will you have to include subcontracters in the ESPD that you have to provide at that stage. This ESPD (as part of the tender) is a different document than the ESPD included in your office profile.

Subcontractors are never required to provide an ESPD unless you rely on the capacity of one during the application phase. In that case you will have to add an ESPD for the subcontractor. This is only required when you effectively apply for a specific project.

 

 

How long is the ESPD in the profile valid?

The UEA in the profile is valid as long as the content is not changed and correct.

The UEA is a ‘self-declaration’ on the exclusion grounds, financial condition, abilities and suitability of firms for a procurement procedure. As long as a company’s situation does not change, it is not necessary to create a new ESPD. By doing so, we try to keep the administrative load for candidates as low as possible.

Documents from non-Belgian candidates

Non-Belgian offices have to upload these documents in their profile:

  1. Proof of compliance with social security obligations
  2. Proof of tax compliance
  3. Proof of non-bankruptcy and financial status 

Document remain valid for one year from date of issue. The document must be valid at the time of closing applications. The documents are uploaded as pdf.

What information do we require from non-Belgian candidates?

Non-Belgian offices have to upload these documents in their profile:

  1. Proof of compliance with social security obligations
  2. Proof of tax compliance
  3. Proof of non-bankruptcy and financial status 
In what language do the documents from foreign offices have to be provided?

Documents by foreign offices regarding exclusion grounds are preferably provided in Dutch or in English. If not available in English you can provide them in the original language.

What if I haven’t received these documents before the deadline for applications?

If these documents can’t be provided on time a self-declaration drawn up by the office is sufficient for the time being. After receipt of the actual documents these should be uploaded as soon as possible to your office profile.

How long do the documents from foreign offices remain valid?

The documents remain valid for 180 days from the date of issue on the document

What if the requested documents are not available in my country?

Documents regarding proof of compliance with social security obligations, tax compliance or non-bankruptcy and financial status have local equivalents or are non-existent in some countries. On the European Community website you can find possible equivalents for the required documents in EU-membership states.

If you reside in an EU-member state more information is available on this website: 

  • https://ec.europa.eu/tools/ecertis/#/search
  • select your country
  • check ‘criteria’ on top of the page en search the list for the criteria ‘Payment of taxes’, ‘Payment of social security obligations’ and ‘Insolvency’
  • click on the magnifying glass on the right next to a criterion to see the linked equivalent(s) available in your country

If no equivalents are available a self-declaration drawn up by your office is sufficient.

Suitability for exercising a professional activity

the Order of Architects

Some projects require at least 1 company or person to be a member of the Order of Architects. If you are a member of the Order of Architects, you can complete these details in your profile. Belgian architects can do this using their membership number, non-Belgian architects can upload a supporting document

Do I have to be a member of (an equivalent of) the Order of Architects to participate in an Open Call?

Not necessarily. The membership requirement is set for every project individually. If you wish to apply for a project where membership is mandatory you can:

  • Apply with your office if you have a membership
  • Apply with another office (or offices) as a temporary company where at least one of the partners has a membership.
  • You can NOT rely on the capacity of a subcontractor for meeting the membership requirement.
How do i prove my membership of a professional association?
  • Proof of membership of the (equivalent of) the Order of Architects in your country
  • This is only required for some projects, not all of them.

For Belgian candidates

If you are a member of the Flemish or Walloon Order of Architects: fill in your membership number.

For non-Belgian candidates

If you are a member of a professional architects association: upload proof of membership.

What if I’m not a member of (an equivalent of) the Order of Architects

You can add another office to your application that fulfills this requirement. It is sufficient if one of the partners of a temporary company is a member.

Who in the office has to be a member of the Order of Architects?

Within your office the managing director or an employee (with an employment contract with the office) can be member of the (local equivalent of) the Order of Architects. The membership can be personal as well as in the name of the company.

Registration as a spatial planner

For some projects, at least 1 person within the company must be registered in the register of spatial planners. If someone within your company is listed in this register, you can complete this information in your profile. You can do this by mentioning that person’s name and validity date. Non-Belgian spatial planners can also be included in this register

More information can be found at https://omgeving.vlaanderen.be/nl/ruimtelijk-beleid-en-planning/bestemmingsplannen-grups-gewestplan/register-ruimtelijke-planners 

Do I have to be registered as a spatial planner to participate in an Open Call?

Not necessarily. The requirement is set for every project individually. Registration is only necessary if the project entails the creation of a spatial implementation plan. This is a rare occurrence in the Open Call.

When do i have to provide proof of registration as a spatial planner?

For some projects (specifically including the creation of a spatial implementation plan) a registration as a spatial planner is required. 
More information on the site of the Environment Department of the Flemish Government.
When you want to apply for an Open Call project the project guidelines will include the specific requirements for that project. You will only have to provide proof of registration if you apply for a project for which this is required. You can always add or edit this information in your Open Call profile so it is available for an application. The information can obviously also be supplied during an application.

What if i don’t have a registration as a spatial planner?

If you are a spatial planner, you can always register, including foreign planners, if you meet the requirements.

The registration as a spatial planner is only necessary if you apply for a project where this is required; if so, this will be stated in the project guidelines during the application.

More information can be found at https://omgeving.vlaanderen.be/nl/ruimtelijk-beleid-en-planning/bestemmingsplannen-grups-gewestplan/register-ruimtelijke-planners 

Who in the office has to be registered as a spatial planner?

This can be the managing director or an employee with an employment contract with the office.

Technical and professional competence

The requirements regarding technical and professional competence for the Open Call are intentionally kept low. To participate in an Open Call you only have to show that you are active as a designer; you do this by providing three of your own projects. These projects will not be assessed in terms of content, they confirm that you are professionally actieve as a designer in your own name. 

We ask you to provide the following information of the projects:

  • the name of the project
  • the name of the client
  • the current stage of the project
  • the date this stage was reached
  • your role in the project
  • confirmation that the fee or competition renumeration you received was at least €1.000 (excluding VAT if applicable)

We do not ask for an extensive description, images or statements from the client. These projects are not taken into account for the evaluation for the purpose of selection.

What if i can’t provide 3 projects by myself?

There are 2 possible options available during the application:

  1. You can apply as a temporary company with another registered office that provides it’s own project(s)
  2. You rely on the capacity of a subcontractor for additional projects

In both cases the number of projects will be added to reach the required three projects. The choice for either of these options can be made when you effectively apply for an Open Call project.

What requirements do these projects have to meet?
  • You have to provide 3 projects.
  • The fee or competition renumeration for the project has to have been at least €1.000.
  • The project has to have reached the stage of competition design, preliminary design, urban planning permit, execution dossier, execution of works, provisional delivery or completion of study assignment (master plans, …) in the last 3 years.
Can I add projects carried out for another office?

No, these have to be projects carried out in your own name. These projects only serve to show that you are professionally active as a designer, they will not be assessed in terms of content. If you can’t provide three projects in your own name and you wish to participate in the Open Call you will have to apply as a temporary company or rely on the capacity of a subcontractor.

Why do we ask for three projects?

We are obliged to impose minimum requirements on applicants for the Open Call due to public procurement legislation. We have opted to keep the threshold for participation as low as possible as it is our intention to allow an as broad as possible array of designers access to the Open Call. We only ask you to show that you are active as a designer; you can do this by demonstrating participation in an architectural competition for which you received a minimum fee of €1.000 or a design project that you invoiced to a customer. You are after all applying for the execution of a public procurement project so we expect you to have experience with the substantive, practical and financial aspects of architectural briefs or spatial vplanning.

The provided projects will not be assessed in terms of content; the evaluation for the selection restriction of candidates is based on specific reference projects we ask you to provide in the application module.

Stap 4 Submit application

Submit a project application

Go to https://mijnoo.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/en/dashboard

If an Open Call is active, it will be listed on this page and the ‘submit’ button will be visible.

After clicking this button, you will see the projects you can apply for. Select a project, using the ‘apply’ button.

On the next screen you choose whether you are a candidate as an agency or as a temporary partnership.

Then you can enter the data required for your candidacy. These data are divided into two parts:

  • Part 1: conditions for selection
  • Part 2: Selection restriction

Conditions for selection

This information is taken entirely from your profile. You can edit this information via the buttons next to each item. You will be taken to your profile where you can edit the data. These data and any changes also apply to any other applications you wish to submit.

Selection restriction

The selection restriction contains the information we will assess in order to rank the candidates and select those who will be invited to make the offer.

We ask you to describe your ambition for the assignment. In this, you describe in 2,000 characters what you find important in the task at hand.

We then ask you to provide 3 specific references. For each project for which you apply, the client specifies 2 project ambitions. We ask you to provide 2 specific references that meet the 2 stated project ambitions and 1 specific reference that meets a third, self-determined project ambition. For each specific reference we ask for a description (max. 1,000 characters), the relevance to the stated ambition (max. 1,000 characters), your role in the project (max. 500 characters) and a maximum of 8 images.

If you really can’t provide a specific reference, you can appeal to the carrying capacity of a subcontractor. If you use the resources of a subcontractor for the specific references, you will be obliged to carry out the entire design assignment together with the subcontractor in the event of a short-listing.

If you are relying on the capacity of the subcontractor, you are required to submit the following additional information:

  • Name of the subcontractor
  • Company number of the subcontractor
  • Website of the subcontractor
  • Signed commitment agreement
  • Confirmation that the subcontractor is established in Belgium or abroad (for foreign entrepreneurs (for non-Belgian companies, we ask additionally: Proof of compliance with social security obligations, tax obligations and non-bankruptcy)
How do we assess your answer to the ambition for the assignment?

Your understanding of the challenges posed by the assignment will be assessed. The quality of your initial reading of the existing context, preconditions and challenges of the assignment will be assessed here.  

Please note: design proposals are not expected; if included, they will not be considered. 

How do we assess your specific reference?

Assessment elements to consider include attention to the context of the brief, future-proofing (sustainability, suitability for reuse, etc.), utility value (usability, functionality, efficiency, etc.) and experiential value (attractiveness, familiarity, etc.). The more substantial your role in the creation of the reference, the more positively the client will factor this into the assessment.

The assessment is done in a global, general and reasoned manner. The fact that a number of assessment elements are listed does not detract from this. No separate weight is given to specific elements and they are not systematically assessed. 

What if I don’t have a specific reference project?

If you do not have a specific reference, you have 2 options:

  1. You set up your candidacy with another company (as a temporary partnership) which does have a specific reference.
  2. You can rely on the capacity of a subcontractor.
Can I enter a project, which I have carried out at another company, as a specific reference?

Yes you can. You may enter here specific references that you have carried out at another company.

You do not have to rely on the other company’s resources for this. However, you should mention that you carried out this project at another company and state your role in the project.

Step 5 Confirm your application

Confirm your submission

Once you have provided all the information, you can confirm your submission. You can do this using the button ‘confirm your submission’ at the top or bottom of the page.

After confirming your submission, a pdf is created with all the information and documents from your application. This pdf will be saved in My Open Call and will be sent by e-mail to the partners in the temporary partnership and any subcontractors called upon.

You can still delete this candidacy, but it is no longer possible to modify this candidacy.

Top