Requirement for an on-site visit and document verification

In some tenders, the buyer may require the supplier to conduct a site visit or familiarise themselves with documents available on site; failure to meet these requirements results in automatic rejection of the bid.

When are a site visit or document check mandatory?

The buyer may in the contract documents:

• allow for the possibility
• or impose the obligation

for the supplier to attend a site visit or review the documents necessary to perform the contract (on site at the buyer's premises). This obligation results from Art. 131 sec. 2 of the Public Procurement Law and must be clearly described in the SWZ (Tender specifications).

If such a requirement is introduced, the buyer must extend the offer submission deadlines beyond the statutory minimum, so that suppliers have a real opportunity to meet the requirement and prepare the offer.

How must the supplier confirm the on-site visit or document verification?

The buyer must clearly indicate in the tender documentation:

• the method of conducting the on-site visit (e.g., visits at specified times)
• the location of the documents and the rules for viewing them
• the method of confirmation by the supplier of meeting this requirement (e.g., signed attendance list, visit protocol)

Without this confirmation, the buyer may be unable to verify that the requirement has been met.

What happens after submitting an offer?

The buyer checks whether the supplier has met the requirements:

• if yes, the offer proceeds to further evaluation
• if no, the offer is unconditionally rejected

It is not possible to "fix" this situation after the deadline for submitting bids. The law does not provide for the possibility of completing a site visit or reviewing documents afterwards.

What about the obligation on the part of the buyer?

Although the buyer may impose such a requirement, it does not relieve him of the obligation of a clear and exhaustive description of the subject of the contract (Art. 99 of the PZP). A site visit or available documents can only supplement the description, not replace it.