File No 2027 R3 047 Relating to a multiannual framework agreement (4 years) of supplies for the acquisition and continuation of ‘GitLab Enterprise Premium – Self Managed On-Premise’ licences for the benefit of the Directorate for Police Information and ICT Resources

✓Such as: it is a four‑year framework agreement (1 January 2027 – 31 December 2030 in principle) for supplies – the purchase and continuation of GitLab Enterprise Premium self‑managed on‑premise licences for the Federal Police’s DevOps platform.

✓There is one lot and one post only: Post 1 – GitLab Enterprise Premium licence.

✓Estimated quantities are 250 licences per year in years 1–4; these are minimum quantities, and the authority reserves the right to order annually the quantities it needs, subject to those minima.

✓The maximum value of the framework is set at 504,000 EUR incl. VAT; once this ceiling is reached, the framework has no further effect, though it may be maintained, modified within legal limits, or terminated.

⚠Delivery times for Post 1 must not exceed seven calendar days from the day after the partial order, and the bidder must describe SLA and support modalities, including response times and incident reporting mechanisms.

✓Award criteria and their weighting are simple and strictly price‑based.

✓The evaluated price is computed by multiplying the offered annual price for the single post by 250 licences (minimum quantity) x 4 years.

✓Prices must be in EUR (two decimals max), exclusive of VAT, but include all taxes and charges (including recycling contributions) and all costs necessary to meet the technical specifications: packaging, transport, insurance, customs, installation, commissioning, documentation, bug fixing, updates, new versions, online training resources, etc. Bidders may choose either fixed prices for the entire duration or a price‑revision formula (specified Agoria wage index formula or a bidder‑proposed formula complying with the general accounting clause in Annex D); in all cases, first‑year prices are firm.

✓The authority reserves broad rights to verify prices, demand detailed cost structures, and conduct on‑site and accounting controls at the bidder’s and subcontractors’ premises.

✓Risks and special conditions feature prominently.

✓Such as: a performance bond (cautionnement) of 5% of the estimated contract value excl.

✓VAT is required, to be constituted by one of the methods foreseen by AR2 (cash via e‑DEPO, act of joint guarantee through an approved financial institution deposited at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, or bank/insurance guarantee sent to the contracting service).

✓There are detailed clauses on price revision, tax changes, possible suspension of advances if the contractor breaches obligations, and various modification scenarios (complementary supplies/services, unforeseeable events for either party) with caps of 50% of the initial value per modification.

✓Subcontracting is allowed but tightly regulated: the bidder must indicate in the offer the share to be subcontracted and identity of proposed subcontractors, notify any changes before performance, and accept that the authority may check exclusion grounds for all subcontractors and demand replacements; subcontractors may not subcontract the entirety of their portion further.

✓Questions must be submitted via the specified e‑Procurement help form; the Q&A forum is closed typically one month before bid opening, after which no questions can be asked.

❓No site visit is mentioned.

✓As to contradictions or corrections within the documents, the text refers to “Err” versions (Err_1) indicating that certain documents are corrected versions of previous ones; it also notes that a general accounting clause in Annex D governs price‑revision formulae and that any bidder‑proposed formula must comply with it under penalty of irregularity.

❓Where both language versions address the same point (such as technical capacity references of at least 300,000 EUR, performance bond at 5%, electronic submission via e‑Procurement, and use of ESPD/DUME), they are consistent rather than contradictory; in case of doubt, Belgian practice usually gives precedence to the language specified as authentic in the notice, but the input text itself does not indicate any conflicting statement that changes the substance of the obligations described.

Answers on the required criteria

Must securities be provided (bid bond, performance or warranty guarantee)? If so: which, in what amount and by when?

✓Such as regarding securities: the contract requires a performance guarantee (cautionnement / borgtocht).

✓In application of article 25, §1 of AR2, the supplier must provide a cautionnement equal to 5% of the estimated value of the contract, excluding VAT.

✓The definitive amount and practical instructions are indicated in the contract, notification letter, purchase order or equivalent document; the text announces a “Délai pour le cautionnement” but the detailed deadline is truncated in the provided extract, so the exact time limit must be checked in the full section.

❓No separate bid bond or warranty guarantee is described; “Garantie S.O.” indicates no specific additional warranty security beyond the general performance guarantee.

Is subcontracting allowed? If so: with which limits and which disclosure duties?

✓Such as regarding subcontracting: the supplier is allowed to use subcontractors, under its sole and entire responsibility.

✓The bidder must state in the tender the part of the contract it intends to subcontract and the proposed subcontractors, with their identity.

✓If subcontractors are not yet known at submission time, their identity must be communicated in writing to the contracting authority at the latest the day before those subcontractors start performing any services.

✓Free choice of subcontractor is limited where the bidder has relied on predetermined subcontractors’ capacity for qualitative selection (e.g. professional qualifications or experience) or where the authority has imposed specific subcontractors; in those cases, their identity must always be indicated in the offer, and any change of subcontractor is subject to prior approval by the authority.

✓The authority may verify exclusion grounds for subcontractors at any level of the subcontracting chain and can require replacement of one or more subcontractors.

✓It is expressly forbidden for a subcontractor to subcontract the entirety of the work assigned to it to another subcontractor, including arrangements where the first subcontractor only keeps coordination.

Is there a site visit, and is attendance mandatory? If so: when?

❓Such as concerning site visits: the provided text does not mention any site visit, nor any obligation to attend a visit.

❓The contract concerns software licences for an existing GitLab on‑premise platform, and there is no indication in the extract of organised visits or inspection sessions, so no mandatory site visit can be inferred from the given material.

In which language must the tender and the supporting documents be submitted, and are documents in other languages accepted?

✓However, the technical part (“volet techniQUE” / “TECHNISCH luik”) may be written in French, Dutch or English only.

✓If the technical part is in English, the contracting authority reserves the right to request a translation at the bidder’s expense.

✓For other documents, for example those supporting a request for advance payment, any data or declarations drawn up in a language other than Dutch or French must be accompanied by a certified translation.

How long is the bidder bound by the tender (validity period), and is there a deadline for bidder questions? If so: until when?

✓Such as concerning tender validity and bidder questions: the bidder remains bound by its offer until 28 February 2027 (“le soumissionnaire reste engagé par son OFFRE jusqu'au 28 februari 2027”).

✓Questions from bidders must be submitted via the dedicated forum on the Belgian e‑Procurement platform (https://publicprocurement.be) no later than 12 November 2026, at 12:00.

✓Answers will be published on the same forum.

✓Bidders must note that the forum is subject to a closing date, usually set about one month before the opening of tenders (opening is scheduled for 19 November 2026 at 11:00); after closure, no further questions can be asked.

Further details

✓The input text is a Belgian public procurement dossier (cahier spécial des charges / bestek) of the Federal Police for a four‑year framework agreement for “GitLab Enterprise Premium – Self Managed On‑Premise” licences.

✓It sets the legal, administrative and technical conditions for bidders under Belgian law (law of 17 June 2016 and the royal decrees AR1 and AR2).

✓The point of view is that of Belgium as contracting authority, with explicit references to Belgian legislation and EU directives.

✓Any modification or withdrawal of the offer must be made through submission and electronic signature of a new “rapport de dépôt” (submission report); an unsigned report makes the modification/withdrawal null and the original offer remains fully valid.