Germany

Country score (European Average*)

58(66) Political Financing
23(53) Financial Disclosure
26(37) Conflict of Interest
44(59) Freedom of Information
55(62) Public Procurement

Country Facts

Income	High
GNI per capita (2011 PPP $)	45126.50
Population, total	82667685.00
Urban population (% of total)	75.51
Internet users (per 100 people)	89.65
Life expectancy at birth (years)	81.09
Mean years of schooling (years)	13.2
Global Competitiveness Index	5.7

Sources: World Bank, UNDP, WEF.

Political Financing

The Act on Political Parties (1994, amended 2015) is the main law regulating the financing of political parties in Germany.

There are few limits on the private income of political parties. Donations from foreign entities to political parties are not banned but limited and there are no bans on donations from foreign entities to candidates. There are bans on corporate donations to political parties but not on donations from trade unions. Donations from anonymous donors are only prohibited when over a certain amount. Beyond these groups there are bans on various income sources such as professional organisations and political foundations. There are no limits on the amount of donation that can be received.

There is public funding available for political parties. This is allocated according to the number of votes received in the previous election. There are no specific uses for the allocated public prescribed by the law. Subsidized media access is available and is allocated according to the share of seats. Other sources of indirect public funding include premises for campaign meetings and tax relief.

For regulations on spending there is a ban on vote buying and a ban on some state resources being used in favour or against a political party or candidate. There are no limits on what a party can spend.

Parties are required to report annually on their finances. The reports must provide information on finances in relation to election campaigns, must be made public and is some cases should reveal the identity of donors. Reports are audited by an auditing firm and are overseen by the President of the German Bundestag and the Administration Department of the German Bundestag. There are sanctions for those breaching the provisions of the law in the form of fines, the loss of public funding, forfeiture and imprisonment.

Quantitative Data
Qualitative Data
Laws

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric	2012	2015	2016	2017	2020
Bans and limits on private income	28	33	33	33	33
Public funding	62	50	50	50	50
Regulations on spending	50	50	50	50	50
Reporting, oversight and sanctions	92	100	100	100	100

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness

Qualitative Data

Bans and limits on private income
Bans on donations from foreign interests
Is there a ban on donations from foreign interests to political parties?	No. There is however a limit on how much foreigners may contribute which is EUR 1,000. (Section 25(2)(3) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on donations from foreign interests to candidates?	No. Party members who receive donations on behalf of their party shall immediately pass them on to an Executive Committee member who, under the party statutes, is responsible for the party’s financial matters (Section 25(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Bans on corporate donations
Is there a ban on corporate donations to political parties?	Yes. (2) The following shall be excluded from the right of political parties to accept donations: 2. donations from political foundations, corporate entities (Section 25(2) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on corporate donations to candidates?	No. Party members who receive donations on behalf of their party shall immediately pass them on to an Executive Committee member who, under the party statutes, is responsible for the party’s financial matters (Section 25(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on donations from corporations with government contracts to political parties?	Yes. (2) The following shall be excluded from the right of political parties to accept donations: 1. donations from public corporations, parliamentary parties and groups and from parliamentary groups of municipal councils (local assemblies); 5. donations from enterprises that are fully or partly in public ownership or are managed or operated by public agencies if the state’s direct participation amounts to more than 25 per cent (Section 25(2)(1) & (2)(5) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on donations from corporations of partial government ownership to political parties?	Yes. (2) The following shall be excluded from the right of political parties to accept donations: 5. donations from enterprises that are fully or partly in public ownership or are managed or operated by public agencies if the state’s direct participation amounts to more than 25 per cent (Section 25(2)(5) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on donations from corporations with government contracts to candidates?	No. Party members who receive donations on behalf of their party shall immediately pass them on to an Executive Committee member who, under the party statutes, is responsible for the party’s financial matters (Section 25(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on donations from corporations of partial government ownership to candidates?	No. Party members who receive donations on behalf of their party shall immediately pass them on to an Executive Committee member who, under the party statutes, is responsible for the party’s financial matters (Section 25(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Bans on donations from trade unions
Is there a ban on donations from Trade Unions to political parties?	No. Absent from legal framework
Is there a ban on donations from Trade Unions to candidates?	No. Party members who receive donations on behalf of their party shall immediately pass them on to an Executive Committee member who, under the party statutes, is responsible for the party’s financial matters (Section 25(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Bans on anonymous donations
Is there a ban on anonymous donations to political parties?	Yes. (2) The following shall be excluded from the right of political parties to accept donations: 6. any donations exceeding 500 euros each, which are made by an unidentified donor or which evidently are passed on as a donation by unnamed third parties; (Section 25(6) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on anonymous donations to candidates?	No. Party members who receive donations on behalf of their party shall immediately pass them on to an Executive Committee member who, under the party statutes, is responsible for the party’s financial matters (Section 25(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Other bans on donations
Is there a ban on state resources being given to or received by political parties or candidates (excluding regulated public funding)?	Yes. Perhaps indirectly: (2) The following shall be excluded from the right of political parties to accept donations: 1. donations from public corporations, parliamentary parties and groups and from parliamentary groups of municipal councils (local assemblies); 5. donations from enterprises that are fully or partly in public ownership or are managed or operated by public agencies if the state’s direct participation amounts to more than 25 per cent; (Section 25(2)(1) & (2)(5) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is there a ban on any other form of donation?	Yes. 2. donations from political foundations, corporate entities, associations of persons and from estates which under the statutes, the foundation charter or other dispositions governing the constitution of such entities, and by the actual business conducted by such entities, are exclusively and directly intended for non-profit, charitable or church purposes (Sections 51 to 68 of the German Fiscal Code (Abgabenordnung, AO); 4. donations from professional organizations, which were made to the latter subject to the proviso that such funds be passed on to a political party; 7. donations evidently made in the expectation of, or in return for, some specific financial or political advantage; 8. donations solicited by a third party against a fee to be paid by the political party and amounting to more than 25 per cent of the value of the solicited donation. (Section 25 Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Donation limits
Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party over a time period (not election specific)?	No. Absent from legal framework
Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party in relation to an election?	No. Absent from legal framework
Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a candidate?	No. Absent from legal framework
Public funding
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of votes in previous election	Yes. Section 18 The criteria for the allocation of public funds shall be the proportion of votes won by a political party in European, Bundestag and Landtag [State parliament] elections (Section 18(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015) )
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Representation in elected body	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Participation in election	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Number of candidates	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of seats in previous election	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of votes in next election	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Registration as a political party	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of seats in next election	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Number of members	No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Other	Yes. The criteria for the allocation of public funds shall be the proportion of votes won by a political party in European, Bundestag and Landtag [State parliament] elections; the total amount of its membership dues and contributions from holders of elected public office, and the amount of donations received. (Section 18(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015) )
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Proportional to votes received	Yes. (4) Political parties which, according to the final result of the most recent elections to the European Parliament or to the Bundestag, received at least 0.5 per cent or, in an election to a Landtag, received 1 per cent of the valid votes cast for party lists shall be entitled to public funds pursuant to para. 3, nos. 1 and 3; in order to qualify for payments under para. 3, 1 st sentence, no. 1, and 2 nd sentence, a party must meet these requirements in the election concerned. Parties which, according to the final election result, obtained 10 per cent of the valid votes cast in a constituency or polling district shall be entitled to public funds pursuant to para. 3, no. 2. The 1 st and 2 nd sentences shall not apply to political parties of national minorities (Section 18(4) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Equal	No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Proportional to seats received	No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Flat rate by votes received	Yes. (3) The parties receive annually in the framework of the state part-financing 1. 0,83 Euro for each valid vote given for their respective list or 2. 0,83 euro for each valid vote cast for them in an electoral or constituency, if a list for this party was not authorized in a country, and 3. 0,45 Euro for each euro which they received as a contribution (paid membership or mandate contribution or legally obtained donation); only grants of up to EUR 3 300 per natural person are taken into account. The parties shall receive 1 euro per vote for each of the up to four million valid votes which they have received, in derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2. The amounts specified in sentence 1, numbers 1 and 2, as well as in sentence 2, increase as from 2017 in accordance with paragraph 2 sentences 2 to 5. (Section 18 (3) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015) )
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Share of expenses reimbursed	No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Proportional to candidates fielded	No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Number of members	No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Other	Yes. (2) The annual total volume of state resources, which may be paid to all parties at most, amounts to EUR 141.9 million for 2011 and EUR 150.8 million (absolute ceiling) for 2012. The absolute ceiling is increased annually, but for the first time for 2013, by the percentage, rounded down to one tenth of a percentage by which the price index of the type of expenditure typical for one party has increased in the year preceding the year. The price index is based on a weighing percentage of 70 percent of the general consumer price index and 30 percent of the index of the monthly salary of workers and employees of local authorities. The President of the Federal Statistical Office shall submit to the German Bundestag no later than 30 June. A report on the development of the price index in relation to the previous year. The President of the Bundestag publishes the sum of the absolute ceiling resulting from the increase by 31 May of each year, rounded off to full euro amounts, as a federal day pressure. (5) The amount of the state part-financing may not exceed, for one party, the sum of the receipts pursuant to Section 24 (4) Nos. 1 to 7 (relative upper limit). The sum of the financing of all parties may not exceed the absolute upper limit. (Section 18 (5) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015) )
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Campaign spending	No. Absent from legal framework
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Ongoing party activities	No. Absent from legal framework
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Intra-party institution	No. Absent from legal framework
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Other	No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Equal	Yes. 42. Only private stations operate at the national level. Public stations are run at the state (Lander) level. At the national level, parties are allowed appropriate air time at private stations for their participation in elections if they are on at least one state list. Parties or other political associations are entitled to air time at private stations for the national and European elections if they have proposed at least one candidate. 5. Where a public authority makes facilities available to political parties or provides them with other public contributions and services, equal treatment shall be accorded to all political parties. (Article 42, Interstate Treaty for Broadcasting and Telemedia [Rundfunkstaatsvertrag - RStV] (1991, amended 2016) Section 5 (1), Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Number of candidates	No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Share of seats	Yes. "only a handful of campaign spots are allocated to the major parties, and proportionally less to smaller parties (…) the state supervisory agencies for the private broadcasters published guidelines indicating that a total allocation of twelve minutes per campaign period per broadcaster was appropriate for each of the two largest political parties, while smaller parties should get six or three minutes, depending on their size" (Legal Notice of the DLM to the election end times for Political Parties)
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Share of votes in preceding election	Yes. Where a public authority makes facilities available to political parties or provides them with other public contributions and services, equal treatment shall be accorded to all political parties. The extent to which such facilities or services will be provided may be scaled back, in accordance with the respective importance of the various parties, to the minimum extent required for achieving the given party’s purpose. The importance of a political party will, in particular, be assessed on the basis of the results obtained in previous parliamentary elections. (Section 5 (1), Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015) )
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Other	No. Absent from legal framework
Are there provisions for free or subsidized access to media for candidates?	No. Absent from legal framework
Are there provisions for any other form of indirect public funding?
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Premises for campaign meetings	Yes. Perhaps implicitly: (1) Where a public authority makes facilities available to political parties or provides them with other public contributions and services, equal treatment shall be accorded to all political parties. (Section 5(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Space for campaign materials	No. Absent from legal framework
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Tax relief	Yes. Tax Relief, exemptions from certain kind of taxes. "Another form of indirect state funding of parties exists by virtue of their exemption from inheritance and gift tax (section 13 (1) no.‌ 18 of the German Inheritance Tax Act and because natural persons can claim tax relief on contributions given to political parties (paid-‌up membership subscriptions, contributions by elected representatives, and lawful donations).‌" (Section 13 (1) no.‌ 18 of the Inheritance Tax Act, amended 2016; (GRECO (2009) Evaluation Report on Germany on Transparency of Party Funding (Theme II) p.10)
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Free or subsidised transport	No. Absent from legal framework
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Free or subsidised postage cost	No. Absent from legal framework
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Other	No. Absent from legal framework
Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates?	No. Absent from legal framework
Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties?	No. Absent from legal framework
Regulations on spending
Is there a ban on vote buying?	Yes. Whosoever undertakes to buy or sell a vote for an election or ballot in the European Parliament or in a parliament of the Federation, the member states, municipalities or municipal associations, shall be liable to imprisonment of not more than five years or a fine.‌ (Chapter 4, Section 108e, Criminal Code, 1998, amended 2013 )
Are there bans on state resources being used in favour or against a political party or candidate?	Yes. (1) Where a public authority makes facilities available to political parties or provides them with other public contributions and services, equal treatment shall be accorded to all political parties. (Section 5(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Are there limits on the amount a political party can spend?	No. Absent from legal framework
Are there limits on the amount a candidate can spend?	No. Absent from legal framework
Reporting, oversight and sanctions
Reporting standards
Do political parties have to report regularly on their finances?	Yes. (1) The Management Board of the Party shall give a public account of the origin and use of the funds and the assets of the Party at the end of the calendar year (accounting year) in an accountability report to the best of its knowledge and belief. (Section 23 Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Do political parties have to report on their finances in relation to election campaigns?	Yes. (3) The statement of accounts of the party as a whole shall incorporate expenditure accounting on election campaigns (Section 24(5) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Do candidates have to report on their campaign finances?	Yes. (1) The Management Board of the Party shall give a public account of the origin and use of the funds and the assets of the Party at the end of the calendar year (accounting year) in an accountability report to the best of its knowledge and belief. (Section 23(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Is information in reports from political parties and/or candidates to be made public?	Yes. (1) The Management Board of the Party shall give a public account of the origin and use of the funds and the assets of the Party at the end of the calendar year (accounting year) in an accountability report to the best of its knowledge and belief. (Section 23(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Must reports from political parties and/or candidates reveal the identity of donors?	yes. (3) If the total amount of donations made, and contributions paid by elected representatives/officials, to a political party or to one or more of its regional/local branches exceeds 10,000 euros in any one calendar year (accounting year), they shall be recorded, together with the names and addresses of the donors and the total amount, in the statement of accounts. Single donations in excess of 50,000 euros shall be reported immediately to the President of the German Bundestag. The latter shall in a timely manner publish the donation, together with the donor’s name, as a Bundestag printed paper. (Section 25(3) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/or candidates
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/or candidates: Electoral Management Board	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/or candidates: Auditing agency	Yes. (2) The statement of accounts must be audited by a certified auditor or an auditing firm in accordance with the provisions of Sections 29 to 31. (Section 23(2) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/or candidates: Ministry	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/or candidates: Special institution	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/or candidates: Court	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/or candidates: Other	Yes. The President of the Bundestag. "The Constitution regulates party funding in the sense that Art.‌ 21 paragraph 1, 4th sentence, of the Basic Law explicitly stipulates the duty of political parties to account publicly for the sources and use of their funds and on the assets owned by them.‌ These constitutional requirements are specified in the provisions of Sections 23 et seqq.‌ of the PPA on a) the obligation to submit a public statement of accounts; b) an examination of the parties’ statements of accounts by the President of the German Bundestag to verify their due form and accuracy; c) the obligation to report incorrect data in a statement of accounts; d) the various items to be covered by the statement of accounts, including income/‌ expenditure accounting and a statement on the parties’ assets and liabilities; e) the right to accept donations; and f) financial sanctions and penalties provided under criminal law in case of inaccurate statements of accounts or unlawfully obtained or unpublished donations.‌" (Section 23(1) & (2) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Political finance oversight
Is it specified that a particular institution(s) is responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations?
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Court	No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Ministry	No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Auditing agency	Yes. The Bunedestagspraesident (President of the Bundestag) is responsible for overseeing the annual reports of political parties. (Section 23(1) & (2) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Electoral Management Body	No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Institution for this purpose	No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Other	Yes. The Comptroller's Office/Audit Office is responsible for overseeing the finances of political parties as regards to their spending and income. (Section 23(1) & (2) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Other institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Court	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Ministry	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Auditing agency	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: EMB	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Institution for this purpose	No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Other	Yes. Administration Department of the German Bundestag. "Organisational responsibility for party funding matters is assigned to the administration department of the German Bundestag.‌ It is under the authority of the President of the German Bundestag on behalf of whom it performs the supervisory work.‌ Substance-‌related responsibility lies with Directorate-‌General P (Parliament and MPs), its subordinate Directorate PM (mandate services) with the Directorate’s Division PM 3 (party funding, Land parliaments).‌ Division PM 3 has a total staff of 8 persons as follows: one head of division and two assistant heads of division (senior administrative service), one office manager (intermediate administrative service), two clerk officials in charge (clerical administrative service) and two typists.‌ All staff members of this Division serve as civil servants or employees with the administration department of the Bundestag.‌" ((p.‌ 16) (GRECO (2009) Evaluation Report on Germany on Transparency of Party Funding (Theme II)) )
Sanctions for political finance infractions
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Fines	Yes. If the President of the German Bundestag, in the course of the verification pursuant to Section 23a, detects inaccuracies in the statement of accounts, the political party shall be liable to pay twice the amount of the wrongly stated sum, except in the case of donations as provided under Section 31c. In case of inaccuracies in the balance sheet or the explanatory part of the house and basic assets or interests in companies, the claim is 10 per cent of the assets not listed or the incorrectly stated. (Section 31b Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of public funding	Yes. If a party does not submit its statement of accounts within the set time limit, it shall definitively forfeit its claim to public funding based on contributions (forfeiture of the contribution-based share). If a party has not submitted its statement of accounts by 31 December of the year following the year of entitlement, it shall forfeit its claim to public funding for the year of entitlement (forfeiture of the electoral vote share). (Section 19a(3) and (4) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Penal/Criminal	Yes. (1) Whosoever, with the intent of concealing the origin or the use of the party’s funds or assets or evading the obligation to render public account, shall be liable to imprisonment of up to three years or to a fine. (Section 31d(1) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Forfeiture	Yes. If a party does not submit its statement of accounts within the set time limit, it shall definitively forfeit its claim to public funding based on contributions (forfeiture of the contribution-based share). If a party has not submitted its statement of accounts by 31 December of the year following the year of entitlement, it shall forfeit its claim to public funding for the year of entitlement (forfeiture of the electoral vote share). (Section 19a(3) and (4) Political Parties Act (1994, amended 2015))
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Deregistration of party	No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of elected office	No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Suspension of political party	No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of nomination of candidate	No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of political rights	No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Other	No. Absent from legal framework

Legislation

Political Parties Act, 1994, amended 2015) (German)	pdf
Interstate Treaty for Broadcasting and Telemedia [Rundfunkstaatsvertrag - RStV], 1991, amended 2016 (German)	pdf
Legal Notice of the DLM to the election end times for Political Parties (German)	pdf
Inheritance Tax Act, 1974, amended 2016 (German)	pdf
Criminal Code, 1998, amended 2013 (English)	pdf

*Last update: 2017

Financial Disclosure

Germany’s financial disclosure legislation does not apply to its Head of State. Most of the rules applying to Ministers and Members of Parliament were established with the new Code of Conduct which is an annex to the Bundestag Rules of Procedure (1980, last amended 2015). It foresees that Ministers and Members of Parliament declare private interests in a decision before speaking or voting on the matter. Interest in a company, gifts, additional remunerated activities, and stocks that come with 25% of voting rights must be declared. Additional declarations on income from outside employment and membership in advisory bodies of companies or foundations are required from MPs. Fewer regulations apply to Civil Servants, as the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2016) only requires an authorization of secondary activity before taking it up and a declaration of income from outside employment. In contrast to other public officials, Civil Servants must continue to declare secondary activities that are likely to cause a conflict of interests for three to five years after ending their service.

Neither depository and enforcement body, nor sanctions are specified for Ministers. MPs dispose their declarations with the President of the Bundestag and Civil Servants with their administrative superior. Both MPs and Civil Servants face sanctions for late-filling and non-filling, while no sanctions are specified for making false disclosure statements. Only the statements of MPs are made publicly available on the homepage of the Bundestag.

Quantitative Data
Qualitative Data
Laws

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric	2012	2015	2016	2017	2020	Trend
Disclosure items	14	16	16	21	21
Filing frequency	38	38	38	31	31
Sanctions	42	33	33	33	33
Monitoring and Oversight	19	19	19	19	19
Public access to declarations	0	12	12	12	12
Alternative Metric	2012	2015	2016	2017	2020	Trend
Head of State	0	0	0	0	0
Ministers	6	9	9	6	6
Members of Parliament	46	50	50	49	49
Civil servants	38	36	36	38	38

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness

Qualitative Data

Head of State
Disclosure items
Spouses and children included in disclosure	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income and Assets
Real estate	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Movable assets	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Cash	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Loans and Debts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income from outside employment/assets	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Holding government contracts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Post-employment	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing frequency
Filing required upon taking office	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing required upon leaving office	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing required annually	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions
Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Depository body explicitly identified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Enforcement body explicitly identified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Public access to declarations
Public availability	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Timing of information release specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Location(s) of access specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Cost of access specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ministers
Disclosure items
Spouses and children included in disclosure	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income and Assets
Real estate	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Movable assets	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Cash	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Loans and Debts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income from outside employment/assets	Yes. The members of the Federal Government may not exercise any other salaried office, business or profession. (Section 5 (1) of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953, last amended 2020))
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official	Yes. Federal Ministers have to declare all gifts they receive in relation to their office to the Federal Government. (Section 5 (3) of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953, last amended 2020))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	Yes. Members of the Bundestag (including Ministers) must inform the President of any interestin in a company or renumerated activities upon election. Shareholdings must only be declared if the representative possesses more than 25% of voting rights. (Rule 1 2.6, Code of conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020) Article 7, Provisions Implementing the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, in Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	Yes. Members of the Bundestag (including Ministers) must inform the President of any interestin in a company or renumerated activities upon election. Shareholdings must only be declared if the representative possesses more than 25% of voting rights. (Rule 1 2.6, Code of conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020) Article 7, Provisions Implementing the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, in Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Holding government contracts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	Yes. The members of the Federal Government may not exercise any other salaried office, business or profession. (Section 5 (1) of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953, last amended 2020))
Post-employment	Yes. Federal Government members who intend to take up gainful employment or other employment outside the civil service within the first 18 months after leaving office shall notify the Federal Government in writing. The Federal Government may, in whole or in part, prohibit gainful employment or other employment for the period of the first 18 months after leaving office, to the extent that it is to be ensured that employment adversely affects public interests. (Section 6a and 6b of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953, last amended 2020))
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	Yes. Prior to deliberations on a matter in which a representative has a private interest, they must state so if it has not yet been part of public disclosure items, but there is no exclusion from decision-making. (Rule 6, Code of conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing frequency
Filing required upon taking office	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing required upon leaving office	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing required annually	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions
Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Depository body explicitly identified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Enforcement body explicitly identified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Public access to declarations
Public availability	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Timing of information release specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Location(s) of access specified	No. Absent from legal framework.
Cost of access specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Members of Parliament
Disclosure items
Spouses and children included in disclosure	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income and Assets
Real estate	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Movable assets	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Cash	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Loans and Debts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income from outside employment/assets	Yes. The amount of income derived shall be declared if it exceeds the amount of EUR 1000 within one month or the amount of EUR 10,000 within one year. (Rule 1 (2.1) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official	Yes. Donations that exceed EUR 5000 in one calendar and donations the value of which individually or, in the case of several donations from the same donor, taken together, exceeds EUR 10,000 in one calendar year shall be published by the President. Gifts of pecuniary value which a Member of the Bundestag receives as a guest in connection with his mandate shall be notified and handed to the President; the Member may apply to keep the gift if he pays the Federal Cash Office a sum equivalent to its value. (Rule 4 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	Yes. Interests held in a joint-stock company or partnership, if this results in considerable economic influence on the company. (Rule 1 (2.6) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	Yes. Interests held in a joint-stock company or partnership, if this results in considerable economic influence on the company. (Rule 1 (2.6) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Holding government contracts	No. Absent from legal framework.
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	Yes. Activities as member of a board of management, supervisory board, administrative board, advisory board or other body of a company or of an enterprise operated in another legal form; activities as member of a board of management, supervisory board, administrative board, advisory board or other body of a corporation or institution under public law; activities as member of a board of management or other managerial or advisory body of a club, association or similar organisation, or of a foundation of not exclusively local importance (Rule 1 (2.2, 2.3, 2.4) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Post-employment	Yes. MPs have to declare the existence of or making of agreements whereby the Member of the Bundestag is to be assigned certain activities or receive pecuniary benefits after membership in the Bundestag. (Rule 1 (2.5) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	Yes. Every Member of the Bundestag in receipt of remuneration for his activities in connection with a subject to be debated in a committee of the Bundestag shall, prior to the deliberations, disclose as a member of that committee any link between these interests and the subject to be debated where this is not evident from the information published pursuant to Rule 3. (Rule 6 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing frequency
Filing required upon taking office	Yes. Declarations must be submitted to the President within three months of becoming a Member of the German Bundestag, or when changes or additions occur during the electoral term. (Rule 1 (6) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Filing required upon leaving office	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing required annually	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest	Yes. Declarations must be submitted to the President within three months of becoming a Member of the German Bundestag, or when changes or additions occur during the electoral term. (Rule 1 (6) of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Sanctions
Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	Yes. An administrative procedure will be carried out if MPs fail to meet their obligation of making complete conflict of interest declarations. MPs are also subject to an admonishment by the President of Bundestag for late filing. (Rule 8 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020) Section 44(a)(4) of the Members of the German Bundestag Act (1977, amended 2020))
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	Yes. MPs may be subject to administrative sanctions, including publication of their violation, prohibition to attend sessions, and non-payment of a half of salary for non-filing. (Rule 8 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020) Section 44(a)(4) of the Members of the German Bundestag Act (1977, amended 2020))
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. MPs maybe subject to administrative sanctions, including publication of their violation, prohibition to attend sessions, and non-payment of a half of salary for providing false information. (Rule 8 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020) Section 44(a)(4) of the Members of the German Bundestag Act (1977, amended 2020))
Monitoring and Oversight
Depository body explicitly identified	Yes. The President of the Bundestag is assigned to receive conflict of interest declarations. (Rule 8 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Enforcement body explicitly identified	Yes. The enforcement body is the President of the Bundestag and the Presidium. (Rule 8 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Public access to declarations
Public availability	Yes. Information on MPs' conflict of interest declarations is made publicly available on the internet. (Rule 3 of the Code of Conduct for Members of the German Bundestag, Annex 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (1980, last amended 2020))
Timing of information release specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Location(s) of access specified	Yes. Website of the German Parliament
Cost of access specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Civil servants
Disclosure items
Spouses and children included in disclosure	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income and Assets
Real estate	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Movable assets	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Cash	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Loans and Debts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Income from outside employment/assets	Yes. Remuneration from secondary activity is under special regulation. A statement on all secondary income received (by all officials who have one) has to be filed after the end of each year, if the pre-tax income is higher than EUR 500. (Section 8 of the Federal Regulation on Secondary Activities (1964, last amended 2017))
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official	Yes. Public servant shall not, even after termination of the emplyment relationship, receive rewards, gifts or other benefits for themselves or a third party. Exceptions require the approval of a higher authority. (Section 71.1 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	Yes. The chief service authority or the authority designated by it may prohibit a civil servant from carrying out official business for compelling reasons of service. The prohibition shall expire if no disciplinary action or any other procedure for the revocation of the appointment or for the termination of the civil service relationship has been instituted against the official within three months. (Section 66 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	Yes. The chief service authority or the authority designated by it may prohibit a civil servant from carrying out official business for compelling reasons of service. The prohibition shall expire if no disciplinary action or any other procedure for the revocation of the appointment or for the termination of the civil service relationship has been instituted against the official within three months. (Section 66 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Holding government contracts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	Yes. Authorization is required for remunerated and for non-remunerated engagement of civil servants in management bodies of commercial organizations, including advisory activities unless they are performed in public entities without remuneration. (Section 99 and 100 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Post-employment	Yes. Secondary activities likely to create conflict of interest must be declared upon leaving office for three years if the civil servant ends the public employment by reaching the normal retirement age, otherwise for five years. (Section 105 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing frequency
Filing required upon taking office	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Filing required upon leaving office	Yes. Secondary activities must be declared upon leaving office for three years if the civil servant ends their public employment by reaching the normal retirement age, otherwise for five years. (Section 105 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Filing required annually	Yes. A statement on all secondary income received (by all officials who have one) has to be filed after the end of each year. (Section 8 of the Federal Regulation on Secondary Activities (1964, last amended 2017))
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest	Yes. Declarations of secondary activities must be made immediately upon a change in situation. (Section 99 (4) and (5) of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019) )
Sanctions
Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	Yes. The non-performance of duties causes a disciplinary procedure. (Section 77 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	Yes. The non-performance of duties causes a disciplinary procedure. (Section 77 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019))
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Depository body explicitly identified	Yes. The depository body is the civil servant's employer. (Section 99 (5) of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009, last amended 2019) )
Enforcement body explicitly identified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Public access to declarations
Public availability	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Timing of information release specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Location(s) of access specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Cost of access specified	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)

Legislation

Federal Ministers Act of 1953_GER (German)	pdf
Members of the Bundestag Act of 1977_GER (German)	pdf
Rules of Procedure and Code of Conduct of the German Bundestag of 2020_GER (German)	pdf
Federal Regulation on Second Activities of 1964_GER (German)	pdf
Federal Civil Service Act of 2009_GER (German)	pdf

*Last update: 2017

Conflict of Interest

Most conflict of interests restrictions apply to the Head of State, who is not covered by financial disclosure law. The Basic Law (1949, last amended 2014) does not allow for the President to hold a managerial or advisory position, any salaried office or any outside profession. Regulations for other public officials differ depending on status. Members of Parliament are only subject to a general obligation to avoid conflicts of interests. The Act on Federal Ministers (1953, amended 2015) on the other hand bans Ministers from additional paid employment or membership in advisory bodies. All the while, the Civil Servants Law (2009, amended 2016) restricts Civil Servants from accepting gifts, taking up an additional position in government agencies or financed by government, and performing a legislative function.

The Constitutional Court is the enforcement body for the Head of State, who may face a trial resulting in administrative sanctions if Parliament authorizes it. The President functions as a monitoring and enforcement body or Ministers and MPs. In case of violations, both may face fines. Civil Servants may face trial before the disciplinary court, which can stipulate sanctions ranging from fines to the loss of public office.

Quantitative Data
Qualitative Data
Laws

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric	2012	2015	2016	2017	2020	Trend
Restrictions	50	25	25	25	50
Sanctions	17	50	42	50	17
Monitoring and Oversight	12	88	88	88	12
Alternative Metric	2012	2015	2016	2017	2020	Trend
Head of State	20	44	44	44	20
Ministers	23	48	48	48	23
Members of Parliament	34	56	44	56	34
Civil servants	28	69	69	69	28

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness

Qualitative Data

Head of State
Restrictions
General restriction on conflict of interest	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Accepting gifts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	Yes. General (Article 55 (2) of the Basic Law (1948))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	Yes. General (Article 55 (2) of the Basic Law (1948))
Holding government contracts	Yes. General (Article 55 (2) of the Basic Law (1948))
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	Yes. General (Article 55 (2) of the Basic Law (1948))
Post-employment	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	Yes. General (Article 55 (2) of the Basic Law (1948))
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	Yes. General (Article 55 (2) of the Basic Law (1948))
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions
Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ministers
Restrictions
General restriction on conflict of interest	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Accepting gifts	Yes. General (The Administrative Regulation on Contributions from the Private Sector (2003))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	Yes. Government members may not own a private firm during their term in office. There is Norelevant legal provision for Ministers regarding stock ownership. (Section 5 (1) of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953) )
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	Yes. Members of Government are restricted from engaging in state-owned enterprises as a private individual. According to Part B, 5.4 of the Principles of Good Corporate Governance for Indirect or Direct Holdings of the Federation (2009), public officials, (including Ministers according to Part B, 4 of the Principles), who serve on supervisory boards of corporations in which the Federation holds an equity share shall not concurrently observe the rights of a shareholder; they shall not take action in an administrative procedure if the corporation is involved in the proceedings; decision-making competence is transferred within the authority if necessary, or appointment to supervisory board ended. (Section 5 (1) of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953) Part B, 5.4 of the Principles of Good Corporate Governance for Indirect or Direct Holdings of the Federation (2009))
Holding government contracts	Yes. Prime Minister and other Members of Government may not partake in the process of awarding public contracts if it creates a conflict of interest. Rule 11 of the Directive on the Prevention of Corruption in the Federal Administration (2004) further clarifies this requirement. (Section 16 of the Regulation for the Awarding of Public Contracts (2003) Rule 11 of the Directive on the Prevention of Corruption in the Federal Administration (2004))
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	Yes. Members of Government may not be engaged as board members in commercial organizations. However, Parliament can allow for exceptions for Ministers to become board members. (Section 5 of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953))
Post-employment	No. General (Section 5 (1) of the Act on Federal Ministers (1953) )
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	Yes. The Prime Minister and other Members of Government may not hold other executive positions. (Sections 5 (1) and 18 Act on Federal Ministers (1953))
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	Yes. A representative of a public administration is not allowed to take part in an administrative procedure if a relative is involved. (Section 20, Paragraph 1, No. 2 of the Administrative Procedure Code (2003))
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions
Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Members of Parliament
Restrictions
General restriction on conflict of interest	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Accepting gifts	Yes. General (Rule 4 of Code of Conduct for Members, Bundestag Rules of Procedure Annex 1 (1980))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Holding government contracts	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Post-employment	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector	Yes. The reimbursement of expenditure in respect of employment contracts concluded with staff related by blood or marriage to the MP is prohibited. (Section 12, Paragraph 3, of the Act on Members of the Bundestag (1980))
Sanctions
Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	Yes. A violation of the Code causes an administrative procedure which can result in the imposition of a fine. (Rule 8 of Code of Conduct for Members, Bundestag Rules of Procedure Annex 1 (1980))
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings)	Yes. The enforcement body is the President of the Bundestag and the Presidium. (Rule 8 of Code of Conduct for Members, Bundestag Rules of Procedure Annex 1 (1980))
Civil servants
Restrictions
General restriction on conflict of interest	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Accepting gifts	Yes. It is prohibited for civil servants to accept or expect any gifts made in relation to their office. Only a higher administrative authority may allow the acceptance of gifts. (Sections 71 (1) & 71 (2) of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs)	No. In addition, Nopublic official shall be a member of a supervisory body of a corporation in which the Federation holds an Equity Share who has business or personal relations with the corporation or its management that engender a serious and not merely temporary conflict of interest. (Section 99 (1) 3 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009) Part B, 5.4 of the Principles of Good Corporate Governance for Indirect or Direct Holdings of the Federation (2009))
Holding government contracts	Yes. Civil servants may not partake in the process of awarding public contracts if it creates a conflict of interest. Rule 11 of the Directive on the Prevention of Corruption in the Federal Administration (2004) further clarifies this requirement. (Section 16 of the Regulation for the Awarding of Public Contracts (2003) Rule 11 of the Directive on the Prevention of Corruption in the Federal Administration (2004))
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm	Yes. Authorization is required for remunerated and for non-remunerate engagement of civil servants in management bodies of commercial organizations. (Section 99 (1) 3 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009) Part B, 5.4 of the Principles of Good Corporate Governance for Indirect or Direct Holdings of the Federation (2009))
Post-employment	Yes. Civil servants are restricted, after their public sector employment, from accepting employment that would create a conflict of interest for three years. (Section 105 of the Act on Federal Civil Servants (2009) )
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests	Yes. A representative of a public administration is not allowed to take part in an administrative procedure if a relative is involved. (Section 20, Paragraph 1, No. 2 of the Administrative Procedure Code (2003))
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Sanctions
Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	Yes. Civil servants are subject to fines for violations of conflict of interest restrictions. (Section 5 (1) 2 of the Federal Disciplinary Act (2001))
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings)	No. Absent from legal framework. (General)

Legislation

Constitution (Basic Law) of the Federal Republic of Germany of 1949 (German)	pdf
Members of the Bundestag Act of 1977 (German)	pdf
Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag and Rules of Procedure of the Mediation Committee (German)	pdf
Federal Ministers Act (BMinG) of 1953 (German)	pdf
Federal Civil Service Act (BBG) of 2009 (German)	pdf
Federal Secondary Employment Ordinance (BNV) of 1964 (German)	pdf
Federal Disciplinary Act of 2001 (BDG) (German)	pdf

*Last update: 2017

Freedom of Information

The federal legal freedom of information framework in Germany is established by the Freedom of Information Act (2005, amended 2013). The law applies to federal bodies and institutions insofar as they discharge administrative tasks under public law and therefore only applies to administrative documents.

Specific exemptions to disclosure are outlined in the aforementioned FOI law, Criminal Code, and the Federal Data Protection Act (2003, amended 2016). No public interest test exists whereby exemptions to disclosure may be overridden in cases where disclosure of information benefits the public interest.

Appeals are accepted in the first instance at public bodies covered under the FOI law, and may also be filed with the courts as a last resort. Appeals can also be made to the Federal Commissioner for Freedom of Information; this role is performed by the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and is subject to the processes set out in the Federal Data Protection Act.

There are no sanctions specified in the law for violations of FOI provisions. Other than the role played by the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection in receiving appeals, there is no other external agency designated to oversee implementation.

Quantitative Data
Qualitative Data
Laws

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric	2012	2015	2016	2017	2020
Scope and Coverage	71	82	82	82	82
Information access and release	54	54	54	54	54
Exceptions and Overrides	83	83	83	83	83
Sanctions for non-compliance	0	0	0	0	0
Monitoring and Oversight	0	0	0	0	0

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness

Qualitative Data

Scope and Coverage
Scope of disclosure
Existence of legal right to access	Yes. Everyone is entitled to official information from the authorities of the Federal Government in accordance with the provisions of this Act. (Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
"Information" or "Documents" is defined	Yes. Official information shall be defined as every record serving official purposes, irrespective of the mode of storage. This shall not include drafts and notes which are not intended to form part of a file; (Section 2 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Proactive disclosure is specified	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Coverage of public and private sectors
Executive branch	Yes. The law applies to Federal bodies and institutions insofar as they discharge administrative tasks under public law and therefore only applies to administrative documents. (Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Legislative branch	Yes. The law applies to Federal bodies and institutions insofar as they discharge administrative tasks under public law and therefore only applies to administrative documents. (Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Judicial branch	Yes. The law applies to Federal bodies and institutions insofar as they discharge administrative tasks under public law and therefore only applies to administrative documents. (Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Other public bodies	Yes. The law applies to Federal bodies and institutions insofar as they discharge administrative tasks under public law. (Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Private sector	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Access to specific documents (subject to reactive and/or proactive disclosure)
Draft legal instruments	Yes. As part of the administrative functions of government, draft legislation would be covered by the law for reactive disclosure, i.e., when requested through official mechanisms. There is no provision for draft laws originating from the Bundestag to be made publicly available. However, this practice may be employed on a de facto basis. Draft bills issued by federal ministries must be sent to the Länder, national associations of local authorities and representatives of the Länder to the Federation as early as possible, if their interests are affected. Decisions as to whether to put the bill on the Federal Government's intranet or on the Internet will be taken by the lead Federal Ministry in consultation with the Federal Chancellery and other Federal Ministries involved. (Sections 47 and 48 of the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries (2009, last amended 2020))
Enacted legal instruments	Yes. The publication of enacted legal instruments is an administrative task and therefore covered by this article. All enacted legal instruments (laws and statutory instruments) are promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette which is accessible online. (Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Article 82 (1) of the Basic Law (1949) )
Annual budgets	Yes. The federal annual budget is enacted in the form of a law and therefore promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette. This budget law includes an annual chart of accounts. Moreover, authorities are required to publish plans containing information on organizational matters and stored files. (Section 1 Federal Budget Code 1969 as amended 2020 Annual Finance Acts Articles 82(1) & 110 of the Basic Law (1949) Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Annual chart of accounts (actual expenditures)	Yes. The production and publication of the annual chart of accounts by the federal governenment is an administrative task. The federal annual budget is enacted in the form of a law and therefore promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette. This budget law includes an annual chart of accounts. Moreover, authorities are required to publish plans containing information on organizational matters and stored files. (Section 1 Federal Budget Code 1969 as amended 2020 Annual Finance Acts Articles 82(1) & 110 of the Basic Law (1949) Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Annual reports of public entities and programs	Yes. Authorities are required to make plans and directories of their collected information public. Citizens have the right to request annual reports of public entities and programs. (Sections 1, 2 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Information access and release
Procedural access
Universal access (agencies, citizens and non-citizens)	Yes. Section 1(1) gives "everyone" to right to obtain official information according to the provisions of the Act. This includes non-citizens and legal entities. (Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Type of request is specified (written, electronic, oral)	Yes. Information may be furnished verbally, in writing or in electronic form. The authority is not obliged to verify that the contents of the information are correct. (Section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Assistance to requesters must be provided by law (includes barriers due to language differences, illiteracy, complexity of requests, etc.)	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Cost of access is specified (free, request fees, photocopying costs, other administrative costs)	Yes. There is a fee schedule for FOIA requests issued by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Waivers of up to 50% are available. Fees and expenses shall be charged for official acts pursuant to the FOI Act. This shall not apply to the furnishing of basic items of information. With due regard to the administrative expenditure involved, the fees shall be calculated such as to ensure that access to information pursuant to be claimed effectively. (Regulation on the fees and expenses to the Freedom of Information Act [Information Fees Ordinance] (2006, last amended 2013) Section 10 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Deadlines for release of information
20-day response deadline	No. The information must be provided to the applicant "forthwith" within a maximum timeframe of one month. When third parties are involved, a different procedure has to be applied to allow the third party to provide comment within one month. This extends the response deadline to accommodate for the protection of the third party’s interests. (Sections 7(5) and 8 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013))
Agency granted right to extend response time	Yes. The response time can be extended in exceptional cases. Explicit criteria for allowing extended response times are not specified in the law. (Sections 7(5) and 8 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Section 14 of the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries (2009), as amended in 2020)
Maximum total response time of no more than 40 days	No. The response time can be extended in exceptional cases. Explicit criteria for allowing extended response times are not specified in the law. (Section 7 (5) and Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Section 6 §42(1), Code of Administrative Court Procedure (1960, amended 2019) )
Exceptions and Overrides
Exemptions to disclosure
Existence of secrecy/states secrets law	No. There is no specific law covering state secrets/secrecy. State secrets are defined in the Criminal Code. (Section 2, §93 of the Criminal Code (1998))
Existence of personal privacy/data law	Yes. The purpose of the Federal Data Protection Act is to protect the individual against his/her right to privacy being impaired through the handling of his/her personal data. (Federal Data Protection Act (2017, last amended 2019))
Specific exemptions to disclosure	Yes. Specific exemptions are defined and include information about: state, business and trade secrets; international relations; state security and its intelligence services; the military; judicial proceedings and fair trial rights; information that may endanger public safety; international negotiations or consultations; commercially sensitive information; and information that has been obtained in confidence. Personal data is also restricted in many cases. (Sections 3-6 of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Sections 4, 19, 34 of the Federal Data Protection Act (1990, last amended 2019) Sections 93-97, 203, 206 of the Criminal Code (1998, last amended 2020) )
Public Interest test: Specified exemptions to disclosure may be overridden in cases where disclosure of information benefits the public interest.
Appeals
Appeals allowed within public entities	Yes. Appeals can be made to administrative and judicial bodies. The decision whether or not to disclose information is an administrative act. Appeals can therefore be made by lodging an administrative appeal or by bringing an action to compel performance of the requested administrative act. (Section 9 (4) of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Sections 6 (§42-43) and Section 8 (§68-80b), Code of Administrative Court Procedure (1991, amended 2019) Part II, Section 1, §37 of the Administrative Procedure Act (2003, amended 2020) )
Independent, non-judicial appeals mechanism, e.g., information commissioner. Does not include Ombudsman unless appeals decisions are binding.	Yes. Appeals can be made to the Federal Commissioner for Freedom of Information; this role is performed by the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and is subject to the processes set out in the Federal Data Protection Act. (Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Chapter 4 of the Federal Data Protection (2017, last amended 2019))
Judicial appeals mechanism	Yes. The right and procedure for appeal through the court system exists. However, an administrative appeal is a necessary precondition before bringing an action to compel performance of the requested administrative act in court. The decision whether or not to disclose information is an administrative act. (Section 9 (4) of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Sections 6 (§42-43) and Section 8 (§68-80b), Code of Administrative Court Procedure (1991, amended 2019) Part II, Section 1, §37 of the Administrative Procedure Act (2003, amended 2020))
Sanctions for non-compliance
Administrative sanctions are specified for violations of disclosure requirements	No. The decision whether or not to disclose information is an administrative act. The applicant can file a legal claim to compel the public agency to issue an administrative act or an action for failure to act. The preliminary proceeding is generally required and the applicant can get a refund of the costs of bringing the case as well as the costs of any lawyer or representative, if they win. The administrative court can oblige the public agency to to provide the requested information. There is an official complaint mechanism with administrative consequences for the public authority. When a public authority is the subject of a complaint, the Federal Commissioner for Information may request a statement from the party refusing access. This party must respond to the complaint, outlining the steps taken to address the issues raised. (Section 9 (4) of the Freedom of Information Act (2005, last amended 2013) Part II, Section 1, §37 and Part VI, Section 79-80 of the Administrative Procedure Act (2003, amended 2020) Chapter 4 of the Federal Data Protection Act (1990, last amended 2019) Section 6 §42(1) and Section 10 §113(5), Code of Administrative Court Procedure (1991, amended 2019))
Fines are specified for violations of disclosure requirements	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Criminal sanctions are specified for violations of disclosure requirements	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Monitoring and Oversight
Information officers must be appointed in public agencies	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Public body that is responsible for applying sanctions	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Public body that is responsible for public outreach (raising public awareness)	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Nodal agency for RTI (implementation support/compliance within public sector). Does not include Ombudsman.	No. Other than the role played by the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection in receiving appeals, there is no other external agency designated for RTI.
Ombudsman involvement in implementation is specified by law	No. Absent from legal framework (General)
Reporting of data and/or implementation is required	No. Absent from legal framework

Legislation

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany of 1949_GER (German)	pdf
Freedom of Information Act (IFG) of 2005_GER (German)	pdf
Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) of 2017_GER (German)	pdf
Code of Administrative Court Procedure (VwGO) of 1991_GER (German)	pdf
Federal Budget Code (BHO) of 1969_GER (German)	pdf
Information Fees Ordinance (IFGGebV) of 2006_GER (German)	pdf
Criminal Code (StGB) of 1998_GER (German)	pdf
Administrative Procedure Act (VwVfG) of 2003_GER (German)	pdf
Joint Rules of Procedure (GGO)_ENG (English)	pdf

*Last update: 2017

Public Procurement

The German public procurement system is regulated by the Regulation on Public Procurement and separate laws contain specific regulation on works, supplies and services. The public procurement body is the Procurement Agency which is an organization under the Ministry of the Interior.

The lowest minimum thresholds for conducting a public procurement tender are:

▪ EUR 135,000 for goods

▪ EUR 522,500 for works

▪ EUR 137,000 for services

The minimum number of bidders is 3 for open procedures, restricted procedures and negotiated procedures and there is no minimum in case of framework agreements. The minimum submission period is 35 days for open procedures, 30 days restricted procedures and 30 days negotiated procedures from dispatch date. The final beneficial owners do not have to be disclosed when placing a bid.

There is no explicit preferential treatment, but contracting authorities can choose the most environmentally sustainable offer according to award criteria and take SME into consideration. There are a few cases for bid exclusion: in case of possible inability to carry out the project with satisfactory quality, in a responsive, responsible and timely manner, the provider can reject bidders. Bids can be also excluded because of abnormally low bid prices. In the case of having MEAT (‘most economically advantageous tender’ criteria), only the best 3 or fewer bids are considered.

In the bid evaluation phase, there is a separate conflict of interest regulation on the composition of the evaluation committee. However, no form of independence of the contracting authority is mandated for the evaluation committee.

There is a payable fee in case of an arbitration procedure of EUR 2,500-50,000, depending on the size of the contract. Court decisions are publicly released online.

Quantitative Data
Qualitative Data
Laws

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric	2015	2016	2017	2020
Scope	58	58	69	87
Information availability	19	19	7	32
Evaluation	69	62	69	75
Open competition	78	78	69	50
Institutional arrangements	21	21	21	29

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness

Qualitative Data

Scope
Threshold - lowest PP
What is the minimum contract value above which the public procurement law is applied? (Product type GOODS)	EUR 1000. Federal legislation (GWB and VgV) only applies to contracts whose values are equal to or above EU thresholds. Below EU thresholds, UVgO (goods and services), VOB (works), relevant laws of the federal states and local governments must be observed, based on the Budgetary Principles Act and the Federal Budget Law. Services up to an estimated order value of EUR 1,000 and works up to an estimated order value of EUR 3,000, excluding VAT, can be procured without having to carry out an award procedure, taking into account the budgetary principles of economy (direct award). (EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 1(2) and 14 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3a (4))
What is the minimum contract value above which the public procurement law is applied? (Product type WORKS)	EUR 3000. Federal legislation (GWB and VgV) only applies to contracts whose values are equal to or above EU thresholds. Below EU thresholds, UVgO (goods and services), VOB (works), relevant laws of the federal states and local governments must be observed, based on the Budgetary Principles Act and the Federal Budget Law. Services up to an estimated order value of EUR 1,000 and works up to an estimated order value of EUR 3,000, excluding VAT, can be procured without having to carry out an award procedure, taking into account the budgetary principles of economy (direct award). (EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 1(2) and 14 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3a (4))
What is the minimum contract value above which the public procurement law is applied? (Product type SERVICES)	EUR 1000. Federal legislation (GWB and VgV) only applies to contracts whose values are equal to or above EU thresholds. Below EU thresholds, UVgO (goods and services), VOB (works), relevant laws of the federal states and local governments must be observed, based on the Budgetary Principles Act and the Federal Budget Law. Services up to an estimated order value of EUR 1,000 and works up to an estimated order value of EUR 3,000, excluding VAT, can be procured without having to carry out an award procedure, taking into account the budgetary principles of economy (direct award). (EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 1(2) and 14 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3a (4))
Threshold - by PP type
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Entity: PUBLIC SECTOR)	EUR 139000. Federal legislation only applies to contracts whose values are equal to or above EU thresholds. Below EU thresholds, relevant laws of the federal states and local governments must be observed, based on the Budgetary Principles Act and the Federal Budget Law. Applicable EU thresholds for public contracts and design contests awarded by public contracting authorities are (as of 2020): EUR 5,350,000 for public works, EUR 139,000 for the supply of goods and services by central authorities and EUR 214,000 for the supply of goods and services by sub-central authorities. Thresholds applicable to central government authorities are extended to all supreme federal authorities, higher federal authorities and comparable federal institutions. In the utility (sector activity) and defence and security sectors, applicable thresholds are (as of 2020): EUR 428,000 for the supply of goods and services, and EUR 5,350,00 for works. For concessions, the applicable threshold is EUR 5,350,00. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 )
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Entity: UTILITIES)	EUR 428000. Federal legislation only applies to contracts whose values are equal to or above EU thresholds. Below EU thresholds, relevant laws of the federal states and local governments must be observed, based on the Budgetary Principles Act and the Federal Budget Law. Applicable EU thresholds for public contracts and design contests awarded by public contracting authorities are (as of 2020): EUR 5,350,000 for public works, EUR 139,000 for the supply of goods and services by central authorities and EUR 214,000 for the supply of goods and services by sub-central authorities. Thresholds applicable to central government authorities are extended to all supreme federal authorities, higher federal authorities and comparable federal institutions. In the utility (sector activity) and defence and security sectors, applicable thresholds are (as of 2020): EUR 428,000 for the supply of goods and services, and EUR 5,350,00 for works. For concessions, the applicable threshold is EUR 5,350,00. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 1)
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Entity: DEFENCE)	EUR 414000. Federal legislation only applies to contracts whose values are equal to or above EU thresholds. Below EU thresholds, relevant laws of the federal states and local governments must be observed, based on the Budgetary Principles Act and the Federal Budget Law. Applicable EU thresholds for public contracts and design contests awarded by public contracting authorities are (as of 2020): EUR 5,350,000 for public works, EUR 139,000 for the supply of goods and services by central authorities and EUR 214,000 for the supply of goods and services by sub-central authorities. Thresholds applicable to central government authorities are extended to all supreme federal authorities, higher federal authorities and comparable federal institutions. In the utility (sector activity) and defence and security sectors, applicable thresholds are (as of 2020): EUR 428,000 for the supply of goods and services, and EUR 5,350,00 for works. For concessions, the applicable threshold is EUR 5,350,00. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, §§ 104 and 106 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 1)
Threshold - by product type
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Product type GOODS)	EUR 1000. Federal legislation (GWB and VgV) only applies to contracts whose values are equal to or above EU thresholds. Below EU thresholds, UVgO (goods and services), VOB (works), relevant laws of the federal states and local governments must be observed, based on the Budgetary Principles Act and the Federal Budget Law. Services up to an estimated order value of EUR 1,000 and works up to an estimated order value of EUR 3,000, excluding VAT, can be procured without having to carry out an award procedure, taking into account the budgetary principles of economy (direct award). Applicable EU thresholds for public contracts and design contests awarded by public contracting authorities are (as of 2020): EUR 5,350,000 for public works, EUR 139,000 for the supply of goods and services by central authorities and EUR 214,000 for the supply of goods and services by sub-central authorities. Thresholds applicable to central government authorities are extended to all supreme federal authorities, higher federal authorities and comparable federal institutions. In the utility (sector activity) and defence and security sectors, applicable thresholds are (as of 2020): EUR 428,000 for the supply of goods and services, and EUR 5,350,00 for works. For concessions, the applicable threshold is EUR 5,350,00. (EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 1(2) and 14 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3a (4))
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Product type WORKS)	EUR 3000. (EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 1(2) and 14 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3a (4))
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Product type SERVICES)	EUR 1000. (EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 106 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 1(2) and 14 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3a (4))
Information availability
Publishing and record keeping
Is there a requirement that tender documents must published in full?	Yes. In the contract notice or the request for confirmation of interest, the contracting authority shall indicate an electronic address at which the tender documents can be accessed free of charge, without restriction, completely and directly. Requirements are in place for both above (regulated by the VgV) and below EU thresholds (regulated by UVgO and VOB). (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 41 (1) Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 28 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 41 (1) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 19 (2))
Are any of these documents published online at a central place?	Yes. Below EU thresholds, tender documents are published at: https://www.service.bund.de . Above EU thresholds, tender documents are published on TED (OJEU). (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 41 (1) Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 14 and 29 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 41 (1) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 19 (2))
Is it mandatory to keep all of these records? -Public notices of bidding opportunities, -Bidding documents and addenda, -Bid opening records, -Bid evaluation reports, -Formal appeals by bidders and outcomes, -Final signed contract documents and addenda and amendments, -Claims and dispute resolutions, -Final payments, -Disbursement data (as required by the country’s financial management system)	Yes. For contracts above EU thresholds, documentation, the award notice, as well as the offers, the requests to participate, the expressions of interest, the confirmations of interest and their attachments are to be kept until the end of the term of the contract or the framework agreement, but at least for three years from the date of the award. The same applies to copies of all concluded contracts that have at least the following order value: 1. EUR 1 million in case of delivery or service contracts; and 2. EUR 10 million in the case of construction contracts. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 8 (4) Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 6 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 20 (3) 2 Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 8 (3) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 43 )
Are contracts awarded within a framework agreement published (ie mini contracts)?	No. Above EU thresholds, the applicable laws specifically exclude single contracts within a framework agreement from the obligation to publish. Below EU thresholds, contracts awarded within a framework agreement are not mentioned in the UVgO (goods and services), but are also excluded from the general obligation to publish award notices. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 134 (3) Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 8 (3) and 39 (4) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 18 EU (3) 3 Below EU thresholds: Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 18 VS (3) 1. Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 38 (4) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 35 (2))
Sub-contracting
Is it mandatory to publish information on subcontractors (ie names) in some cases?	No. Above EU thresholds, the proportion of the contract or framework agreement that the successful tenderer intends to pass on to a third party and, if applicable, the names of the main contractor's subcontractors, if known at that time, should be included in the contract award notice. In the defence sector, the contractor shall publish its intention to subcontract in the form of a notice which contains at least the information listed in Annex V of Directive 2009/81/EC, as well as the selection criteria of § 40 (1) of the VSVgV. The notice is drawn up according to the template in accordance with Annex XVI of the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1986 and is published in accordance with § 18 (4) (5) of the VSVgV. An announcement of subcontracts is not required if, in the corresponding application of § 12, an announcement can be dispensed with because a negotiation procedure without a competition would be permitted. Below EU thresholds, the applicable legislation does not stipulate the requirement to publish information on subcontractors. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 8 (2) 5 Defence sector: Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 39)
If yes, what is the threshold for publication (i.e. the % of total contract value subcontracted)? For example, if the threshold is 75%, and you have subcontracted out only 40% of your contract, no disclosure is required. Consultant will insert 75% in the short answer column.	General. ( )
Evaluation
Preferential treatment
Is there a ban on mentioning specific companies or brands in tender specification/call for tender?	Yes. There is a ban unless justified by the type of contract or in exceptional circumstances if the subject matter of the contract cannot otherwise be described in a sufficiently precise and comprehensible manner. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 121 Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 31 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 23 (5) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 7 (2) Utilities and defence sector: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 28 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 15)
Is there a preferential treatment for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs)?	Yes. Medium-sized interests are primarily to be taken into account when awarding public contracts above and below EU thresholds, as well as in the defence sector. The applicable legislation on utilities (SektVO) is silent about preferential treatment for SMEs. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 97 (4) Below EU thresholds Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 2 (4) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 2 (2) Defence sector: Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 10 (1) )
Is there a preferential treatment for local/national companies? (companies from other EU MS are considered foreign companies)	No. The laws specifically state that all bidder and applicants should be treated the same. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, §§ 97 (2), 124 (1), 127 (1), 128 (3) and 152 (3) Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 56 (2) Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 2 (1) (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 2 (1) (2) )
Is there a specific set of rules for green/sustainable procurement?	Yes. Environmental considerations are taken into account during the awarding of a contract. Contractors may be expected to meet additional requirements involving environmental aspects if these have a direct relation to the subject matter of the contract. These include provisions on limiting emissions of gasses and other pollutants, keeping energy use to minimum, etc. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 97 (3) Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 31 (3), 46 (3) 7, 49, 58, 59 (2), 60 (2) 3 and 68 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 2 (3), 23 (2) and 43 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), §§ 7a and 16d Utilities and defence sector: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 28, 49, 52, 53 and 59 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, §§ 28 and 34)
Bid evaluation
Are there restrictions on allowable grounds for tenderer exclusion?	Yes. There is a closed list of grounds for exclusion. Mandatory grounds include if the tenderer in question has, inter alia: 1. been convicted of crimes related to formation of a criminal organization, terrorist financing, money laundry, corruption and bribery in business dealings, fraud, human trafficking, forced prostitution or labour; 2. not paid taxes or social security contributions. Optional grounds for exclusion include, inter alia: 1. bankrupcy; 2. ongoing liquidation proceedings; 3. the tenderer has demonstrably violated applicable environmental, social or labor law obligations in the execution of public contracts; or 4. grave professional misconduct. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, §§ 123 and 124 Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 31 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 6e EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 2 (3), 23 (2) and 43 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 6e VS Utilities and defence sector: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 47 (2) and 48 (2) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, §§ 23 and 24 )
Are some bids automatically excluded? e.g., lowest/highest price; unusually low price, etc.	No. If the price is abnormally low further information must be requested from the bidder. If the contracting authority cannot satisfactorily clarify the low amount of the offered price or the offered costs after examination, it may refuse to accept the offer. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 60 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 16d EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 44 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 16d (1) 1 Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 54 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 33)
Is scoring criteria published?	Yes. Scoring criteria can either be published in the tender announcement or it must be included in the tender documents. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 8 (2) 12, 52 and 58 (3) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 16d EU (2) Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 21 (1) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 16d Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 46 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 16 (1))
Are decisions always made by a committee?	Yes. For contracts both above and below EU thresholds, there is a general rule that at least two representatives of the contracting authority should participate in the award decision. Moreover, there must be at least 2 representatives of the contracting authority at the opening of the bids. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 55 (2) and 58 (5) Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 40 (2) and 43 (8) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 14 Defence sector: Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 30 (2))
Are there regulations on evaluation committee composition to prevent conflict of interest?	Yes. There are conflict of interest provisions which exclude certain people from making decisions on tenders. Those involved in the tendering processes cannot have a connection with a bidder or applicant, either professional or personal. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 124 (1) 5 Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 6 Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 4 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), §§ 6e VS and 6e EU Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 6 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 42 (1))
Is some part of evaluation committee mandatorily independent of contracting authority?	No. ( )
Are scoring results publicly available?	No. For contracts above EU thresholds, the VgV stipulates that the award notice is drawn up according to the model in accordance with Annex III of the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1986. The template (Annex III) does not require that information on scoring results be included. Similarly, award notices in the utilities sector follow the template set in Annex VI of the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1986, which does not require information on scoring results either. In the defence sector, the VSVgV specifies that the award notice must contain, inter alia, at least the: 1. names of the candidates or tenderers considered and the reasons for their selection; 2. names of the candidates or tenderers not considered and the reasons for their rejection; 3. name of the successful bidder and the reasons for the selection of his offer and, if known, the share of the order or the framework agreement that the successful tenderer intends or is obliged to pass on to third parties; and 4. reasons for not specifying the weighting of the award criteria. For contracts below the EU thresholds, there is no requirement to publish scoring results, either in the procurement of goods and services, or in the procurement of works. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 39 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 18 (3) EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 30 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 20 (3) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 38 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, §§ 35 and 43)
Does the law specify under which conditions the tender can be cancelled?	Yes. In general tender can be cancelled if: 1. no offer has been received that meets requirements set in the tender documents; 2. the basics of the award procedure have changed significantly; 3. no economic result was achieved; or 4. there are other serious reasons. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 113 6. Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 63 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 17 EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 48 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 17 Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 57 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 37 )
Open competition
CFT publication
Does the law specify the location for publicizing open calls for tenders?	Yes. OJEU, TED, www.bund.de, daily newspapers, national gazettes (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 37 and 40 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 28 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 35 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 18 )
Does the law specify the location for publicizing restricted calls for tenders?	Yes. OJEU, TED, www.bund.de, daily newspapers, national gazettes (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 37 and 40 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 28 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 35 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 18 )
Does the law specify the location for publicizing negotiated calls for tenders?	Yes. OJEU, TED, www.bund.de, daily newspapers, national gazettes (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 37 and 40 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 28 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 12 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 35 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 18 )
Minimum # of bidders
What is the minimum number of bidders for restricted procedures?	General. Below EU thresholds, the minimum number of bidders is 3. Above EU thresholds, the minimum number of bidders is 5 (Art. 51 (2) of the VgV). The only exception is seen in the utilities sector, as the SektVO does not specify a minimum. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 51 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3b EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 11 and 36 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3b (3) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 45 (3) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 21 (3))
What is the minimum number of bidders for negotiated procedures?	General. Minimum of 3 bidders for contracts below and above EU thresholds. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 51 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3b EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), §§ 12 and 36 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3b (3) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 45 (3) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 21 (3))
What is the minimum number of bidders for competitive dialogue procedures?	General. Minimum of 3 bidders for contracts below and above EU thresholds. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 51 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3b EU (4) Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 36 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3b VS (2) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 45 (3) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 21 (3))
Bidding period length
What are the minimum number of days for open procedures?	General. For contracts abover EU thresholds, the standard period of 35 days applies. For contracts below EU thresholds, the absolute minimum number of days for the receipt of offers in the procurement of works is 10 days. Goods and services' contracts, on the other hand, have no set minimum. The UVgO only stipulates that the contracting authority must set a reasonable deadline for the receipt of requests to participate (participation period) and offers (offer period). When determining the deadlines, the complexity of the service, the declarations and evidence to be provided (documents), the time for the preparation of the requests for participation and offers, the time for the evaluation of the requests for participation and offers, the selected means of communication and notices previously published on buyer profiles should be taken into account. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 15 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 10a EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 13 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 10 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 14 (2) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 20)
What are the minimum number of days for restricted procedures?	General. For contracts abover EU thresholds, the standard period of 30 days applies. For contracts below EU thresholds, the absolute minimum number of days for the receipt of offers in the procurement of works is 10 days. Goods and services' contracts, on the other hand, have no set minimum. The UVgO only stipulates that the contracting authority must set a reasonable deadline for the receipt of requests to participate (participation period) and offers (offer period). When determining the deadlines, the complexity of the service, the declarations and evidence to be provided (documents), the time for the preparation of the requests for participation and offers, the time for the evaluation of the requests for participation and offers, the selected means of communication and notices previously published on buyer profiles should be taken into account. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 16 (2) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 10b EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 13 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 10 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 15 (2) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 20 )
What are the minimum number of days for competitive negotiated procedures?	General. For contracts abover EU thresholds, the standard period of 30 days applies. For contracts below EU thresholds, the absolute minimum number of days for the receipt of offers in the procurement of works is 10 days. Goods and services' contracts, on the other hand, have no set minimum. The UVgO only stipulates that the contracting authority must set a reasonable deadline for the receipt of requests to participate (participation period) and offers (offer period). When determining the deadlines, the complexity of the service, the declarations and evidence to be provided (documents), the time for the preparation of the requests for participation and offers, the time for the evaluation of the requests for participation and offers, the selected means of communication and notices previously published on buyer profiles should be taken into account. (Above EU thresholds: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 17 (6) Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 10c EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 13 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 10 (1) Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 15 (2) Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 20)
Institutional arrangements
Institutions and regulations
Does the law specify the main EXCEPTIONS preventing the application of the public procurement law for tenders/organisations?	Yes. General exceptions: 1. exceptions for PPP; 2. tenders based on international regulation; 3. special exceptions for special goods or services (eg. special legal sevices, research, etc); and 4. special exceptions for defence and security (Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, §§ 107, 108, 109, 116, 117, 137 - 140, 145, 149 and 150 Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 1 (2))
Does the law specify the main types of institutions that must apply the public procurement law?	Yes. Public entities include all national, federal and local authorities (and their special funds) as well as other non-commercial institutions working in general interest and largely publicly funded, associations whose members are public entities, providers of utilities holders of a works concession contract. (Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 99)
Does the law specify the main procedure types or procurement methods permitted?	Yes. 1. Open procedure ("Offene Verfahren") (not for defence) 2. Restricted procedure with/without invitation to tender ("nicht offene Verfahren"/"beschränkte Ausschreibung") 3. Negotiated procedure with/without competition ("Verhandlungsverfahren mit/ohne Teilnahmewettbewerb") 4. Competitive dialogue ("wettbewerblicher Dialog") 5. Innovation partnership ("Inovationsparternschaft") They can be processed through electronic auction. (Above EU thresholds: Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 119 Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 14 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3 EU Below EU thresholds: Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (as of 2020), § 8 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 3 Utilities and defence sectors: Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016, as amended in 2020, § 13 Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security (VSVgV) of 2012, as amended in 2020, § 11)
Is there a procurement arbitration court dedicated to public procurement cases?	Yes. Above EU thresholds: Public Procurement Tribunal ("Vergabekammern des Bundes" for federal contracts and concessions and "Vergabekammern der Länder" for state-level contracts and concessions). Below EU thresholds the UVgO is silent about review mechanisms and the VOB stipulates that review bodies (and their respective addresses) which the candidate or tenderer can contact to review alleged violations of the award regulations must be specified in the contract notice and the tender documents. (Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, §§ 155, 156 and 159 Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 (as of 2020), § 21)
Is there a procurement regulatory body dedicated to public procurement?	No. Procurement falls under the auspices of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie) https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/EN/Dossier/public-procurement.html
Does the law specify procurement advisors' profession (i.e. degree to be obtained, official list of members of the professional association) and its role in the tendering process (e.g. right to draft tender documentations, conduct market research identifying bidders)?	No. In the modalities design competition and planning competitions for architectural and engineering services (above EU thresholds), some requirements apply concerning the qualification of members of the jury, but that is all. ( Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (VgV) of 2016, as amended in 2020, §§ 72 (1) and 79 (3))
Is disclosure of final, beneficial owners required for placing a bid?	No. ( )
Complaints
Is there a fee for arbitration procedure?	Yes. The applicable fee is of at least EUR 2,500. This amount may for reasons of equity be reduced to a minimum of one tenth of its amount. The fee should not exceed the amount of EUR 50,000, but may be increased up to an amount of EUR 100,000 in individual cases if the expense or the economic significance is unusually high. (Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 182)
Is there a ban on contract signature until arbitration court decision (first instance court)?	Yes. If the public procurement tribunal informs the contracting authority in writing about the request for a review, the latter may not award the contract before the public procurement tribunal has made a decision and the appeal period under Section 172 (1) has expired. (Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 169)
What is the maximum number of days until arbitration court decision from filing a complaint in the case of awarded contracts?	General. The public procurement tribunal shall make and justify its decision in writing within a period of five weeks from receipt of the application. In the event of particular factual or legal difficulties, the chairman can, in exceptional cases, extend the deadline by notifying the parties involved by the required period. This period should not last longer than two weeks. The chairman justifies this decision in writing. (Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013, as amended in 2020, § 167)
Is there a requirement to publicly release arbitration court decisions ?	No. There is no requirement in the GWB concerning public release of court decisions. However, some decisions can be found (anonymized) on the websites of the respective tribunals, either the "Vergabekammern des Bundes" or the "Vergabekammern der Länder". Eg.: https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Meldung/DE/AktuelleMeldungen/2020/07_09_2020_Ver%C3%B6ffentlichung_Entscheidung_Vergaberecht.html

Legislation

Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) of 2013 (German)	pdf
Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts (Vgv) of 2016 (German)	pdf
Ordinance on the Award of Public Contracts in the Field of Transport, Drinking Water Supply and Energy Supply (SektVO) of 2016 (German)	pdf
Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services (VOB) of 2019 - Part A - Sections 1 - 3 (VOB / A) (German)	pdf
Procurement Ordinance for Defence and Security Implementing Directive 2009/81/EC (German)	pdf
Sub-threshold Procurement Regulation (UVgO) of 2017 (German)	pdf

*Last update: 2017

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