Round table - Opqibi

Introduction
Michel FAUDOU
Chairman, OPQIBI
Good evening ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the Oceanographic Institute of Paris for this meeting on the future of suppliers
qualification in Europe. I believe it is best to start by clarifying the term “qualification” and reminding
ourselves of its literal meaning, since it will be used quite often this evening. The definition given in the
Larousse French dictionary is: “to attribute a quality or title to. To qualify is to satisfy a set of conditions
in order to participate in a sporting event”. I would add that “qualification” can therefore refer to the
award of a certificate and that the event we are actually concerned with is access to public or private
contracts. I was keen to provide you with this exact definition. From now on, when you hear me talking
about qualification or you hear our English and German friends using the term pre qualification, you will
know what we are referring to.
In France, the public invitation to tender process, which was introduced in 1949, involved the
implementation of an suppliers qualification system within the construction industry. The purpose of this
system was to help public contracting authorities select competent service providers that would be
capable of completing the projects in question. At the initiative of various professional branches, the
system was gradually extended to other economic sectors, to encompass all public and private
procurement. In the field of engineering, in particular, it replaced the system whereby approvals were
issued by public authorities.
Qualification is a voluntary procedure undertaken by enterprises seeking recognition of their
competence and professionalism. The French system is managed by qualification bodies which are bound
by protocol agreements with the government and whose operations were defined in December 2004
under the AFNOR NF X 50-091 standard. On the basis of this standard, each of these bodies can, from mid
2007, engage in an accreditation procedure managed by the French accreditation committee COFRAC.
This procedure should, moreover, facilitate Europe wide recognition of suppliers qualification.
So what exactly is the current status of qualification within EU countries The suppliers
qualification system as it exists and applies to the supplier selection process in France does not really
have a European equivalent. However, two recently implemented systems appear to come close, at least
in terms of their objectives. In Great Britain, a pre qualification system was established in 1998 for
suppliers (for example, engineering service providers and companies) operating in the construction
industry at the initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry. In Germany, in June 2005, the Federal
Ministry of Transport, Building and Planning introduced a pre qualification system, which is currently
restricted to construction contractors but which will soon be extended to engineering companies. In the
rest of the European Union, certain countries, such as Belgium, have established approval or recognition
systems. Others rely on professional organisations, as in Italy and Spain. Yet other countries do not have
systems in place at all.
The disparities between different national situations, combined with a certain kind of protectionism
and the somewhat unique features of the French system means that certificates issued by French
suppliers qualification bodies have almost no value outside France. Nevertheless, article 52 of the
European directive on public contracts which appeared in March 2004, stipulates that member states can
establish either official lists of approved economic operators or a system of certification by certain bodies.
> 6 Round table: « the Future of Suppliers Qualification in Europe » - OPQIBI, thursday 5 april 2007, Paris