SOA qualification and MePA, step by step.

The two systems at a glance

Part 1: SOA certification

What it covers

The SOA system is set by Annex II.12 of the Public Contracts Code (Legislative Decree 36/2023), amended by the 2024 corrective decree (Legislative Decree 209/2024, in force 31 December 2024).

• Categories: general works (OG, such as OG1 buildings) and specialist works (OS). Each certificate lists the categories it covers.
• Classes: each category has a value class.

• The one-fifth margin: a certificate lets you bid up to your class plus one-fifth.
• Very large works: for tenders over €20,658,000, you need class VIII plus works turnover of at least 2.5 times the tender’s base amount over the previous five years.
• Holding the right SOA is enough. For works of €150,000 or more, the right category and class prove your capacity; the buyer doesn’t reassess it.

The requirements

• General: you mustn’t fall under any exclusion ground in the Code.
• Quality system: an ISO 9000-series certification, except for classes I and II.
• Economic and financial:
  • bank references;
  • works turnover of at least 100% of the classes you’re asking for;
  • positive net equity in your last balance sheet.
• Technical and organisational:
  • works carried out in the category worth at least 90% of the class;
  • one single work worth 40% of the class, or two worth 55%, or three worth 65%;
  • staff costs of at least 15% of works turnover (with an alternative 10% route);
  • equipment spending of at least 2% of works turnover.
• Track record period: the 15 years before you sign the contract with the SOA body (it used to be 10).
• Technical director (direttore tecnico):
  • class IV and above: an engineering or architecture degree, or a building surveyor’s diploma;
  • below class IV: an equivalent technical diploma, or at least five years as a site manager.
• Works done abroad can count. They’re certified through the Italian consulate, with an Italian translation.

How to get it, step by step

1. Choose an SOA body. SOAs are private Italian joint-stock companies authorised by ANAC. Use ANAC’s live register at elencosoa.anticorruzione.it to check a body’s authorisation; the number changes over time.
2. Sign a contract with it. The fee is set by a regulated formula based on the total amount and number of categories you request. Discounts apply: 50% for stable consortia and 20% for classes I and II. The 2026 tariff coefficient is 1.55, and payment can be deferred by up to six months by SEPA direct debit.
3. Provide the documents proving the general, financial and technical requirements.
4. Get the certificate. The SOA must issue it within 90 days of the contract. It can suspend the process once, for up to 90 more days, so allow up to about six months.
5. The SOA sends it to ANAC within 15 days, and it appears in ANAC’s records, where buyers check it.

Keeping it valid

• The certificate lasts five years, with a mandatory check at year three.
• Request the three-year check at least 90 days before the deadline. It takes 45 days, plus up to 45 more if suspended. If it finishes late, you can’t bid until it’s approved.
• To renew, sign a new contract at least 90 days before expiry.

Foreign companies and SOA

• EU and agreement-country firms don’t need an SOA. Firms established in an EU state or a country covered by Italy’s international agreements (the WTO GPA and EU trade agreements) qualify tender by tender, with home-country documents equivalent to the SOA requirements and a certified Italian translation.
• There’s no explicit route for a firm based abroad to get its own SOA. In practice, contractors who want a certificate set up an Italian company or registered branch; confirm the approach with an SOA body before committing.
• Consortia and borrowed capacity. You can bid with a partner or rely on another firm’s qualifications (avvalimento), within limits. ANAC’s new SOA manual (Resolution 413 of 22 October 2025) sets the current rules, including for business networks and transfers of a business. See consortium and joint venture bidding rules.

Part 2: MePA, step by step

MePA (Mercato Elettronico della Pubblica Amministrazione) is Consip’s marketplace for purchases below the EU thresholds. Buyers use it for goods, services and maintenance works, including direct awards (under €140,000 for supplies and services, under €150,000 for works).

Step 1: Register on Acquisti in Rete

• Italian users log in with SPID, CIE or CNS.
• EU users log in with eIDAS where their country supports it.
• Non-EU users, EU users without eIDAS, and Italians abroad use “Sign up”:
  • a passport plus an alternative ID number (ideally the one in your qualified signature certificate);
  • a short video interview, in Italian or English;
  • Microsoft Authenticator for two-factor login.
• Help for foreign firms: impresaestera@consip.it.

Step 2: Apply for enablement (abilitazione)

1. In “Vendi”, choose MePA (or SDAPA; the procedure is the same).
2. Pick the calls (bandi) and categories you want to sell in. The works call uses SOA categories and value bands.
3. Only the legal representative can submit. They can add colleagues later.
4. You need:
   • a qualified electronic signature from a provider on the EU trusted list. This applies to non-EU firms too: signatures from other certifiers are rejected, and the ID number in the signature must match your registered ID;
   • a certified email address (PEC).
5. No Italian VAT number? Answer “No” and enter your home identifier instead.
6. Complete the declarations:
   • no exclusion grounds;
   • tax and social security compliance in your home country and in Italy;
   • turnover data for each category: global turnover and turnover from similar contracts over the last three years.
7. Sign the application (CAdES or PAdES) and submit. Consip approves it, rejects it, or sends it back for corrections.

Declarations no longer expire, but you must keep them up to date. This replaced the old six-monthly renewal.

Step 3: Upload your catalogue

• Use “Gestione Catalogo” in your dashboard. Each item is approved, then published; bulk templates are available.
• Your catalogue is a binding offer to the public. Keep prices and availability current. Stale or non-compliant items are deleted, and breaches can lead to suspension.

Step 4: How buyers buy from you

Buyers rotate invitations, so you won’t be invited to everything. Keeping your categories and catalogue accurate improves your chances.

Part 3: Consip’s other routes

For Convenzioni and framework agreements, registering on Acquisti in Rete is enough to bid; you don’t need MePA enablement. Winners pay Consip a fee on sales made through these contracts.

Common mistakes

• Letting the SOA three-year check slip. If it isn’t approved on time, you can’t bid until it is.
• Bidding just outside your class. Check the class plus one-fifth against the tender’s base amount.
• Using a non-qualified signature on MePA, or one whose ID number doesn’t match your registration.
• Stale catalogue prices. They’re binding offers.
• Waiting for a tender to start MePA enablement. Direct awards and invitations only go to enabled suppliers.

What changed in 2025–2026

• ANAC’s new SOA manual (Resolution 413, 22 October 2025) replaced the 2014 manual and aligned it with the 2023 Code and the 2024 corrective decree.
• The 2024 corrective decree (in force 31 December 2024) added sworn expert reports for mergers and business transfers, a structural-capacity check at the three-year review, clarifications for consortia, and SEPA payment deferral.
• The 2026 SOA tariff coefficient is 1.55.
• Consip’s foreign-supplier sign-up now uses a video interview and two-factor authentication.

For the wider process, see how to bid for public contracts in Italy and the Italian procurement glossary.

Live Italian tenders

Questions

Sources

• Legislative Decree 36/2023, the Public Contracts Code, with its annexes (Normattiva)
• ANAC: services for SOA certification bodies
• ANAC: register of authorised SOA bodies
• Consip Acquisti in Rete: foreign supplier registration
• Consip Acquisti in Rete: enablement for the electronic markets
• Consip Acquisti in Rete: purchasing tools

This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.