This guide is the checklist behind a bid in Liechtenstein: each document and step in the order a tender asks for it, and who is allowed to handle it. How public procurement in Liechtenstein works overall, from thresholds and procedures to evaluation and appeals, is covered in How to bid for public tenders in Liechtenstein.
Before you bid
1. Outside the EEA and GPA? Check reciprocity first. A bidder without treaty-based equal treatment is admitted only to the extent its home state admits Liechtenstein bidders. The buyer may ask for proof, in the tender documents or after submission, and sets a deadline for it. Settle the question before you put work into a bid.
- Who does it: a lawyer, in your home country or in Liechtenstein, prepares a reciprocity opinion. You supply the information on your home country’s law and practice, and sign what is submitted.
2. Get an advanced electronic signature ready. Requests to participate and offers sent electronically must carry an advanced electronic signature under Regulation (EU) 910/2014. Above the EEA thresholds electronic submission is mandatory; below them, delivery by hand, post or fax is allowed as well.
- Issued by: eIDAS trust service providers, such as eID.li or EU and Swiss providers.
- Valid: as long as the certificate.
- Who does it: your authorised signatory, with their own advanced or qualified certificate. Nobody else holds or uses it.
- From abroad: any eIDAS-compliant advanced signature should qualify. Check with the portal that it accepts yours.
With your bid
3. The ESPD. In Liechtenstein it is the Einheitliche Europäische Eigenerklärung, an updated self-declaration that no exclusion ground applies. Buyers must accept it instead of certificates as preliminary evidence, and it is typical of tenders above the EEA thresholds. It is free, done the same day and valid for the procedure; you can reuse it if you confirm it is still accurate. It is completed for you; you confirm it and sign it with the bid.
4. An offer in German. Notices and tender documents are in German, and the documents state the language of the offer. A foreign bidder will usually need German translations of its own documents, made by a translator.
5. Liechtenstein’s mandatory terms. Under ÖAWG Art. 17, the tender documents make Liechtenstein’s rules binding on the contract: environment, labour protection, working conditions (pay, rest and holidays), equal treatment of men and women, the treatment of third-country nationals, and taxes and social contributions. Your offer must have taken the labour rules of the place of performance into account. You commit to them in your offer and declarations, they bind you for the whole contract, foreign contractors included, and you show compliance when asked.
6. Suitability evidence, where the tender asks. Buyers check economic, financial, professional and technical capacity and can set minimum levels, but may ask only for evidence the contract justifies. An entry in your home country’s register can be required. An accountant prepares the financial figures, your references are compiled for you, and you provide the references and sign the declarations.
7. Sign and submit before 17:00. Submit through the vergaben.llv.li link in the notice, or as the notice directs, with the advanced electronic signature. The offer has to be in by 17:00 on the deadline day, so plan the upload well before then. If the notice sets no bid validity, the default period applies.
- Who does it: the offer is prepared for you and uploaded from an account you control or authorise. You sign it.
If you’re in line for award
The buyer now asks for proof that no exclusion ground applies. It must accept the documents below, or foreign equivalents, and it uses e-Certis to match certificates across countries.
| Evidence | Issued by | Who can get it for you | Valid for | What only you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial-register extract | Amt für Justiz (Handelsregister); your home register abroad | You request it | Recency set by the buyer | Request it |
| Criminal-record certificate | The criminal-record authority; your home authority abroad | Nobody: it is tied to the person or company concerned | Recency set by the buyer | Request it yourself |
| Tax payment certificate | Steuerverwaltung; your home tax authority abroad | Your accountant, where the authority accepts a mandate | Recency set by the buyer | Request it, or grant the mandate |
| Social-contribution certificate | AHV-IV-FAK; your home authority abroad | Your accountant, where the authority accepts a mandate | Recency set by the buyer | Request it, or grant the mandate |
Where no certificate is issued. If the competent country does not issue one of these documents, a sworn or formal declaration before an authority, a notary or a professional body takes its place. You make that declaration in person.
Before the first service on site
8. Cross-border service notification (EEA and Swiss providers). A provider lawfully established and authorised in the EEA or Switzerland may provide temporary services under the Gewerbegesetz, but must first notify the Amt für Volkswirtschaft (AVW) in writing, on the official form. Attach proof of lawful establishment, qualification and nationality.
- Time: the service may start once the notification is confirmed, and it is deemed confirmed after 7 working days. Where qualifications are checked (health and safety trades), allow up to 1–2 months.
- Valid: renewed every year.
- Who does it: the form and documents are prepared for you; you sign and file the notification.
- Third-country providers qualify only if their authorisation is equivalent and reciprocity exists (GewG Art. 23).
9. Contract securities, where the documents require them. The contract documents set any securities. A bank or insurer issues them; you contract the instrument.
Who does what
| Step | Who can do it | What only you do |
|---|---|---|
| Reciprocity check and opinion | A lawyer, at home or in Liechtenstein | Supply home-law information; sign submissions |
| Advanced electronic signature | Nobody but your signatory | Obtain the certificate and sign |
| ESPD | Completed for you | Confirm and sign |
| German offer and translations | A translator; the offer is prepared for you | — |
| Mandatory terms (ÖAWG Art. 17) | Applicable collective agreements flagged for you | Commit in the offer; comply and show it on request |
| Suitability evidence | An accountant prepares financial figures; references compiled for you | Provide references; sign declarations |
| Submission | Prepared and uploaded for you | Sign the offer |
| Register extract, criminal-record certificate | Nobody else | Request them |
| Tax and AHV-IV-FAK certificates | Your accountant, where the authority accepts a mandate | Request them or grant the mandate |
| Sworn or formal declaration | Nobody else | Make it in person |
| AVW service notification | Form and documents prepared for you | Sign and file |
| Contract securities | A bank or insurer | Contract the instrument |
The professionals involved
| Professional | Licensed or regulated by | What they do for a bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Rechtsanwalt (admitted in Liechtenstein) | Liechtensteinische Rechtsanwaltskammer | Advise on exclusion grounds, reciprocity proof and award decisions; request the formal award decision and appeal to the VBK or the Administrative Court (VGH), where interim measures may require a security of 5% (min. CHF 10,000) |
| Translator | — | German translations, since notices and tender documents are in German |
| Bank or insurer | FMA | Securities required by the contract documents, and the 5% (min. CHF 10,000) security that may be demanded for interim measures in an appeal |
| Tender consultant or bid writer | Unregulated | Track notices on TED, in the electronic Official Gazette and on vergaben.llv.li; prepare the ESPD, the German offer and the evidence pack |
If your company is from abroad
You don’t need a company or any registration in Liechtenstein to bid; outside EEA and GPA coverage you are admitted only as far as your home country admits Liechtenstein bidders, as set out in How to bid for public tenders in Liechtenstein. For the paperwork:
Your home register extract serves as the register entry. For the exclusion grounds, home-country equivalents of the criminal-record, tax and social certificates are accepted, or a sworn declaration where none is issued; e-Certis is the reference. Your own eIDAS-compliant advanced signature should qualify. Liechtenstein’s labour, environmental and tax terms apply to you as to any contractor working in the country. EEA and Swiss providers notify the AVW before the first service on site, while third-country providers can provide such services only with an equivalent authorisation and reciprocity. Without a treaty right, your appeal rights may also be limited.
Pitfalls
- Your signature stays yours. The advanced electronic signature is applied only by your own signatory; never hand over the certificate.
- The deadline is 17:00, not midnight. Plan the upload hours earlier.
- Check reciprocity before you invest. Firms outside the EEA and GPA can be refused if their home state doesn’t admit Liechtenstein bidders.
- Small contracts can’t be appealed. Below the EEA thresholds there is no appeal for contracts up to CHF 200,000.
- Notify before you start. EEA and Swiss providers working on site must notify the Amt für Volkswirtschaft before the first service.
Doing it with askTender
In Liechtenstein, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on the Liechtenstein procurement portal and works under their own login (we confirm this with the portal before your first bid). You keep your own login, and sign what only you can sign: the advanced electronic signature on the offer, the ESPD, any sworn declaration and the AVW notification. The askTender Desk prepares the ESPD, the offer and the evidence pack; askTender Partners, such as a Rechtsanwalt or a translator, do the steps their licence covers.
Questions
Which documents go in with a bid in Liechtenstein?
Your offer in the language the tender documents set, which in practice is German; the ESPD, which buyers must accept in place of certificates as preliminary evidence; any suitability evidence the tender asks for; reciprocity proof if you are outside EEA and GPA coverage and the buyer requests it; and an advanced electronic signature where you submit electronically.
What kind of electronic signature does a Liechtenstein bid need?
An advanced electronic signature under Regulation (EU) 910/2014 on every request to participate and every offer sent electronically. Your own authorised signatory applies it. Any eIDAS-compliant advanced signature should qualify, but check with the portal before the deadline.
What does the winning bidder have to prove?
That no exclusion ground applies: a commercial-register extract or criminal-record certificate, or a foreign equivalent, and a certificate from the competent authority showing that taxes and social contributions are paid. Where a country issues no such document, a sworn or formal declaration before an authority, a notary or a professional body takes its place.
Do EEA and Swiss companies need a permit to work on a Liechtenstein contract?
They need no permit for temporary services, but they notify the Amt für Volkswirtschaft in writing on the official form before the first service, with proof of lawful establishment, qualification and nationality. Work can start once it is confirmed, and it counts as confirmed after 7 working days. The notification is renewed yearly.
When does a non-European company have to prove reciprocity?
When it bids without treaty-based equal treatment, that is from outside the EEA and GPA coverage, and the buyer asks. The proof shows that your home state admits Liechtenstein bidders, and the buyer can request it in the tender documents or after submission, with a deadline. A lawyer at home or in Liechtenstein usually prepares the opinion.
Sources
- Public Procurement Act, ÖAWG (gesetze.li)
- Public Procurement Ordinance, ÖAWV (gesetze.li)
- Gewerbegesetz: cross-border services by EEA and Swiss providers (gesetze.li)
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.