The German Federal Employment Agency has issued a major procurement notice for comprehensive architectural and engineering services across its Western Region properties. This 23-month framework agreement represents one of the largest public infrastructure maintenance contracts in Germany’s social protection sector.
Executive Summary
The Bundesagentur für Arbeit, represented by BA Gebäude-, Bau- und Immobilienmanagement GmbH, seeks qualified architecture and engineering firms for building maintenance and small construction projects across its Western Region properties. The contract spans €83,679,514.34 over 23 months, divided into seven geographic lots. With a submission deadline of October 2, 2025, this tender targets firms experienced in public sector construction regulations and capable of managing projects from small maintenance interventions up to €6 million. The buyer explicitly permits awarding up to two firms per lot to maintain flexibility and accelerate project delivery. Architecture and engineering firms with proven track records in public building standards should prioritize this opportunity.
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Tender Overview
Basic Information
Document ID: 00553323-2025 Reference Number: 173687 Publication Date: August 25, 2025 Deadline: October 2, 2025 Status: Closed Source: TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)
Financial Summary
Total Estimated Value: €83,679,514.34 Contract Duration: 23 months EU Funding: No
The contract divides into seven lots with values ranging from €4,971,312.62 to €18,455,911.19. Each lot covers specific geographic territories within the Western Region of Germany.
Budget Breakdown
Lot 1: €18,201,013.42 Lot 2: €18,455,911.19 Lot 3: €4,971,312.62 Lot 4: €7,500,789.77 Lot 5: €11,997,286.87 Lot 6: €11,945,304.31 Lot 7: €10,607,896.16
The tender document indicates that approximately 60% of individual measures fall below €150,000, with cost group 300 (construction work) representing about 60% and cost group 400 (technical building equipment) representing about 40% of project scope.
Buyer Profile Analysis
Organization Overview
Official Name: BUNDESAGENTUR FÜR ARBEIT VERTRETEN DURCH BA GEBÄUDE BAU UND IMMOBILIENMANAGEMENT Contact: BA-Gebäude-, Bau- und Immobilienmanagement GmbH Address: Lina-Ammon-Strasse 9, 90471 Nürnberg, Germany Email: h.helmolt@bi-mangement.de Phone: +49 911-98872941 External URL: http://evergabe-online.de
Buyer Type: Body governed by public law Main Activity: Social protection Country: Germany
Organizational Background
The Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) operates as Germany’s primary public employment service organization. The agency manages employment offices and job centers across the country, requiring extensive real estate infrastructure. BA-Gebäude-, Bau- und Immobilienmanagement GmbH serves as the dedicated building and property management subsidiary, handling all construction, maintenance, and facility management operations for the agency’s nationwide property portfolio.
Procurement History
According to the tender documentation, the buyer has awarded similar contracts to multiple firms:
Previous Contract Winners:
- CARPUS PARTNER: 1 contract (value not disclosed)
- IPROPLAN PLANUNGSGESELLSCHAFT MBH: 1 contract (value not disclosed)
- SCHÄFER ENGINEERING: 1 contract valued at €5.5M
- TRIADE ARCHITEKTEN: 1 contract (value not disclosed)
The tender data shows 77 total contract awards worth €12M, with 6 similar contract awards totaling €5.5M. The buyer’s procurement platform indicates 3 similar open tenders worth €87M and 9 similar renewals valued at €185M, demonstrating consistent demand for architectural and engineering services.
Working Relationship Indicators
The tender explicitly states that contractors have no claim to exclusive assignment or guaranteed revenue volumes within their assigned lots. The buyer reserves the right to award up to two architecture or engineering firms per lot to increase flexibility and accelerate project implementation.
Project management and client representation occurs through BA-Gebäude-, Bau- und Immobilienmanagement GmbH. Local contacts for site access and building clearance issues come from RIM (Regional Infrastructure Management), an organizational unit of the Federal Employment Agency.
The procurement procedure follows a negotiated procedure with prior publication, allowing for competitive dialogue before final award. Evaluation criteria combine quality and price, though specific weightings are not disclosed in the available documentation.
Scope and Requirements Analysis
Service Categories
The tender covers services according to HOAI (German Fee Structure for Architects and Engineers):
Part 3, Section 1: Primarily phases 1-3 and 5-9 (planning and construction supervision) Part 4, Section 2: Technical building services (TGA)
Projects fall into two categories:
- Building maintenance (BUN)
- Small new construction, conversion, and expansion projects (KLB)
Contractors must also provide special services on request, including:
- Existing condition surveys
- Technical substance investigation
- Structural engineering
- Fire protection planning
- Building physics analysis
Technical Requirements
The tender specifies that individual measures typically fall below €150,000 (approximately 60% of projects). Small construction projects extend up to €6 million, while building maintenance projects exceed this threshold when necessary.
Cost distribution follows DIN 276 standards:
- Cost Group 300 (construction work): approximately 60%
- Cost Group 400 (technical building equipment): approximately 40%
The buyer cannot provide exact volumes because annual requirements are determined yearly, and unforeseen emergency repairs and disruptions add to the baseline workload.
Geographic Coverage
All seven lots cover properties within the Western Region of Germany. The tender document references accompanying lot maps (Loskarte) for precise geographic boundaries, though these maps are not included in the procurement notice itself.
Project locations consist primarily of properties owned by the Federal Employment Agency, though the tender acknowledges that some projects occur on leased or third-party properties when necessary.
Market Opportunity Assessment
Target Businesses
The buyer explicitly seeks architecture or engineering firms meeting these criteria:
Professional qualifications: Registered architects or engineers authorized to practice in Germany Regulatory knowledge: Familiarity with public building regulations and standards Project scale capacity: Ability to handle small projects (building maintenance) and larger projects up to €6 million Quality standards: Proven ability to meet agreed quality, cost, and schedule requirements Public sector experience: Understanding of public procurement processes and compliance requirements
The tender language emphasizes reliability in project execution and supervision capability across multiple concurrent small-scale interventions.
Competition Analysis
The procurement data reveals 14,000 other buyers with similar projects valued at €11 billion, indicating substantial market activity in public building services across Germany.
For this specific tender:
- 3 similar open tenders worth €87M
- 6 similar contract awards worth €5.5M
- 9 similar renewals worth €185M
The buyer’s decision to potentially award two firms per lot suggests anticipation of strong competition and desire for backup capacity. This approach reduces individual firm market share per lot but increases overall award probability for qualified bidders.
Barriers to Entry
Language requirements: All offers must be submitted in German Regulatory knowledge: Deep familiarity with HOAI fee structures and public building regulations Local presence: Practical need for firms to respond quickly to site issues and maintain regular contact with RIM staff Scale flexibility: Firms must handle numerous small interventions efficiently while maintaining capacity for occasional larger projects
Strategic Insights
Key Success Factors
Winning bids require demonstration of:
- Public sector construction expertise, particularly familiarity with Federal Employment Agency building standards
- Capacity to manage fragmented workloads with multiple small simultaneous projects
- Flexible staffing to handle unpredictable emergency repairs alongside planned maintenance
- Geographic proximity or established presence in the Western Region for rapid response
- Experience with HOAI phases 1-3 and 5-9, with technical building services capability
- Quality control systems for maintaining standards across numerous small interventions
The evaluation criteria combine quality and price, though the tender does not specify exact weightings. Given the emphasis on reliability, schedule adherence, and quality standards in the requirement description, bidders should expect quality factors to carry substantial weight.
Risk Assessment
Potential challenges include:
Unpredictable workload: The tender explicitly states that annual requirements vary and emergency repairs occur without warning. Firms must maintain capacity for surge demand while accepting variable utilization.
No revenue guarantees: The buyer offers no minimum workload commitments. Contract award provides opportunity but not guaranteed income.
Multiple small projects: Managing numerous interventions below €150,000 requires efficient project administration systems. Overhead costs for small projects can erode profitability without proper systems.
Shared lot awards: Up to two firms per lot means splitting available work and competing with another contractor who knows the buyer’s preferences equally well.
Framework contract structure: Services are called off as needed rather than assigned upfront, creating planning uncertainty for contractors.
Regulatory Considerations
Actionable Recommendations
For Potential Bidders
Firms interested in bidding should:
- Review lot geographic boundaries in the referenced Loskarte maps to identify optimal lots based on existing regional presence
- Assess internal capacity to handle 60% of workload in sub-€150,000 increments efficiently
- Prepare evidence of previous public sector building maintenance contracts, emphasizing reliability metrics
- Document familiarity with HOAI phases and Federal Employment Agency building standards if available
- Build partnerships with specialized fire protection, building physics, and structural engineering consultants if these capabilities are not in-house
- Calculate overhead costs for managing numerous small projects to ensure bid pricing maintains profitability
- Contact the buyer (h.helmolt@bi-mangement.de, +49 911-98872941) to clarify evaluation criteria weightings
- Prepare quality management documentation showing systems for maintaining standards across fragmented project portfolios
Note: This tender has closed as of October 2, 2025. Interested firms should monitor the buyer’s procurement platform (http://evergabe-online.de) for contract award announcements and future opportunities.
For Industry Observers
This tender reveals several significant trends:
German public infrastructure maintenance continues shifting toward framework contracts with multiple potential suppliers per lot. This approach prioritizes buyer flexibility over contractor exclusivity.
The scale distribution (60% of projects under €150,000) indicates preference for engaging established architectural firms for routine maintenance rather than managing small contractors directly. This creates opportunities for mid-sized firms with efficient project management systems.
The buyer’s explicit reservation of rights to award up to two firms per lot signals concerns about capacity constraints in the regional market. This procurement strategy may become more common as public building maintenance backlogs grow.
Related Opportunities
The tender documentation references a corrigendum published September 11, 2025 (Document 00592408-2025), indicating amendments to the original procurement notice. Interested parties should review both documents for complete requirements.
The buyer’s procurement profile shows 37 total contract renewals worth €308M, suggesting consistent long-term demand beyond this specific tender. Firms establishing relationships through smaller initial contracts position themselves for future opportunities.
Similar opportunities exist with 14,000 other buyers in comparable sectors, with total market value of €11 billion in Germany. The Federal Employment Agency’s approach to bundling maintenance into geographic framework contracts may provide a model for other public sector organizations.
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PS: This analysis is based on publicly available tender documentation and data provided by the contracting authority. While we strive to provide accurate information, users are responsible for verifying all details against official tender documents before making any procurement decisions.
