German Financial Cooperation with the “Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Kosovo”
Kosovo Challenge Fund Project
Procurement of “Procurement of Restaurant kitchen equipment and appliances”
Europe (non-EU), Republic of Kosovo
Publication reference: KCF/KOS/200011/G/2025/001
The answers to requests for clarifications received by the potential bidders to the following e-mail address: procurement@rcf-wb6.org
Absence of a CE / ISO Certification Requirement for Electrical, Refrigeration and Cooking Equipment
Upon review of Annex 1 – Technical Specifications, we have noted that the electrical, refrigeration and cooking equipment items are not required to hold CE (Conformité Européenne) marking/certification, nor any compatible ISO certification relevant to this sector. This applies, among others, to Items 3, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 29, 36, 37, 50, 56, 60, 63, 67, 72, 75 and 76. We believe these items should be required to hold appropriate certification; otherwise, there is a risk that uncertified equipment could be offered, potentially causing safety concerns for the end-users, staff and the facility. Our question: Can the Contracting Authority confirm whether CE marking and/or compatible ISO certification will be required for the items listed above, and if so, will Annex 1 be amended/supplemented accordingly so that this requirement is explicitly stated for each relevant item
In reference to Q1 above, no additional certifications will be required and annex 1. Technical Specifications remain the same.Manufacturer's Authorization / Aftersales Declaration / Spare Parts Requirements for Low Value Items
For a number of items with low unit cost that are widely available on the market (Items 12, 13, 49, 56, 62 and 78 – each costing only a few dozen euros), the dossier requires a Manufacturer's Authorization, Manufacturer's Aftersales Declaration and Spare Parts declaration. These items are required in very small quantities (1–2 pieces) and, in any case, must be imported from abroad. In practice, it is extremely difficult to obtain an individual authorization or declaration from the manufacturer for such minimal quantities. This requirement provides no real benefit in terms of quality or safety, while creating an unnecessary barrier to competition.
Our question: Can the requirement for a Manufacturer's Authorization, Manufacturer's Aftersales Declaration and Spare Parts declaration be waived or relaxed for the items listed above, given their low value, minimal quantity and wide market availability
Please refer to Corrigendum no.1.
Item No. 29 – Conventional Electric Gastronomy Oven with Humidity and Digital Adjustment (12×GN1/1) – Overly Restrictive Specification
The required capacity of 12×GN1/1 for Item No. 29 is highly specific. Based on our market research, none of the leading European manufacturers (including Turkey) offer this capacity as a standard model — standard capacities available on the market are typically 5, 7, 10 or 20 GN1/1 trays. The only manufacturer we identified offering exactly this capacity is VENIX (Italy), however the dimensions of that model are larger than those specified in the requirement. Furthermore, in Kosovo there is reportedly only one authorized distributor for this brand, meaning that in practice only that distributor would be able to offer this equipment in compliance with the current specification. This situation restricts competition and unjustifiably favors a single bidder.
We request that you review and revise the technical specification for Item No. 29 to allow standard market capacities (e.g., 10 or 20 GN1/1), so as to enable fair competition among different bidders and manufacturers.
Please refer to Corrigendum no.1.
Annex1.
