Artikel VIII

1. A procuring entity shall limit any conditions for participation in a procurement to those that are essential to ensure that a supplier has the legal and financial capacities and the commercial and technical abilities to undertake the relevant procurement.
2. In establishing the conditions for participation, a procuring entity:
a) shall not impose the condition that, in order for a supplier to participate in a procurement, the supplier has previously been awarded one or more contracts by a procuring entity of a given Party; and
b) may require relevant prior experience where essential to meet the requirements of the procurement.
3. In assessing whether a supplier satisfies the conditions for participation, a procuring entity:
a) shall evaluate the financial capacity and the commercial and technical abilities of a supplier on the basis of that supplier’s business activities both inside and outside the territory of the Party of the procuring entity; and
b) shall base its evaluation on the conditions that the procuring entity has specified in advance in notices or tender documentation.
4. Where there is supporting evidence, a Party, including its procuring entities, may exclude a supplier on grounds such as:
a) bankruptcy;
b) false declarations;
c) significant or persistent deficiencies in performance of any substantive requirement or obligation under a prior contract or contracts;
d) final judgments in respect of serious crimes or other serious offences;
e) professional misconduct or acts or omissions that adversely reflect on the commercial integrity of the supplier; or
f) failure to pay taxes.