Provisional reception minutes in public procurement: template and specific clauses

1. The regulatory framework

The provisional reception minutes for a Belgian public procurement are governed by the Royal Decree of 14 January 2013 (general rules for the performance of public contracts) supplemented by the special tender specifications of the contract.

Their form derives directly from these two texts — any deviation can be challenged for procedural defect before the Council of State.

2. Standard structure of a G1 certificate

A G1 certificate contains: (1) identification of the contract (number, subject, amounts); (2) identity of the parties (contracting authority, supervising civil servant, contractor); (3) date of reception and description of the services received; (4) list of reservations with lifting deadlines; (5) mention of the security deposit and its partial release; (6) signatures.

To be distinguished from the G2 certificate (final reception) which closes the contract.

3. Phrasing reservations in line with the special specifications

Reservations must include the exact technical references from the special specifications (clauses, requirements, cited standards). A reservation that departs from the contractual framework can be rejected by the contractor and invalidated on appeal.

To frame a G1 minutes within the rules, our legal team also intervenes in public procurement and prepares the reception file in liaison with the supervising civil servant.