This reference is indicative. The contract documents and the legislation in force prevail.
Which document proves what
A reference for the documents most often demanded when a delivery is accepted on a public contract. It exists because most acceptance delays are not caused by the material but by a missing sheet of paper.
The acceptance committee does not check whether the material is good. It checks whether the document proves that the material meets what the contract says. Those are two different things, and the second is what holds up certification.
Declaration of Performance (DoP)
Issued by the manufacturer of a construction product, declaring specific numerical values for the essential characteristics: strength, thermal conductivity lambda, reaction to fire, water absorption and others depending on the product.
- Legal basis
- Regulation (EU) 305/2011 on construction products
- Who issues it
- The manufacturer or authorised representative — never the trader
- When it is required
- For every product covered by a harmonised standard — including cables, which many people do not realise
- What makes it valid
- A unique identification code, the harmonised standard named, the notified body where required, and declared values rather than "NPD" against the essential characteristics
- Common mistake
- A DoP is accepted that declares "NPD" (no performance determined) precisely against the characteristic the design requires. The document formally exists but proves nothing.
CE marking
A mark on the product or packaging by which the manufacturer declares conformity with the applicable European legislation. It is not a quality certificate and is not issued by a body — it is a manufacturer declaration.
- Legal basis
- The applicable directives and regulations for the product group
- Who applies it
- The manufacturer, on their own responsibility
- Accompanied by
- An EU declaration of conformity — a separate document listing the standards applied
- When a notified body is involved
- At higher risk categories — for example PPE of categories II and III, medical devices of class IIa and above
- Common mistake
- The CE mark is taken as sufficient. Without the accompanying declaration of conformity it is just a symbol on a label.
EN 10204 type 3.1 inspection certificate
A document for metal products issued by the manufacturer's quality control department, independent of production. It carries the test results for the specific heat or batch being delivered to you.
- Legal basis
- BDS EN 10204 — types of inspection documents for metallic products
- Difference from type 2.2
- Type 2.2 contains general data from non-specific inspection. Type 3.1 relates to your batch and carries the actual measured values
- Difference from type 3.2
- With 3.2 the document is countersigned by an independent inspector or the purchaser's representative
- When it is required
- Almost always for reinforcing steel and structural sections
- What makes it valid
- A heat or batch number traceable to the marking on the delivered goods
Test report
The result of a specific test carried out by a laboratory. It carries weight only where the laboratory is accredited for the method in question.
- Who issues it
- An accredited testing laboratory
- Contains
- Test method, date, sample identification, measured values
- When it is required
- Where the contract documents require a specific characteristic to be evidenced, or where acceptance raises a doubt
- Common mistake
- A report from a different batch or from years earlier is submitted. The date and the sample identification are the first things checked.
Potable water contact approval
A document evidencing that the material may be in contact with water intended for human consumption without contaminating it.
- When it is required
- For all materials on potable water mains — pipes, fittings, valves, gaskets
- Who issues it
- The competent health control authority or an equivalent body in the country of manufacture
- Common mistake
- A certificate is accepted for the pipe but not for the gaskets and fittings on the same run.
Reaction to fire class
A classification under BDS EN 13501-1 describing how a product contributes to the development of a fire. Expressed as A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F — and for cables with a "ca" suffix.
- Legal basis
- BDS EN 13501-1, and for cables BDS EN 50575
- Where it is declared
- In the product DoP, not in a separate document
- Additional indices
- s — smoke production, d — flaming droplets, a — acidity for cables
- Common mistake
- The design requires B-s1,d0 and a product of class B without the sub-classes is delivered. Formally a different product.
Instructions for use in Bulgarian
Not a formality. For machinery, PPE and medical devices, instructions in Bulgarian are an explicit requirement of European legislation.
- Legal basis
- Directive 2006/42/EC on machinery, Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on PPE, Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices
- When it is required
- For every item in those groups, regardless of value
- Common mistake
- Instructions are supplied in English. On inspection that is a non-conformity which stops acceptance.
Interim works certificate (Act 19)
The Bulgarian statutory certificate recording construction works actually carried out. It is not a material document but the document that makes the delivery payable.
- Legal basis
- Ordinance No 3 of 2003 on the drawing up of acts and protocols during construction
- Link to the delivery
- The lines in the certificate are reconciled against the quantities and the documents of the materials installed
- Practical meaning
- A missing material document blocks signature of the certificate and therefore payment — which is why the paperwork is cash flow, not bureaucracy.
The legal information on this page was verified on 11 September 2026 against the text of the provisions cited.
Bulgarian procurement legislation changes often, and the value thresholds were redenominated into euro on 1 January 2026. Before acting, check the current text of the law and — always — the documents of the specific contract, which prevail over any general explanation.
This is not legal advice. For a binding interpretation, consult a lawyer.
We hand these documents over with the delivery, organised by BoQ line. Where a document is missing and cannot be obtained, we declare it missing before ordering — not once the goods are on site.