Can an 80% completed project be used as experience? Turkish work-status certificates vs MDB substantial completion

“Can we use the project at 80%?” is an incomplete question. The correct answer depends first on the procurement regime and then on the wording of the live tender. In Turkey's construction-procurement framework, the continuing-work mechanism is the work-status certificate. The regulation links that instrument to specific conditions, including completion of the initial contract amount, at least 80% realization of the total contract amount, satisfactory execution and additional payment/accrual and dispute-related requirements. Reaching 80% physical progress alone does not automatically create an unrestricted qualification document.

The Turkish completion document is different. Work completion is tied to the completion/acceptance status set by the regulation; it should not be described as though it were simply the next percentage band after 80%. This distinction matters in tender files, because an evaluator may check the document type, issuing conditions and date. Internally, contractors should label an ongoing reference “work status” rather than “completed” even if the project is commercially near handover. That avoids overstating the legal status of the reference.

World Bank qualification documents can use 80% in a different way. An official standard prequalification document for works states that “substantial completion” is based on 80% or more of the works completed under the contract for the relevant experience criterion. The same section also allows experience obtained as prime contractor, JV member, management contractor or subcontractor, subject to the specified counting rules. In that context, 80% is a qualification definition inside the procurement document—not a Turkish work-status certificate and not a declaration that the overall contract is finally complete.

ADB documents demonstrate why bidders should not assume that every MDB will copy the World Bank's percentage literally. ADB qualification forms focus on award date, completion date, contract value, bidder participation and the key activities that demonstrate similarity. The employer designs the Section 3 criteria for the package. Depending on the document and project, evidence of completion may be tested through certificates and supporting records rather than a universal 80% formula. The live ADB bidding document must therefore be read before deciding whether an ongoing project qualifies.

Bid strategy should therefore use a three-column test: legal/document status, physical/financial progress, and tender qualification definition. Example: a project may be 84% physically complete, have no Turkish completion certificate, have a valid Turkish work-status document, and still qualify as substantially completed under a particular World Bank criterion. Another project may be 90% physically complete but fail the tender criterion because the required similar key activity has not yet been executed or the bidder's own share is below the minimum value. Percentage is only one variable.

For each ongoing reference, prepare an “experience readiness note” before using it: current certified value, current physical progress, initial and revised contract amount, key activities completed, outstanding critical scope, payment/accrual status, disputes over executed quantities, available employer certification, bidder participation and the exact qualification clause being relied on. This prevents the commercial team from promising a reference that the evidence team cannot later defend.

This article compares Turkish public-procurement work-experience rules with international tender qualification practice. The applicable tender document, procurement framework, current Turkish legislation, country law and issuing/receiving authority requirements always govern the specific case. It is not legal advice. Requirements can change by procurement package and date, so bidders should verify the live tender documents and current official rules before submission.