How to prove foreign project experience when there is no EKAP-style completion certificate

Many countries do not issue a document that looks like a Turkish EKAP work-completion certificate. That does not mean the project is impossible to prove. International qualification is often evidence-based rather than certificate-name-based. The bidder should begin with the live form in the bidding document and identify every fact it must prove: contract identity, employer, location, dates, value, completion, bidder role, participation amount and the specific activities or quantities that establish similarity. The evidence pack should then be built around those facts.

The first layer is contractual proof: signed contract, notice of award where useful, amendments, variation orders that materially changed price or scope, JV agreement where relevant and approved subcontract agreement if the bidder was a subcontractor. The second layer is execution proof: interim/final payment certificates, quantity records, approved drawings, commissioning or testing records and completion or taking-over certificates. The third layer is verification proof: employer letter, independent engineer certificate, client contact information or another official/third-party record that allows the evaluator to confirm the history.

The employer confirmation letter should be factual, not promotional. It should identify the employer and contractor, contract number/title, location, signed and final value where relevant, dates, completion status, bidder role, major scope, key quantities and whether the work was satisfactorily completed. If the bidder was a JV member or subcontractor, the letter should avoid implying that the bidder performed the entire project. A precise USD 42 million electrical-and-mechanical package is stronger evidence than a vague letter claiming participation in a USD 400 million hospital project.

For Turkish public-procurement use, foreign construction experience has an additional domestic compliance layer. EKAP provides a specific request process for registration of foreign construction work-experience evidence and lists items such as the experience document, contract, acceptance minutes and authority documents. That process matters when the bidder wants to use the experience within the Turkish KİK/EKAP regime. It should not be confused with the evidence required by a separate foreign MDB tender, where the receiving bidding document controls.

Translations should preserve evidence structure. Do not translate only the one-page certificate if the qualification relies on scope hidden in an annex or BOQ. Prepare a document index that shows original language, translated document, page range, what fact each document proves and whether certification/notarisation/legalisation is required. The evaluator should be able to move from the qualification form to the supporting page without reconstructing the bidder's history.

The best time to build this pack is at project closeout. Once a project team demobilises, staff change, client contacts disappear and original records scatter across countries and joint ventures. Contract closeout should therefore include a “future qualification file” containing clean contract copies, final scope/value summary, acceptance records, key quantities, client confirmation, contact permissions and certified translations of the core evidence where strategically useful. Reference preservation is part of business development, not an administrative afterthought.

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.