1. Which tenders concern an H&S coordinator?
Direct answer: H&S coordination is required as soon as at least two firms work on the same site, on level 1, 2 or 3 assignments.
The H&S coordinator is appointed by the project owner on building and civil-engineering operations where several firms (or a contractor and subcontractors) work together. The assignment covers two phases: design (drafting the general coordination plan) and execution (site visits, joint inspections, updating the coordination log). Contracts fall into a few main families.
- Level 1, 2 or 3 coordination assignments depending on headcount and site volume: the level governs the competence required of the coordinator and the nature of the documents (coordination plan, intervention file).
- Public building sites: construction or renovation of schools, housing, care homes, public facilities, where H&S coordination is a distinct intellectual-service lot or contract.
- Public works and civil engineering: roads, networks, structures, where coordination covers specific risks (traffic, earthworks, concurrent activities).
- H&S coordination framework agreements: a project owner (landlord, authority, hospital) entrusts coordination of several operations over a period, triggered by call-off orders site by site.
Across the EU the logic is identical in all 27 member states: a public operator publishes above the European thresholds on TED, below them on its national platform. As H&S coordination stems from the European "temporary or mobile construction sites" directive, an established coordinator may bid for a cross-border contract subject to freedom of establishment and recognition of competence under the applicable national law.
Key takeaway
H&S coordination is an intellectual service: it is priced in man-days and site visits, not in supplies. The price schedule therefore breaks down time (design + execution), not a quantity of material — which is what sets these contracts apart from works contracts.