In short
- Portal
- www.e-licitatie.ro
- Signature type
- Qualified (QES)
- How it works
- Class A: you sign PDFs and upload them. Sign in the browser at app.simplifi.ro, no token. Works on the free plan.
- Simplifi plan required
- Free · details
Who needs it
The bidder's legal representative or proxy, for every economic operator in the consortium/subcontracting that submits documents. The SEAP access certificate (.pfx file received at registration) is for authentication only and is not a qualified signature.
What exactly is signed
All documents uploaded in the bid: ESPD, declarations, technical and financial proposal, bid bond (if issued electronically), clarifications and, later, the contract. As PDF or as archives accompanied by .p7s, per the data sheet.
Legal basis
- GD 395/2016 (norms to Law 98/2016), art. 60(4)
- Law 98/2016 on public procurement
- Each procedure's tender data sheet (bid presentation section)
Steps with Simplifi
- 01
Read the tender data sheet
Look for the exact wording: "documents signed with an extended/qualified electronic signature" means signed PDF; ".p7s file" or "detached signature" means detached CAdES. If unclear, request a clarification before the deadline.
- 02
Get the qualified certificate (free)
Create an account at app.simplifi.ro, complete video identification and enable 2FA. The qualified certificate is issued on the spot, no token, no subscription. If you sign for a company, the certificate is yours as a natural person (legal representative or proxy); that is what the portals require.
- 03
Signed PDF: sign in the browser
Upload the bid PDFs to app.simplifi.ro (you can sign several in one flow), confirm with 2FA and download them signed. Upload them to SICAP exactly as they are.
- 04
If .p7s is required
A detached .p7s signature cannot be produced in the browser. See the dedicated guide for .p7s with Simplifi Sign and the EU DSS application.
Common errors
- "Signature not valid" or "unsigned document" after upload
- You uploaded a modified version (re-saved, printed and scanned, or compressed). Start again from the signed PDF downloaded from Simplifi, with no further processing.
- The portal wants the legal representative's signature but the certificate is in another name
- A qualified certificate is personal. The person the portal requires (legal representative or proxy with a power of attorney) opens their own Simplifi account and signs.
- I signed with the SEAP access certificate and the bid was rejected
- The .pfx file received at SEAP registration is for authentication only. Bids are signed with a qualified certificate issued by a QTSP, such as Simplifi's.
- The data sheet requires .p7s and I uploaded a signed PDF
- Follow the required format. For .p7s follow the dedicated guide; if you cannot manage in time, ask the contracting authority for a clarification.
Frequently asked questions
- Does SICAP accept a cloud electronic signature?
- Yes, for signed PDFs. SICAP and the contracting authority validate the qualified signature on the document, not the device. Verified by Simplifi for both signed PDF and .p7s (see the dedicated guide).
- Must each document be signed, or just the archive?
- As the data sheet requires. Safest: each PDF signed individually. If an archive is accepted, it must be accompanied by its signature (.p7s).
- My certificate is personal; is that fine for the company?
- Yes. A qualified signature always belongs to a person; the capacity of representative follows from the qualification documents (registry extract, power of attorney).