ISSN 3103-7305 • International English Edition
Public Procurement & Government Contracts
Diamond Open Access
Vol. 1, Issue 3 (2026) • Art. 6447 • pp. 1–9
Optional Subcontracting and Curative Assistance in the Public Contracts Code
Abstract
This paper examines the statutory regime of optional subcontracting and curative procedural assistance under the Italian Public Contracts Code (Legislative Decree no. 36/2023), with specific reference to Council of State judgment no. 6561/2026. The declaration in the European Single Procurement Document of an optional subcontracting share exceeding the tender thresholds triggers internal contractual invalidity rather than automatic disqualification from the tender, remaining fully rectifiable through administrative remedial proceedings under Article 101. The analysis also explores qualifying subcontracting and the binding evidentiary force of continuous social security clearance certificates (DURC).
Key Legal Takeaways
- Contractual nature of nullity: the sanction of nullity (voidness ab initio ) laid down in Article 119(1) of Legislative Decree no. 36/2023 applies exclusively to downstream private subcontracting agreements and does not entail the exclusion of a fully qualified tenderer from the procurement procedure.
- Admissibility of curative procedural assistance: an erroneous percentage declared in the ESPD for optional subcontracting does not affect essential elements of the tender and may be rectified under the procedural cure mechanism ( soccorso istruttorio ) pursuant to Article 101(1)(b).
- Distinction from qualifying subcontracting: unlike necessary (qualifying) subcontracting, optional subcontracting does not compensate for a lack of SOA qualification attestations and does not distort equal treatment among tenderers ( par condicio competitorum ).
- Evidentiary force of continuous DURC certificates: an uninterrupted sequence of regular social security clearance certificates binds the contracting authority and precludes statutory forfeiture or exclusion based on delayed contribution remittances.
Suggested Scholarly Citation & Original Reference
International / OSCOLA Citation: Giovanni Ercole Moscarini, ‘Optional Subcontracting and Curative Assistance in the Public Contracts Code’ (2026) 1(3) Metodo Giuridico (ISSN 3103-7305) Art 6447, 1–9 <https://www.metodogiuridico.it/2026/11/03/subappalto-facoltativo-dgue-soccorso-istruttorio-consiglio-stato-6561-2026/en/>
Original Italian Title: Subappalto facoltativo e soccorso istruttorio nel codice appalti — License: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
