The Natural History Museum in Berlin with 11,000 showcases made in Poland

Poznań - entomological cabinets and display cabinets

Thanks to the winning tender, showcases produced in the Krakow studio will be delivered to the Natural History Museum in Berlin. The museum there has long been in the Polish company’s client portfolio, but the winning tender opened the door to the German market even further, giving the company the possibility of long-term cooperation. This is another success for the Polish producer, but the first in Germany.

So far, we have participated in tenders in England, Norway, Singapore and Portugal. Each country has slightly different procedures, requirements and business culture. So, PAIH’s offices have provided invaluable support in entering new markets. Their representatives suggested how to conduct talks and negotiations, what procedures can be used and what legal aspects we need to pay attention to. The cooperation with the Agency's office in Frankfurt turned out to be particularly helpful. Thanks to PAIH’s experts, it was possible to convince the recipient in Germany to the technical proposals of our workshop’s - said Magdalena Majkowska, a representative of Marek Majkowski’s carpentry company.

International reach

At the beginning of its operation, the Polish company’s clients were mainly domestic institutions. With the improvement of our products and access to better machines and materials, Marek Majkowski’s company began to offer its products outside the country. Ambitious plans translate into concrete actions. The company has been cooperating with museums in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America for many years. The company’s clients already include the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Museum of Natural History in London, Harvard University, Gorongosa Park in Mozambique, and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum of the University of Singapore. Thanks to the winning tender, the museum in Berlin has joined this group.

Gorongosa-herbaria Park, photo: Piotr Naskrecki

We are pleased with the success of the Polish company. Although our office has been dealing with the subject of public procurement in Germany for a long time, it was the first time that we assisted a company in the transition from A to Z -throughout the entire tender process. The difficulty of the tender procedure for Polish companies is usually exacerbated by the fact that it is conducted entirely in German, however, on the other hand, a deposit is not required and can be done electronically - explains Łukasz Chrabański, head of PAIH’s office in Frankfurt am Main.

The agency’s experts point out that documents are most often submitted via an external portal and are largely based on a company’s own declaration.

- It is worth posing questions to the contracting authority, and in case of inaccuracies, make an "appeal" in order to clarify the legitimacy of the requirements. In the tender, in which “ Pracownia Stolarska Marek Majkowski” participated, we negotiated, for example, the use of a different type of wood, which is better for making insect display cases for insect specimens - adds Anna Polańska, an expert in the PAIH’s Frankfurt office.

This is an opportunity for Polish companies

It is estimated that public tenders constitute 35 percent of public expenditure in Germany and amount to EUR 360 billion, although according to OECD the value of all public contracts may be worth up to EUR 500 billion. Every year, around 2.5 million orders are published in Germany. Their total value ranges from 10 to 15 percent of Germany’s annual GDP. These are opportunities within the reach of Polish companies, including SMEs.

- One should not be afraid of challenges. Procedures and tenders may appear difficult, complicated and impossible to get through, because of, for example that they are in German. But it is possible to fill in the documents, communicate with the ordering party and, if you are sure of the quality of your product- win the tender. Only not applying gives 100 percent guarantee of losing the tender - sums up Magdalena Majkowska.

Companies interested in public tenders in Germany are invited to contact the PAIH office in Frankfurt am Main via the contact form.

About the Polish Investment and Trade Agency

The Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) is an advisory institution operating in cooperation with the Polish Development Fund Group (PFR) under the leadership of the Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology. PAIH is the first point of contact for exporters and investors. It operates both in Poland and through a network of offices around the world. It works to strengthen the recognition of Polish brands on international markets, promotes domestic products and services as well as technological solutions made in Poland. The agency helps entrepreneurs choose their optimal expansion path abroad. It also supports the inflow of direct foreign investments to Poland and the implementation of Polish investments in the country. PAIH cooperates with the public sector and regional partners, offering, among other things: training, audit and promotion of investment properties, cooperation in the organization of business missions and communication support in the implementation of joint projects.