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Portrait ofThomas Hamerl

Thomas Hamerl

Partner

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz
Rechtsanwälte GmbH
Gauermanngasse 2
1010 Vienna
Austria
Languages English, German
Infrastructure & Projects

Thomas Hamerl is an attorney-at-law and specialist in infrastructure projects, including public-private partnerships (PPP) and concessions, and a leading expert in energy law, public procurement law, and construction and infrastructure-related dispute resolution (including litigation and arbitration). He leads CMS’s Energy & Climate Change Sector Group.
Hamerl has over 25 years of professional experience. Before joining CMS in 2009, he headed STRABAG’s Vienna legal department and its PPP task force. Prior to that, he worked for several renowned Viennese law firms in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe as well as for the European Commission in Brussels.
Hamerl has advised on infrastructure projects on telecommunication networks, social infrastructure (schools, hospitals, sports facilities), transport (motorways, toll systems, roads, railways, airports), waste collection and disposal as well as power plants (PV, wind, biomass, water).

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"Thomas Hamerl is calm, solution-oriented and knowledgeable."

The Legal 500, 2022

Relevant experience

Austria
  • PPP Zwettl Bypass | Advising a successful sponsor consortium and a subcontractor in the tender process, negotiations with the contracting authority and banks including EIB; EUR 157 million PPP contract; construction contract and subcontracts, operation and maintenance contract, project financing and securities, SPV formation, merger control. Also acted as transaction counsel for the debt providers (incl. EIB) up to LAFO. Previously advised bidders in the similar PPP Mistelbach Bypass.
  • PPP Ostregion | Advising a German-English bidding consortium on construction contract law, public procurement law and project financing issues concerning the motorway PPP on the A5.
  • Representation of a tram supplier in the EUR 570 million procurement procedure for the supply and maintenance of 150 low-floor trams; assessment of old contracts and options.
  • Austrian construction company – Wind farm | Advice on construction contract law, financing and securities concerning a construction contract for wind turbines in Austria.
  • International Financing Institute | Advising in connection with financing and securities for the construction of a new main wastewater treatment plant in Vienna (combined with energy production from sewage sludge).
  • Austrian construction company – school and kindergarten PPP | Advising an Austrian construction company as in-house counsel on PPP contract, planning and construction contract, real estate law, facility management for the construction of new school and kindergarten buildings in Vienna.
Bulgaria
  • Bulgarian General Contractor – Biomass Power Plant BARO | Advising the GC on a FIDIC Silver Book based EPC contract and the technology supply contracts, operation and maintenance, securities towards the Czech investor CEZ. Joint project with CMS Sofia.
Finland
  • Motorway PPP E18, Finland | Advising an Austrian-Finnish sponsor consortium in a competitive dialogue on a DBFO PPP model for the extension of the Finnish E18 and the construction of a new section for EUR 650m (client: Liikennevirasto) – with CMS London and a Finnish partner.
Kosovo
  • Contracting authority in Kosovo – Motorway No. 6 | Advising the contracting authority on the EUR 660 million EBRD-funded contract for the design and construction of the Pristina – I Hani section of Motorway No. 6; FIDIC Silver Book contract, tender documents and procedures; together with CMS Tirana and CMS Cologne.
Croatia
  • Koprivnici Biomass Power Plant | Advising a German-Israeli investor on the EPC contract under Austrian law for the planning and construction of a EUR 62 million EBRD-financed biomass power plant by an Austrian general contractor.
  • Monetisation of the Croatian motorway network | Advising a Canadian-Italian consortium in the procedure for the award of a 30- to 50-year concession worth approximately EUR 3 billion for the operation, maintenance and expansion of the Croatian motorway network (excluding 2 PPP sections): Procurement law, due diligence, concession agreement, construction and maintenance agreements, real estate law – together with CMS Zagreb.
Serbia
  • Motorway E 75 | Advising the Serbian Motorway Company on three EBRD-funded construction lots for the Beška Bridge over the Danube: ICC arbitration, advice on claim management, securities and other aspects of the construction contracts (FIDIC Yellow Book and Red Book contracts), insolvency law, project volume: ~ EUR 100m – a joint project between CMS Vienna, Belgrade and Munich.
  • Serbian Government & EBRD | International legal advisor on rewriting Serbia's Concessions and PPP Law; ensuring full compliance with EU law and international standards; drafting the legislative materials and implementing legislation. Joint project between CMS Vienna, Belgrade and London.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Member of an expert group considering alternative construction contract models for the Austrian Construction Technology Association (öbv), 2020
  • Member of an ÖGEBAU working group on requirements for expert opinions on construction economics, 2019
  • Member of the Working Group Committee for the EBRD/UNECE Model Law for People-First PPPs, 2018
  • Member of the expert panel for the UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Privately Financed Infrastructure Projects, 2017
  • ArbAut (Austrian Arbitration Association)
  • Management Club
  • Club Cuvée
  • Austrian Society for Building Law and Construction (ÖGEBAU)
  • Austrian Bar Association
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Awards & Rankings

  • IFLR ranked Thomas Hamerl as a market leader for project development from 2018 to 2021 inclusive. 
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Publications

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Education

  • 1995 – Mag. iur., Law, University of Vienna
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Public Procurement

Thomas Hamerl is an attorney-at-law for public procurement law including concessions, public private partnerships (PPP), national and international construction projects and energy law. He has advised bidders and contracting authorities in numerous procurement procedures and represented them in well over a hundred review proceedings. These include infrastructure contracts (roads, railways, airports, hospitals, waste collection and disposal, remediation of contaminated sites, energy) as well as IT and medical device contracts.
Thomas Hamerl represents his clients’ interests before national and international courts and arbitration tribunals. He has been providing legal advice for around 20 years and joined CMS in 2009. He brings to the firm his experience as in-house counsel for an international construction group, where he was head of the Vienna legal department and head of the group-wide PPP legal practice group. Prior to that, he worked for several renowned Viennese law firms in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe as well as for the European Commission in Brussels. He regularly publishes on public procurement and construction contract law.

“Optimal procurement advice should not begin with the procurement procedure and much less end with the award of the contract. That is why we offer our clients regulatory advice (in particular on permits and trade law) and support during the execution of the contract (e.g., on construction contract law) from a single source. In the event of disagreements or even disputes, we do not pass clients on to other departments, but represent them ourselves before mediators, courts and arbitration tribunals.”
 

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"Thomas Hamerl is calm, solution-oriented and knowledgeable."

The Legal 500, 2022

Relevant experience

Austria
  • Representation of a tram supplier in a EUR 570 million procurement procedure for the supply and maintenance of 150 low-floor trams; assessment of old contracts and options.
  • PPP Zwettl Bypass | Advising a successful sponsor consortium and a subcontractor in the tender process, negotiations with the contracting authority and banks including EIB; EUR 157 million PPP contract; construction contract and subcontracts, operation and maintenance contract, project financing and securities, SPV formation, merger control. Also acted as transaction counsel for the debt providers (incl. EIB) up to LAFO. Previously advised bidders in the similar PPP Mistelbach Bypass.
  • Austrian contractor | Advised and represented in four public procurement and review proceedings for the remediation of contaminated sites in Vienna and Lower Austria.
  • Austria’s leading tunnel safety specialist | Advisor in numerous contract award procedures, e.g., in a tunnel safety project and advice on motorway tunnels on the S10 and A23 in the project “Traffic Control Ardning”, Pfändertunnel and S6 “Niklasdorftunnel”. Also advised on construction contracts and other aspects of the PPP A5 “Nordautobahn”.
  • Consortium of civil engineers | Successful representation in the review procedure on the contract “Local construction supervision A9 tunnel chain Klaus”. 
  • Semmering Base Tunnel – Advising the successful Swiss-Austrian consortium in the award procedure | Advising on aspects of public procurement law and construction contracts for one of Austria’s largest railway tunnel projects (EUR 2.8 billion). Earlier, advising expropriated landowners on public procurement and environmental law in connection with the 5.3 million m3 landfill for the excavated tunnel material of the Semmering Base Tunnel.
  • Other projects: renovation of the Austrian Parliament; Vienna Central Station; river dredging via the Danube; Innsbruck University Hospital; Vienna West Station; extension of the Vienna underground U2; Vienna Airport – Skylink Terminal; schools and kindergartens in Vienna and Styria; advising clients on the SV chip card; advising glaziers, plumbers and electricians in award procedures of the City of Vienna. 
Serbia
  • Serbian Government & EBRD | International legal advisor on rewriting Serbia’s Concessions and PPP Law; ensuring full compliance with EU law and international standards; drafting the legislative materials and implementing legislation. Joint project between CMS Vienna, Belgrade and London.
    Croatia
  • Monetisation of the Croatian motorway network | Advising a Canadian-Italian consortium in the procedure for the award of a 30- to 50-year concession worth approximately EUR 3 billion for the operation, maintenance and expansion of the Croatian motorway network (excluding 2 PPP sections): Procurement law, due diligence, concession agreement, construction and maintenance agreements, real estate law – together with CMS Zagreb.
Finland
  • Motorway PPP E18, Finland | Advising an Austrian-Finnish sponsor consortium in a competitive dialogue on a DBFO PPP model for the extension of the Finnish E18 and the construction of a new section for EUR 650m (client Liikennevirasto) – with CMS London and a Finnish partner. 
Kosovo
  • Contracting Authority in Kosovo – Motorway No. 6 | Contracting Authority’s advice on the EUR 660 million EBRD-funded contract for the design and construction of the Pristina – I Hani section of Motorway No. 6; FIDIC Silver Book contract, tender documents and procedures; together with CMS Tirana and CMS Cologne.  
Slovenia
  • Austria’s leading tunnel safety provider | Advising in the Slovenian Tunnel Markowetz proceedings together with CMS Ljubljana.
  • Basketball Stadium Novo Mesto, Slovenia | Advising/representing an Austrian construction company in the procedure for the award of a PPP project (competitive dialogue incl. functional specifications – total contractor award) on the construction, financing and operation or facility management of a sports hall for the organisation of the European Basketball Championship 2012. The client left the design of the services and the contracts almost entirely to the bidders.
Slovakia
  • Electronic motorway toll | Advising an Italian-Austrian bidding consortium on PPP contract, public procurement law including review procedures, construction/maintenance/operation; administrative law, corporate law.
  • Bidder consultation for the award of a construction lot for the S1 motorway.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Austrian Society for Building Law and Construction (ÖGEBAU)
  • ArbAut (Austrian Arbitration Association)
  • Management Club
  • Club Cuvée
  • Austrian Bar Association
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Publications

  • Austria Chapter, in ICLG The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Construction & Engineering Law 2016 (GLG 2016), 22.
  • Different Demand and New Legal Framework for Infrastructure PPPs in Austria, CEE Legal Matters, October 2015.
  • Ist wirklich jeder Wettbewerbsverstoß schon ein Ausschlussgrund?, EuGH C 470/13, Generali-Providencia Biztosító Zrt, ZVB 6/2015, 254.
  • Wirkungen der GesbR-Reform auf Bau-ARGEn, RechtamBau.at, 23.2.2015.
  • Chapter Austria, in Mattei/Rivera Jacobo (Hrsg), Getting The Deal Through – Public-Private Partnerships 2015 (2015), 3.
  • Weselik/Hamerl (Hrsg), Handbuch des internationalen Bauvertrags (Linde 2014).
  • Hamerl/Elsner, Kein nationaler Mindestlohn für Dienstleistungen im Ausland, EuGH C-549/13, Bundesdruckerei gegen Stadt Dortmund, ZVB 12/2014, 491.
  • Rechtssicherheit und Kundeninteresse sind keine zwingenden Gründe des Allgemeininteresses zur Rechtfertigung einer Konzessionsvergabe ohne Ausschreibung, EuGH C-221/12, Belgacom, ZVB 2014/49, 163.
  • Verlängerung der Leistungsfrist in internationalen Bauverträgen. Der Wettlauf um die Zeit und wie man sich dafür dopt, ZVB 2014/10, 35.
  • Insolvenz eines Mitglieds der Bietergemeinschaft, CMS Law, 4/2013.
  • Akteneinsicht im Vergabe(nachprüfungs)verfahren, CMS Law, 13.6.2013.
  • Änderungen im Stand der Technik – Wer Trägt die Risiken des Fortschritts?, RechtamBau.at, 14.5.2013.
  • Akteneinsicht im Vergabe(nachprüfungs)verfahren, RechtamBau.at, 6.5.2013.
  • In-house-Vergabe bei gemeinsamer Kontrolle über den Auftragnehmer, EuGH C-182/11 und C-183/11, ZVB 2013, 122.
  • Umfang und Grenzen von Aufklärungsersuchen öffentlicher Auftraggeber bei der Angebotsprüfung, CMS Law 3/2013.
  • Die Qual mit der Wahl – Zulässigkeit mehrerer Haupt-, Abänderungs- und Alternativangebote im Vergabeverfahren, RechtamBau.at, 19.12.2012.
  • Umweltkriterien und soziale Aspekte in technischen Spezifikationen oder als Kriterium, Glosse zu EuGH C-368/10, ZVB 9/2012, 338.
  • „Irrtümlicher“ Hinweis auf AGB’s des Bieters am Briefpapier – Ausscheidensgrund oder harmloses Versehen?, RechtamBau.at, 17.7.2012.
  • Oft gehört, doch kaum probiert: FIDIC-Bauverträge, CMS Law, 10.4.2012.
  • Oft gehört, doch kaum probiert: FIDIC-Bauverträge, Immobilienmagazin, 10.4.2012.
  • Das neue Vergaberecht – Die neue horizontale Richtlinie, RechtamBau.at, 15.3.2012.
  • Neue vergaberechtliche Schwellenwerte ab 1.1.2012, RechtamBau.at, 19.12.2011.
  • Rechtsnavigator: Neues Konzessionsgesetz in Serbien, Wirtschaftsblatt, 19.12.2011.
  • Keine BIEGE zwischen Ziviltechnikern und Baumeistern. Aber was dann?, RechtamBau.at, 14.11.2011.
  • Das geheime Abgasrohr, rechtambau.at, 30.9.2011.
  • Aktuelles zur Vergabe von Konzessionen, RechtamBau.at, 30.9.2011.
  • Hamerl/Famira, Going Private: Privatisation of Infrastructure Companies in Croatia, January 2011.
  • Hamerl/Elsner, „Eigenerklärung“ führt zu Problemen, Der Standard, 18.5.2010.
  • Immobiliendevelopment und Grundstücksverkauf im Griff des Vergaberechts, ZVB 5/2010, 181.
  • Mehrfachbeteiligung in Bieterverfahren, Wirtschaftsblatt, 30.6.2010.
  • Unternehmenspacht statt Geschäftsraummiete, Immobilienmagazin 4/2010.
  • Strenger Arbeitnehmerschutz in Österreich, Immobilienmagazin 4/2010.
  • Vergessliche Grundstückskäufer leben besser, Immobilienmagazin 3/2010.
  • Poloma/Hamerl, Austria Chapter, in: ICLG The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Cartels and Leniency 2008 (GLG 2008). 
  • Widerruf im Sektorenbereich, ZVB 6/2007, 172.
  • Poloma/Hamerl, A Real Contender, Investors are setting their sights on Slovakia, IFLR Guide to Real Estate 2007.
  • Hamerl/Siska, Sicherheit mit Lücken, Der Standard, 12.9.2007.
  • BVA: Einwendungen gegen die Verhandlungsschrift, „Räumung des Recycling Point Blumau“, RPA 2006, 39.
  • Hamerl/Taborsky, BVA: Zur Zulässigkeit von technischen Ausschreibungsbestimmungen „KfZ Großeinkauf 2004“, RPA 2005, 117.
  • BVA: Prüfung der besonderen beruflichen Zuverlässigkeit „Steinmetzarbeiten Forschungslaborgebäude“, RPA 2004/378.
  • Hamerl/Lansky, Grenzen der Zuständigkeit des Bundesvergabeamtes. Chip-Karte II, ecolex 2002/156.
  • Rechtsschutz des Spenders von Blut und Knochenmark gegen bestimmungswidrigen Gebrauch, in Plöchl (Hrsg), Ware Mensch (Linde 1996), 41.
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Education

  • 1995 – Mag. iur., Law, University of Vienna
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Real Estate & Construction

Thomas Hamerl is a specialist in national and international construction projects, infrastructure and public private partnerships (PPP) as well as energy projects. He has particular expertise in national and international construction contract law, public procurement law including concessions, infrastructure-oriented dispute resolution including litigation and arbitration, real estate and energy law.
He has experience in infrastructure projects – roads, railways, airports, hospitals, schools, waste collection and disposal, remediation of contaminated sites, power plants (PV, wind, biomass, hydro).
Hamerl has been providing legal advice for around 20 years, joining CMS in 2009. He brings to the firm his experience as in-house counsel for an international construction group, where he was head of the legal department in Vienna and head of the group-wide PPP legal practice group. Prior to that, he worked for renowned Viennese law firms both in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe, as well as for the European Commission in Brussels. He regularly publishes on construction contract and public procurement law. 

“Optimal legal project support is both part of risk management as well as pragmatic. We try to integrate ourselves seamlessly into our clients’ teams and offer as much advice as is necessary, depending on the project. This also includes regulatory advice (in particular licences and trade law) and support during the execution of the contract (e.g., claim management) from a single source. In the event of disagreements or even disputes, we do not pass clients on to other departments, but represent them ourselves before mediators, courts and arbitration tribunals.”
 

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"Thomas Hamerl is calm, solution-oriented and knowledgeable."

The Legal 500, 2022

Relevant experience

Austria

  • PPP School Campus Vienna | Advising a consortium of bidders on the award of planning, construction, financing and facility management of a new secondary school in Vienna (CapEx approx. EUR 25 million), subcontracts, mezzanine investor. 
  • PPP Zwettl Bypass | Advising a successful sponsor consortium and a subcontractor in the tender process, negotiations with the contracting authority and banks including EIB; EUR 157 million PPP contract; construction contract and subcontracts, operation and maintenance contract, project financing and securities, SPV formation, merger control. Also acted as transaction counsel for the debt providers (incl. EIB) up to LAFO. Previously advised bidders in the similar PPP Mistelbach Bypass.
  • PPP Ostregion | Advising a German-English bidding consortium on construction contract law, public procurement law and project financing issues concerning the motorway PPP on the A5.
  • Semmering Base Tunnel – Advising the successful Swiss-Austrian consortium in the award procedure | Advising on aspects of public procurement law and construction contracts for one of Austria’s largest railway tunnel projects (EUR 2.8 billion). Previously, advising expropriated landowners on public procurement and environmental law in connection with the 5.3 million m3 landfill for the excavated tunnel material of the Semmering Base Tunnel.
  • Permanent representation of an international retail chain in all lease-related matters.
  • International retail chain – standard construction contract | Revision of the standard contract for construction and works based on ÖNORM B 2110, which was later used for a CEE-wide roll-out.
  • Public baths | Representation of a German developer and general contractor in numerous disputes arising from two terminated projects: Warranty, damages, termination compensation, billing issues.
  • Biomass Power Plant Italy | Representation of an Austrian general contractor in arbitration proceedings under Vienna Rules concerning installation works from an Italian power plant project.
  • Standard works contract for small-scale PV systems | Advising an Austrian developer on drafting international standard terms and conditions for works contracts for small-scale PV systems.
  • Due diligence reviews, e.g., on real estate and construction contracts concerning a manufacturer of water treatment plants or on construction contracts in the sales process of a wind farm or concerning a PV plant portfolio.

Bulgaria

  • Bulgarian General Contractor – Biomass Power Plant BARO | Advising the GC on a FIDIC Silver Book based EPC contract and the technology supply contracts, operation and maintenance, securities towards the Czech investor CEZ. Joint project with CMS Sofia.

Kosovo

  • Contracting Authority in Kosovo – Motorway No. 6 | Contracting Authority's advice on the EUR 660 million EBRD-funded contract for the design and construction of the Pristina - I Hani section of Motorway No. 6; FIDIC Silver Book contract, tender documents and procedures; together with CMS Tirana and CMS Cologne.

Croatia

  • Koprivnici Biomass Power Plant | Advising a German-Israeli investor on the EPC contract under Austrian law for the planning and construction of a EUR 62 million EBRD-financed biomass power plant by Austrian general contractor.

Poland

  • Polish mining company | Advising on supply and assembly contracts or EPC contracts, securities, claim management concerning three contracts of a Polish listed company under Austrian law.

Romania

  • Romania's largest PV plant | advising Austrian developers and a construction company on the development, construction (FIDIC Silver Book contract), grid connection & operation of a PV (photovoltaic) power plant in Romania. The project documentation was compiled according to Austrian law. Regulatory issues and matters relating to property aspects handled by CMS Vienna jointly with CMS Bucharest.

Serbia

  • E 75 motorway construction | Advising the Serbian motorway company on three EBRD-funded construction lots for the Beška Bridge over the Danube: ICC arbitration, advice on claim management, securities and other aspects of the construction contracts (FIDIC Yellow Book and Red Book contracts), insolvency law, project volume: ~ EUR 100m, a joint project between CMS Vienna, Belgrade and Munich.

Slovenia

  • Conducting a due diligence review regarding the purchase of shares in a project company and legal advice on the development, construction and financing of a mixed-use project in the city centre of Ljubljana with a property used for flats and offices, a shopping mall and a parking deck.
  • Specialist retail centre | advising an Austrian construction company and developer on the purchase, design, construction, financing and lease of a retail centre including a DIY market near Ljubljana, Slovenia, ongoing advice and finally re-utilisation.

Turkiye

  • Turkish construction company – Kayas-Kirikkale Arasi (Kesim I) high speed railway project | advising a subcontractor specialised in complex reinforced concrete works on the supply, assembly and commissioning of mobile formwork construction machines from a Portuguese supplier.

Ukraine

  • Advising an Austrian professional hotel and restaurant designer vis a vis the Ukrainian developer relating to a works contract under Austrian law for a hotel in the Ukraine.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Austrian Society for Building Law and Construction (ÖGEBAU)
  • ArbAut (Austrian Arbitration Association)
  • Management Club
  • Club Cuvée
  • Austrian Bar Association
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Publications

  • Austria Chapter, in ICLG The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Construction & Engineering Law 2016 (GLG 2016), 22.
  • Different Demand and New Legal Framework for Infrastructure PPPs in Austria, CEE Legal Matters, October 2015.
  • Ist wirklich jeder Wettbewerbsverstoß schon ein Ausschlussgrund?, EuGH C 470/13, Generali-Providencia Biztosító Zrt, ZVB 6/2015, 254.
  • Wirkungen der GesbR-Reform auf Bau-ARGEn, RechtamBau.at, 23.2.2015.
  • Chapter Austria, in Mattei/Rivera Jacobo (Hrsg), Getting The Deal Through – Public-Private Partnerships 2015 (2015), 3.
  • Weselik/Hamerl (Hrsg), Handbuch des internationalen Bauvertrags (Linde 2014).
  • Hamerl/Elsner, Kein nationaler Mindestlohn für Dienstleistungen im Ausland, EuGH C-549/13, Bundesdruckerei gegen Stadt Dortmund, ZVB 12/2014, 491.
  • Rechtssicherheit und Kundeninteresse sind keine zwingenden Gründe des Allgemeininteresses zur Rechtfertigung einer Konzessionsvergabe ohne Ausschreibung, EuGH C-221/12, Belgacom, ZVB 2014/49, 163.
  • Verlängerung der Leistungsfrist in internationalen Bauverträgen. Der Wettlauf um die Zeit und wie man sich dafür dopt, ZVB 2014/10, 35.
  • Insolvenz eines Mitglieds der Bietergemeinschaft, CMS Law, 4/2013.
  • Akteneinsicht im Vergabe(nachprüfungs)verfahren, CMS Law, 13.6.2013.
  • Änderungen im Stand der Technik – Wer Trägt die Risiken des Fortschritts?, RechtamBau.at, 14.5.2013.
  • Akteneinsicht im Vergabe(nachprüfungs)verfahren, RechtamBau.at, 6.5.2013.
  • In-house-Vergabe bei gemeinsamer Kontrolle über den Auftragnehmer, EuGH C-182/11 und C-183/11, ZVB 2013, 122.
  • Umfang und Grenzen von Aufklärungsersuchen öffentlicher Auftraggeber bei der Angebotsprüfung, CMS Law 3/2013.
  • Die Qual mit der Wahl – Zulässigkeit mehrerer Haupt-, Abänderungs- und Alternativangebote im Vergabeverfahren, RechtamBau.at, 19.12.2012.
  • Umweltkriterien und soziale Aspekte in technischen Spezifikationen oder als Kriterium, Glosse zu EuGH C-368/10, ZVB 9/2012, 338.
  • „Irrtümlicher“ Hinweis auf AGB’s des Bieters am Briefpapier – Ausscheidensgrund oder harmloses Versehen?, RechtamBau.at, 17.7.2012.
  • Oft gehört, doch kaum probiert: FIDIC-Bauverträge, CMS Law, 10.4.2012.
  • Oft gehört, doch kaum probiert: FIDIC-Bauverträge, Immobilienmagazin, 10.4.2012.
  • Das neue Vergaberecht – Die neue horizontale Richtlinie, RechtamBau.at, 15.3.2012.
  • Neue vergaberechtliche Schwellenwerte ab 1.1.2012, RechtamBau.at, 19.12.2011.
  • Rechtsnavigator: Neues Konzessionsgesetz in Serbien, Wirtschaftsblatt, 19.12.2011.
  • Keine BIEGE zwischen Ziviltechnikern und Baumeistern. Aber was dann?, RechtamBau.at, 14.11.2011.
  • Das geheime Abgasrohr, rechtambau.at, 30.9.2011.
  • Aktuelles zur Vergabe von Konzessionen, RechtamBau.at, 30.9.2011.
  • Hamerl/Famira, Going Private: Privatisation of Infrastructure Companies in Croatia, January 2011.
  • Hamerl/Elsner, „Eigenerklärung“ führt zu Problemen, Der Standard, 18.5.2010.
  • Immobiliendevelopment und Grundstücksverkauf im Griff des Vergaberechts, ZVB 5/2010, 181.
  • Mehrfachbeteiligung in Bieterverfahren, Wirtschaftsblatt, 30.6.2010.
  • Unternehmenspacht statt Geschäftsraummiete, Immobilienmagazin 4/2010.
  • Strenger Arbeitnehmerschutz in Österreich, Immobilienmagazin 4/2010.
  • Vergessliche Grundstückskäufer leben besser, Immobilienmagazin 3/2010.
  • Poloma/Hamerl, Austria Chapter, in: ICLG The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Cartels and Leniency 2008 (GLG 2008). 
  • Widerruf im Sektorenbereich, ZVB 6/2007, 172.
  • Poloma/Hamerl, A Real Contender, Investors are setting their sights on Slovakia, IFLR Guide to Real Estate 2007.
  • Hamerl/Siska, Sicherheit mit Lücken, Der Standard, 12.9.2007.
  • BVA: Einwendungen gegen die Verhandlungsschrift, „Räumung des Recycling Point Blumau“, RPA 2006, 39.
  • Hamerl/Taborsky, BVA: Zur Zulässigkeit von technischen Ausschreibungsbestimmungen „KfZ Großeinkauf 2004“, RPA 2005, 117.
  • BVA: Prüfung der besonderen beruflichen Zuverlässigkeit „Steinmetzarbeiten Forschungslaborgebäude“, RPA 2004/378.
  • Hamerl/Lansky, Grenzen der Zuständigkeit des Bundesvergabeamtes. Chip-Karte II, ecolex 2002/156.
  • Rechtsschutz des Spenders von Blut und Knochenmark gegen bestimmungswidrigen Gebrauch, in Plöchl (Hrsg), Ware Mensch (Linde 1996), 41.
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Education

  • 1995 – Mag. iur., Law, University of Vienna
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CMS Vergabeportal

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19/06/2023
Brennende Fragen im Vergaberecht und Buch­präsent­a­tion: Handbuch Vergaberecht
Anlässlich des Erscheinens des Handbuchs „Ver­gaberecht“ (Manz-Verlag) laden die Autor:innen zum Kur­z­sem­in­ar über brennende Fra­gen im Vergaberecht und zur anschließenden Buch­präsent­a­tion ein.   Die fünf Autor:innen Ruth Bittner, Bernt Elsner, Thomas Hamerl, Robert Keisler und Florian Kromer werden als „Kostprobe“ für das vorliegende Handbuch jeweils ein besonders aktuelles und praxisrelevantes Thema an­s­prechen.   Das Handbuch vermittelt den Leser:innen das österreichische Vergaberecht auf 448 Seiten übersichtlich und praxisnah. 3.575 Fußnoten weisen zu Fundstellen in den nationalen und europäischen Gesetzen, Ge­set­zes­ma­ter­i­ali­en sowie Entscheidungen der europäischen und nationalen Gerichte und Behörden. In einem Musterteil werden praxistaugliche Musterdokumente, Leitfäden und eine Toolbox zur Verfügung ges­tellt.   Tauchen Sie ein in die (Un-)Tiefen des Vergaberechts!
16/12/2022
Renewable heat - the most important facts at a glance
The Austrian federal government has drafted the Renewable Energy Act (EWG or Erneuerbare-Wärme-Ge­setz), which is expected to contribute to making Austria climate neutral. The draft EWG bill aims at switching...
14/12/2022
Renewable heat - the most important facts at a glance
The Austrian federal government has drafted the Renewable Energy Act (EWG, Erneuerbare-Wärme-Ge­setz), which is expected to contribute to making Austria climate neutral. The draft EWG bill aims at switching the heat supply of buildings to renewable energy sources and providing so-called ‘qual­ity-as­sured’ (i.e. decarbonised) district heating by 2040 through the gradual prohibition of the burning of fossil fuels. The EWG will also regulate the installation of heating systems in new buildings as well as the conversion of heating systems in existing buildings. The draft, which will likely not be passed before January 2023, contains the following points. Residential and non-residential projectsThe installation, conversion and extension obligations for heating systems envisaged in the EWG bill will be of crucial interest to project developers since it will cover all kinds of existing and newly constructed buildings, both residential and non-res­id­en­tial. Ban on fossil heat transfer media in new buildingsThe bill’s main innovation is a comprehensive ban on installing oil, coal and gas heating in new buildings from 2023. Such a ban has been in force for central oil and coal heating since the Oil Boiler Installation Prohibition Act 2019 (ÖKEVG, Ölkesselein­bau­ver­bots­ge­setz). According to the draft, from 1 January 2023 the ban will extend to cover existing decentralised heat supply systems running on oil and coal as well as gas heating systems. The ÖKEVG is to be replaced by the EWG. Decommissioning requirement for central heating systems existing buildingsThe law centres on the decommissioning requirement for central heating systems in existing buildings. Natural gas heating systems must be decommissioned by 2040, and oil, coal and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) heating systems must be decommissioned by 2035. In addition, buildings with central heating systems running on oil, coal or LPG will be particularly affected since building owners must decommission heating systems earlier than this depending on the system’s year of construction. According to the current draft, central oil heating systems built before 1980 must be decommissioned by 2025, while newer systems must be gradually decommissioned by 2035 (as part of the successive decommissioning requirement). This will mean significant additional costs since existing fossil-fuel systems must be de-installed and converted to other systems. Those costs must be carefully considered for buildings already in operation and for project planning and contract design, especially when determining the purchase price of real estate. Renewable energy requirement for central heating systems in existing buildingsIf a central heating system in existing buildings is renovated, improved or renewed, it must either be converted to a system using use renewable energy sources or the building’s heating supply can be switched to quality-assured district heating. Consequently, as of 1 January 2023, central heating systems not running on oil, coal or LPG any more may not be replaced with another fossil heating system. The heating system to be replaced must be decommissioned. The EWG offers some flexibility. For example, the replacement of old systems will not be required and a switch to district heating and other alternatives is also possible as explained below. Developers are encouraged to take the renewable energy requirement into account for their projects, both in planning and contract drafting. For repairs, refurbishments and improvements to fossil-heating systems, the costs of removing and disposing of old systems and installing new ones must be weighed against a possible switch to district heating (for which the bill provides technical exceptions).  Conversion requirement for decentralised systemsExisting decentralised plants running on oil, coal or gas will be treated more strictly. They must be converted to centralised non-fossil fuel plants by 2035 or, if operated by natural gas, by 2040. Operating a building will only be permitted if the building is heated with renewable energy sources or quality-assured district heating. For decentralised natural gas heating systems, this only applies if the building is located in an area, which already has quality-assured district heating or where this will become available by 2035. If this is the case, individual units (e.g. flats, offices, shops) must be connected to this central system within five years. If this conversion has not taken place in a building, this must be taken into account in project planning and cost planning. In individual cases, it must be examined in more detail what exactly "quality-assured district heating" means and how a real estate investor can determine this or check whether "it will have district heating by 2035". It is also not clear whether tenants can insist on a certain changeover or, conversely, oppose it. According to the bill, further regulations are to be expected for those natural gas-based systems that are not covered by the renewable energy requirement, the successive decommissioning requirement and the requirement to convert decentralised systems. Therefore, another draft to address the phase-out of fossil gas heating systems in existing buildings will appear soon. However, these natural gas plants will also have to be decommissioned by 2040. Energy Outlook – is green gas the future?According to the draft, declared objectives of the EWG include the expansion of district heating and the conversion of heat supply to renewable energy sources or quality-assured (i.e. decarbonised) district heating. According to the draft, energy from renewable gas falls under energy from renewable energy sources and is therefore a means of decarbonising district heating. The explanatory notes to the bill refer to the use of green gas for the latter in addition to waste heat utilisation, heat pumps, geothermal energy and biomass. As a result, heating systems that are operated with renewable gas are exempt from the decommissioning requirement for central heating systems. Pending regulations on natural gas heating absent from the EWG will not change this either. Green gas plants can be operated beyond 2040. Authors: Thomas Hamerl, Dr. Johannes Hysek, Karl Weber-Wois­etschläger 
06/12/2022
Energy Savings Guide
This CMS Guide is designed to shine a light on the wide variety of energy saving laws in selected CEE countries by explaining the most important legal measures and helping you to discover where your opportunities...
25/11/2022
Energy Savings Guide
This CMS Guide is designed to shine a light on the wide variety of energy saving laws in selected CEE countries by explaining the most important legal measures and helping you to discover where your opportunities might lie. Political and legal framework Energy transformation requires building up new energy sources and that takes time. Saving energy, however, is the quickest and cheapest way to address the current energy crisis, which is mainly caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reducing energy consumption cuts households’ and companies’ high energy bills. Building on the “Fit for 55” package of proposals and completing the actions on energy security of supply and storage, the European Commission’s REPowerEU plan put forward a set of five actions, the first of which is energy saving. Union law sets forth mandatory saving goals for Member States but leaves them plenty of leeway to choose between a variety of measures. Applicant countries and many others have passed energy savings laws and targets too – offering additional flexibility. As a framework, the Fit for 55 package and the European Climate Law (REG 2021/1119) sets out a binding, irreversible reduction of anthropogenic emissions. By 2030, 55% of the net GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions compared to 1990 must be saved. By 2050, the mandatory net zero emission goal must be achieved. Regulation 2022/1032 requires that member states fill their gas storage facilities to at least 80-90% or that they store at least 35% of their average annual consumption in European storage facilities. Reducing consumption over the years reduces the filling obligation. Since August 2022, obligatory reductions in gas consumption apply to EU member states (Regulation 2022/1032). The core innovation of this regime is the Union alarm that can be triggered by the European Council if there is a material risk of grave gas supply shortages, extraordinary gas demand or a national alarm pursuant to Directive 2017/1938 in at least five Member States. Once a Union alarm has been triggered and for as long as it remains in force, member states must reduce their gas consumption by 15%. There is a partial exception if this would otherwise cause an electricity crisis in the respective member state. However, the steering measures to be taken and whether certain groups of gas consumers are granted more favourable conditions remain at the member state’s dis­cre­tion. Re­gard­ing electricity, Regulation 2022/1854 on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices aims to reduce electricity consumption by 10% and ease the pressure on electricity prices through revenue caps. Again, Member States are free to choose the appropriate measures to reduce gross electricity consumption and meet the 10% target. Additional rules apply to the fuel consumption of trucks or the energy consumption of district heating/cooling. The CMS Guide The result of these regulations concerning energy saving has been the in­tro­duc­tion of a wide variety of energy saving laws in individual states; and many more measures are still to come. This CMS Guide is designed to shine a light on these regulations by explaining the most important legal measures and helping you to discover where your opportunities might lie. For each jurisdiction, the guide is structured into: (1) a country overview,  (2) national relief measures for high energy prices,  (3) na­tion­al/re­gion­al/com­mun­al energy savings measures, and  (4) energy storage status and incentives. The following measures have been chosen by the states represented in this  guide:  sub­sidies to end-consumers (Austria in general for energy prices; Croatia for gas con­sump­tion), price caps: electricity (Croatia for households, undertakings and certainpublic consumers; Ukraine for house­holds),re­duced VAT rate (Croatia, North Macedonia), tax incentives to privately store gas (Ukraine); exemption from steering measures for privately storing gas (Aus­tria),sub­sidies to compensate for high energy prices (Bulgaria and Slovakia, in Slovenia for enterprises, in Türkiye for agriculture) and energy saving measures: (Croatia for SMEs); the reallocation of EU funds to support energy consumers (Slov­akia); sub­sidies for energy storage solutions (Austria, Bulgaria and Ukraine) or for heat producers (Ukraine),energy efficiency measures incl. digitalisation (Bul­garia),re­duced hours of electricity or heating supply (North Macedonia) or of gas supply (Slov­akia),re­duc­tion of energy consumption by the public administration (Austria, North Macedonia, Slovenia), andobligations on gas storage operators to feed gas into the grid (Austria, Slovakia) or to supply heat producers at preferential prices (Ukraine). rewards for voluntary reduction of gas and/or electric en­ergy con­sump­tion (Slovenia)educed permitting requirements for PV and wind plants (Türkiye).
12/09/2022
CMS Public Procurement Contact Card
World-class public procurement specialists The quality of public services is increasingly determined by world-class skills in public procurement. The procurement regime applies not only to the public...
09/09/2022
Hydrogen – dream fuel or just a lot of hot air?
In June 2022 five experts on hydrogen met at the CMS office in Vienna to exchange their views on the prospects of hydrogen as part of the energy trans­ition. Earli­er in the same month, Austria presented its new hydrogen strategy based on four pillars: Climate Neutral Hydrogen, Efficient and Focused Hydrogen Use, Hydrogen Infrastructure, and International Part­ner­ships.  Hy­dro­gen is increasingly seen as one of the critical components of the energy transition. Every day brings news about cooperation agreements, start-ups, new technologies, infrastructure projects, and storage solutions. But to what extent is the hype about hydrogen justified? Is the legal framework sufficient and fu­ture-proof? To coincide with the recently published Austrian hydrogen strategy, a panel discussion with five distinguished experts took place in our CMS premises. After a short introduction from Marco Selenic (CMS Aus­tria), Hamead Ahrary (Head of the Hydrogen Division at VERBUND AG), Andreas Indinger (Head of the Center for Research and Innovation at the Austrian Energy Agency), Dalia Majumder-Russell (Partner at CMS UK), Ewald Perwög (Head of Sustainable Energy Solutions at MPREIS Warenvertriebs GmbH), and Werner Trabesinger (Head of Quantitative Products at Pexapark) shared their experience of successful hydrogen projects. Furthermore, the REPowerEU plan and its effects on the RED 2 was discussed in detail. What sort of legal background does the industry require to build and operate the necessary infrastructure? What conditions are needed for a European hydrogen economy to de­vel­op? Pan­el­ists:Ewald Perwög, MPreis - Head of Sustainable Energy SolutionsHamead Ahrary, Head Of Hydrogen Division VERBUND AGAndreas Indinger, Head of Center Research and Innovation Austrian Energy AgencyWerner Trabesinger, Head of Quantitative Products PexaparkDalia Majum­der-Rus­sell, Partner, LondonThe discussion was moderated by the heads of the CMS RRH Energy & Climate Change Group, Maria Orlyk of CMS Ukraine and Thomas Hamerl of CMS Austria.
23/06/2022
Hydrogen – dream fuel or just a lot of hot air?
Hydrogen is increasingly seen as one of the key drivers of the energy transition. Every day brings news about cooperation agreements, start-ups, new technologies, infrastructure projects, storage solutions...
18/05/2022
On-site power solutions
A guide for large energy users Across Europe there is a clear and consistent trend for large scale commercial and industrial users of electricity adopting on-site power solutions. This is the result of a range of factors, in­clud­ing:re­new­able on-site generation being one of the most clear-cut ways to help “green” a site’s electricity supply and help the com­mer­cial/in­dus­tri­al user achieve their climate change targets;on-site power solutions having the ability to provide resilience of electricity supply during times of system outage or con­straint;avoid­ance of the network and policy charges typically associated with electricity taken from the grid; andthe commercial opportunities from leveraging flexible on-site power solutions to reduce consumption from the grid and/or to export electricity onto the grid. However, while such opportunities mean that on-site power solutions are often an attractive option, on-site projects will generally come with a complex array of legal options and considerations. These range from:the fundamental point that such projects inherently involve participation in a typically heav­ily-reg­u­lated arena (and often the backdrop of a set of regulations rapidly evolving to keep pace with the sector), toa range of pro­ject/agree­ment structures and parties (without a “cookie cutter” approach) involved in project ownership, operation and electricity sale and purchase, with significant co-dependence between such parties, toa government policy context that (while at face value often pro-green) is often increasingly concerned about grid and policy charges being avoided through these types of project and wishes to see all market participants paying a perceived fair share of such costs. In this guide we provide an overview of these challenges and opportunities in Europe, with a view to assisting you in reviewing, upfront, the key issues often associated with on-site power solutions of this nature.