Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about supplier management (SMaRT)

Entering into a business relationship with Deutsche Bahn involves several steps.
An initial overview of our demand focus areas and supply and service categories can be found in our Supplier Portal.

Deutsche Bahn awards contracts on a competitive basis. Current tenders can be found here: Bieterportal.
To participate, registration in the bidder portal is required.

Independently, you may register in SMaRT and create your company profile.
Registration in SMaRT does not create any entitlement to participate in tenders or receive a contract.

Access is granted via company registration in SMaRT.
After registration, authorised contacts can be created and will receive an activation email.

Here you will find the instructions for self-registration.

Prequalification may be required depending on the category.

You can reset your password here: https://smart.noncd.db.de/prod/ForgotPassword/Index  

Please check that:

• the correct email address is used
• Caps Lock is not activated

If password reset fails, please contact us using your registered email address via our support form.

Please contact the support team via our support form. The issue will be analysed and access restored if possible.

Refer to Deutsche Bahn key business areas. This provides an overview of supply and service categories.

Our Prequalification information may also help.

Select the commodity groups relevant for your company.

Our support team does not provide advisory services for selection.

Please use the following resources:

Our key business areas and our general information on prequalification.

Step-by-step instructions can be found directly in the SMaRT system instructions.

Users can be added, edited or removed in SMaRT. Please follow these instructions: Folgen Sie dazu dieser Anleitung.

If you need support, please use our support form and provide the user details of the new user, at least function, first name, surname and e-mail address.

To upload documents or certificates, please use the respective function in the relevant process or profile area in SMaRT. If you require assistance with the individual steps, please refer to the system instructions for suppliers in SMaRT.

If the upload does not work technically, please check your internet connection, possible file restrictions and an alternative browser. If the problem persists, please use our support form.

No. SMaRT is used for master data and qualification management.

Participation in tenders/awarding of contracts takes place exclusively via the Deutsche Bahn Bieterportal.

Framework agreements at Deutsche Bahn are always put out to tender on a competitive basis.

Companies can apply as potential contractual partners as part of these tendering procedures. The tenders/awards are issued for a fixed period (usually several years). During this period, the group of framework agreement partners is firmly defined.

In order to be considered as a framework agreement partner in the future, we recommend that you regularly check the published award procedures on our Bieterportal and apply for suitable awards/tenders.

Please note that additional requirements, such as prequalification, may be necessary depending on the area of supply and services.

If your enquiry relates to an ongoing prequalification process, please use the comment function directly in the process in SMaRT. This allows your enquiry to be clearly assigned and processed more quickly.

If you have general questions about prequalification or requalification, you can use our support form. Your enquiry will be forwarded to the relevant department.

Please also refer to our general information on prequalification.

If you have received a reminder email about the expiry of your prequalification, you must submit your own application.

To do this, log in to SMaRT and start a new prequalification process there.

You can find instructions on how to start a PQ here.
 

Prequalification is a procedure in which certain suitability requirements, evidence and documents are checked depending on the area of supply or service. Which requirements apply depends on the respective area.

Here you will find general information on the procedure, requirements and documents.

Additional requirements may apply for certain areas, particularly in the infrastructure sector.

Please check the following:
 

• Your internet connection is stable
• The file does not exceed size or format limits
• Try using another browser (e.g. Chrome or Edge) 

Note: If the problem persists, please create a ticket via our support form. The case will be escalated to second-level technical support.

Please send us a brief description of the issue together with a screenshot of the error message via our support form.

Enquiries relating to the vendor process do not fall within the scope of SMaRT support.

Please contact directly:
Lieferantenstammdaten.Einkauf@deutschebahn.com

Please create a ticket via our support form, your enquiry will be forwarded to the responsible contacts at DB Zeitarbeit.

For any queries, please use our support form. Your enquiry will be forwarded to the responsible department.

SMaRT is Deutsche Bahn’s supplier management system. It allows suppliers to maintain their master data, view and edit information on commodity groups, and manage prequalification and requalification applications.

SMaRT enables you to manage your company and contact data for cooperation with Deutsche Bahn. Up-to-date master data and correctly maintained contacts help ensure that processes can be clearly assigned and that relevant information is communicated to the appropriate persons.

Please note: Registration in SMaRT is useful for maintaining your supplier profile but does not replace participation in procurement procedures via the bidder portal.