Minimum time limits for submission of PQQs and tenders have been reduced significantly in the new regulations enabling councils to speed up the procurement process. The new time limits are summarised in the table below.
What is this about?
Minimum time limits for submission of PQQs and tenders have been reduced significantly in the new regulations enabling councils to speed up the procurement process. The new time limits are summarised in the table below.
Care need to be taken when drawing up procurement timetables. The time limits are minimums and the regulations make it clear that suppliers need sufficient time to prepare and submit PQQs and tenders, depending on complexity etc.
When seeking to speed up the procurement process, councils should look first to the phases of the process that they control (for which there are no mandatory time limits) including assessing PQQs, conducting dialogues and negotiations and evaluating of tenders.
What is new?
Minimum time limits under PCR 2015
This table is based on Crown Commercial Service (2014) A Brief Guide to the New EU Public Contracts Directive.
Procedure | Normal minimum time limit | Where electronic tenders allowed | Where urgent + | Where PIN published* | Where sub-central authority** |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open procedure | Minimum time limit for receipt of tenders 35 days |
Minimum time limit for receipt of tenders 30 days |
Minimum time limit for receipt of tenders 15 days |
Minimum time limit for receipt of tenders 15 days |
N/A |
Restricted procedure | Minimum time limit for requests to participate 30 days | N/A | Minimum time limit for requests to participate 15 days | N/A | N/A |
Minimum time limit for tenders 30 days |
Minimum time limit for receipt of tenders 25 days |
Minimum time limit for tenders 10 days |
Minimum time limit for tenders 10 days |
Minimum time limit for tenders to be set by agreement with tenderers. In the absence of agreement minimum time limit 10 days |
|
Competitive procedure with negotiation | Minimum time limit for requests to participate 30 days |
N/A | Minimum time limit for requests to participate 15 days |
N/A | N/A |
Minimum time limit for initial tenders 30 days |
Minimum time limit for receipt of initial tenders 25 days |
Minimum time limit for tenders 10 days |
Minimum time limit for tenders 10 days |
Minimum time limit for tenders to be set by agreement with tenderers. In the absence of agreement minimum time limit 10 days |
|
Competitive dialogue | Minimum time limit for requests to participate 30 days |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Innovation partnership | No explicit time limits for submission of initial/subsequent tenders | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Notes
# These are minimum time limits. When fixing the time limits for the receipt of tenders and requests to participate, contracting authorities must take account of the complexity of the contract and the time required for drawing up tenders.
+ This shorter time limit is allowed where a state of urgency duly substantiated by the contracting authorities renders the minimum impracticable.
* This shorter time limit is allowed where contracting authorities have published a prior information notice which was not itself used as a means of calling for competition, provided that all of the following conditions are fulfilled:
(a) the PIN included all the information required in section I of the PIN notice referred to in the Public Contracts Directive, insofar as that information was available at the time the prior information notice was published;
(b) the prior information notice was send for publication between 35 days and 12 months before the date on which the contract notice was sent.
** 'sub-central contracting authorities' means all contracting authorities which are not central government authorities.