# Public Procurement Tender Pack: [Contract title]

> A tender pack for a competitive public procurement: the procurement
> record, the tender notice content, conditions of participation, the
> specification summary, the award criteria and assessment method, the
> timetable with legal minimum periods, the assessment record, the
> award notice and the standstill period. The structure is neutral, with
> dated rules from two regimes as examples: the UK Procurement Act 2023
> (in force from 24 February 2025; 2026 threshold amounts from 1
> January 2026) and Directive 2014/24/EU (thresholds for 2026 and 2027
> set by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152), with a pointer
> to US federal rules. Replace every `[bracketed]` value and every row
> marked *Example*. This is a documentation format, not legal advice:
> procurement law is detailed and changes often, so check the current
> official texts and involve your legal and commercial advisers.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Use one pack per procurement. The contracting authority fills
  sections 1 to 7 before publishing the tender notice and sections 8 to
  10 after tenders arrive. Keep the dated record: it is your defence if
  a supplier challenges the award.
- Fix the award criteria, their weights and the assessment method
  before publication and publish them. Changing criteria after tenders
  are in is one of the most common grounds of challenge.
- Calculate every deadline from the rule that applies (calendar days or
  working days, from which day) and record the calculation. The
  worked dates below were computed, not estimated.
- The worked example follows a fictional local authority, the Harrowmere
  Regional Authority, buying a case management system under the UK Procurement Act
  2023. Every name and figure marked *Example* is invented.
- Related documents: Procurement Plan (`project/procurement-plan`),
  Procurement Policy (`procurement/procurement-policy`), RFP
  (`business/rfp`), RFP Compliance Matrix
  (`business/rfp-compliance-matrix`), Vendor Evaluation Scorecard
  (`business/vendor-evaluation-scorecard`), Conflicts of Interest
  Register (`compliance/conflicts-of-interest-register`), Contract
  Register (`procurement/contract-register`), Service Assessment Report
  (`public-sector/service-assessment-report`).
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: Record the regime and procedure chosen and who approved them. Auditors and courts look at the decision record, not only the published notices. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [PROC-2026-001] |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Status | [Planning / Tender published / Assessment / Award / Contract signed / Closed] |
| Contracting authority | [Name] |
| Contract title | [Title] |
| Procurement regime | [UK Procurement Act 2023 / National law implementing Directive 2014/24/EU / FAR / Other] |
| Procedure | [Open / Competitive flexible / Restricted / Competitive with negotiation / Framework call-off] |
| Estimated value | [Amount, including or excluding VAT as the regime requires] |
| Owner | [@procurement-lead] |
| Approvers/reviewers | [@budget-holder], [@legal-adviser], [@head-of-procurement] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Classification | [Official / Commercial in confidence] |

### Approvals

| Role | Name | Decision | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget holder | [@name] | [Approve procurement and budget] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Head of procurement | [@name] | [Approve route and award criteria] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Legal adviser | [@name] | [Approve tender documents] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Award decision maker | [@name] | [Approve award] | YYYY-MM-DD |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Author | Change summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Procurement strategy and criteria agreed |
| 0.2 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Tender notice published |
| 0.3 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | Assessment record and award decision |

## Contents

1. Procurement summary and regime check
2. Pre-market engagement record
3. Tender notice content
4. Conditions of participation and exclusions
5. Specification summary and lots
6. Award criteria and assessment method
7. Timetable and minimum periods
8. Clarifications and conflicts of interest
9. Assessment record
10. Award notice, assessment summaries and standstill
11. Glossary and references
12. Standard and licence note

## 1. Procurement summary and regime check

<!-- Guidance: Confirm which rules apply before anything else: whether the contract is above the threshold, which type of contract it is, and whether an exemption applies. Under-estimating value to stay below a threshold is not allowed in either regime. -->

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is being bought and why | [Need, outcome] |
| Contract type | [Goods / Services / Works / Light touch / Concession / Utilities] |
| Estimated total value over the full term, including options and extensions | [Amount] |
| Applicable threshold | [Amount and source] |
| Above threshold? | [Yes / No] |
| Exemptions considered | [None / Exemption and reason] |
| Lots | [Yes, n lots / No, with reason] |
| Framework or dynamic market available? | [Yes / No] |

Threshold examples (check the current values):

| Contract type | UK Procurement Act 2023 from 1 January 2026 (PPN 023) | Directive 2014/24/EU for 2026 and 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Goods and services, central government | £135,018 | €140,000 |
| Goods and services, sub-central authorities | £207,720 | €216,000 |
| Works | £5,193,000 | €5,404,000 |
| Light touch / social and other specific services | £663,540 | €750,000 |

*Example*: the Harrowmere Regional Authority (a sub-central authority)
estimates the case management system at £1,250,000 over a 4-year term
with an optional 1-year extension, above the £207,720 threshold. One lot, as
the system and its support cannot be separated without integration risk
(recorded reason).

## 2. Pre-market engagement record

<!-- Guidance: Record who you spoke to, what was shared, and how you kept the process fair (same information to all, published notice of engagement). Unequal access to information during engagement can lead to exclusion of a supplier or a challenge. -->

| Date | Activity | Participants | Information shared | Equal treatment measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YYYY-MM-DD | [Preliminary market engagement notice published] | [Open] | [Notice] | Published on [platform] |
| YYYY-MM-DD *(Example)* | Supplier day (online, recorded) | 9 suppliers | Draft requirements, timeline | Recording and Q&A published to all |

Planned procurement notice: [published YYYY-MM-DD / not published].
Under the UK Act, a qualifying planned procurement notice published at
least 40 days and no more than 12 months before the tender notice can
shorten the minimum tendering period.

## 3. Tender notice content

<!-- Guidance: The notice and the tender documents together must give suppliers enough information to prepare a tender. List what goes in the notice and what goes in the documents, and publish both at the same time where you can, since this can shorten minimum periods. -->

| Element | Content | Where published |
|---|---|---|
| Contracting authority and contact | [Details] | Notice |
| Description and CPV codes | [Codes] | Notice |
| Estimated value and term | [Value, term, options] | Notice |
| Procedure and stages | [Procedure] | Notice |
| Conditions of participation | [Section 4 summary] | Notice and documents |
| Award criteria and relative importance | [Section 6] | Notice or documents |
| Assessment methodology | [Section 6] | Documents |
| Deadlines | [Section 7] | Notice |
| Electronic submission | [Platform] | Notice |
| Social value or sustainability | [Requirements] | Documents |

## 4. Conditions of participation and exclusions

<!-- Guidance: Conditions must be proportionate to the contract: legal and financial capacity, and technical ability. Exclusion grounds are set by law; record how each supplier was checked. Do not use participation conditions to re-score quality. -->

| ID | Condition | Evidence | Pass rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| COP-01 *(Example)* | Annual turnover at least twice the annual contract value | Last two years of accounts | Pass/fail |
| COP-02 *(Example)* | Two comparable deployments in the last five years | References | Pass/fail |
| COP-03 *(Example)* | Information security certification or equivalent evidence | Certificate or controls report | Pass/fail |
| EXC-01 | Mandatory and discretionary exclusion grounds checked | Declarations, debarment list | No exclusion applies |

## 5. Specification summary and lots

<!-- Guidance: Describe outcomes and performance, not a brand or product. Reference standards with "or equivalent". Link the full specification. -->

[Summarise the requirement, service levels, implementation phases and
exit arrangements, and link the full specification.]

| ID | Requirement | Type | Must or should |
|---|---|---|---|
| REQ-01 *(Example)* | Caseworkers can create, assign and close cases with a full audit trail | Functional | Must |
| REQ-02 *(Example)* | Service meets WCAG 2.2 AA for staff and public screens | Accessibility | Must |
| REQ-03 *(Example)* | Availability 99.5% in core hours | Service level | Must |
| REQ-04 *(Example)* | Data exported in an open format at exit | Exit | Must |

## 6. Award criteria and assessment method

<!-- Guidance: Each criterion must relate to the subject matter of the contract, be published with its relative importance, and be scored with the published method. Write a scoring guide per criterion so different assessors reach the same score. -->

Basis of award: UK Act section 19 and 23 (most advantageous tender);
Directive 2014/24/EU Article 67 (most economically advantageous tender,
which may use the best price-quality ratio).

| ID | Criterion | Weight | Scoring |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWC-01 *(Example)* | Technical solution against REQ-01 to REQ-04 | 35% | 0 to 5 scale, score / 5 x 35 |
| AWC-02 *(Example)* | Implementation and delivery plan | 15% | 0 to 5 scale, score / 5 x 15 |
| AWC-03 *(Example)* | Social value (local skills, apprenticeships) | 10% | 0 to 5 scale, score / 5 x 10 |
| AWC-04 *(Example)* | Price (total cost over 5 years incl. extension) | 40% | lowest price / tender price x 40 |
| | **Total** | **100%** | |

Quality minimum: [e.g. no score below 2 on AWC-01]. Abnormally low
tenders: [process for asking the supplier to explain].

## 7. Timetable and minimum periods

<!-- Guidance: Calculate each date from the rule of the regime that applies. UK Act tendering periods are counted in days; the UK standstill period is counted in working days; the EU standstill period is counted in calendar days. Write down the counting rule next to each date. -->

| Milestone | Rule | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tender notice published | | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Clarification deadline | [Set by authority] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Tender deadline | [Minimum period and rule] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Assessment complete | | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Award notice and assessment summaries | | YYYY-MM-DD |
| End of standstill | [Rule] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Contract signed | | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Contract details notice | [Rule] | YYYY-MM-DD |

Minimum periods, as examples (check the current texts):

| Item | UK Procurement Act 2023 | Directive 2014/24/EU |
|---|---|---|
| Open procedure tendering period | 25 days where tenders are electronic and all documents are available with the notice; 30 or 35 days otherwise; 10 days in specified cases (qualifying planned procurement notice, urgency, dynamic market) (section 54) | 35 days from the date the contract notice was sent, with permitted reductions (Article 27) |
| Standstill before signing | At least 8 working days beginning with the day the contract award notice is published (section 51) | At least 10 calendar days from the day after the award decision is sent electronically, 15 days by other means (Remedies Directive 89/665/EEC, Article 2a, as amended by Directive 2007/66/EC) |
| Information to bidders | Assessment summaries to each supplier that submitted an assessed tender, before the award notice (section 50) | Inform candidates and tenderers of decisions as soon as possible; reasons on request within 15 days (Article 55) |
| Award notice after signing | Contract details notice within 30 days of entering into the contract, 120 days for light touch contracts (section 53) | Contract award notice within 30 days of concluding the contract (Article 50) |

*Example* (UK Act, open procedure, electronic tenders, all documents
published with the notice):

| Milestone *(Example)* | Rule | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tender notice published | | 2027-01-11 (Monday) |
| Earliest tender deadline | 25 days starting the day after publication | 2027-02-05 (Friday) |
| Tender deadline set | Longer than minimum to allow for a demo | 2027-02-12 (Friday) |
| Contract award notice published | | 2027-03-01 (Monday) |
| Last day of standstill | 8 working days beginning with 2027-03-01 | 2027-03-10 (Wednesday) |
| Earliest contract signature | Day after standstill ends, if no challenge | 2027-03-11 (Thursday) |

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A["Tender notice published"] --> B["Tendering period"]
    B --> C["Tenders opened"]
    C --> D["Exclusions and conditions checked"]
    D --> E["Award criteria scored and moderated"]
    E --> F["Assessment summaries sent"]
    F --> G["Contract award notice published"]
    G --> H["Standstill period"]
    H --> I["Contract signed"]
    I --> J["Contract details notice published"]
```

## 8. Clarifications and conflicts of interest

<!-- Guidance: Answer clarification questions to all suppliers, anonymised, and log them. Every person involved in the procurement declares interests before seeing tenders; the UK Act also requires a conflicts assessment to be prepared and kept under review. -->

| ID | Date received | Question (anonymised) | Answer | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLR-01 *(Example)* | 2027-01-19 | Can the system be hosted outside the country? | See REQ-04 and data annex: hosting location must meet the authority's data policy | 2027-01-21 |

| Person | Role | Declaration date | Interest declared | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [@name] | [Assessor] | YYYY-MM-DD | [None / Description] | [Action] |

## 9. Assessment record

<!-- Guidance: Each assessor scores independently, then a moderation meeting agrees the final score with a written reason that refers to the tender. Keep individual and moderated scores. Recompute the totals before sign-off. -->

*Example* (moderated scores; price score = lowest price / tender price x 40):

| Bidder *(Example)* | Price (5 years) | AWC-01 (0-5) | AWC-02 (0-5) | AWC-03 (0-5) | Quality score (60) | Price score (40) | Total (100) | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bidder A | £1,180,000 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 43.00 | 34.58 | 77.58 | 2 |
| Bidder B | £1,020,000 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 34.00 | 40.00 | 74.00 | 3 |
| Bidder C | £1,260,000 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 55.00 | 32.38 | 87.38 | 1 |

Check: Bidder C quality = 5/5 x 35 + 4/5 x 15 + 4/5 x 10 = 35 + 12 + 8
= 55; price = 1,020,000 / 1,260,000 x 40 = 32.38. The highest total
is the most advantageous tender under the published method. Bidder C's
price is above the £1,250,000 estimate: [record the budget decision].

## 10. Award notice, assessment summaries and standstill

<!-- Guidance: Tell each bidder its own scores and the reasons, and give the winning tender's scores and the relative advantages, without disclosing confidential commercial information. Record any challenge received during standstill and the legal advice taken. -->

| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Assessment summaries sent | YYYY-MM-DD, to [bidders] |
| Contract award notice published | YYYY-MM-DD, [platform and reference] |
| Standstill end | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Challenges received | [None / Details and status] |
| Contract signed | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Contract details notice | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Contract published (where required) | YYYY-MM-DD |

## 11. Glossary and references

<!-- Guidance: Keep the regime references dated, and note any regime change expected during the contract term (for example a revision of the EU directives or US federal acquisition rules). -->

### 11.1 Glossary

| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Contracting authority | Public body buying under procurement law |
| Tender notice / contract notice | Public notice that starts a competitive procedure |
| Conditions of participation / selection criteria | Minimum capacity a supplier must show |
| Most advantageous tender (UK) / MEAT (EU) | The tender that scores best against the published award criteria |
| Assessment summary | UK Act: explanation to each bidder of its assessment |
| Standstill | Period between award notice and signature during which suppliers can challenge |
| Light touch contract | Certain social, health and education services with simpler rules |
| CPV | Common Procurement Vocabulary codes for describing what is bought |

### 11.2 References

| Reference | Version or date | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Procurement Act 2023 (UK) and Procurement Regulations 2024 | In force from 24 February 2025 | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54 |
| Procurement Act 2023 guidance documents, Cabinet Office (time periods, assessing competitive tenders, contract award notices and standstill) | Procure phase pages updated 2026-08-17 | https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/procurement-act-2023-guidance-documents |
| PPN 023: 2026 Threshold Amounts | Issued November 2025, applies from 2026-01-01 | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-023-2026-threshold-amounts |
| Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement | OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, as amended | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/24/oj |
| Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152 (thresholds 2026 to 2027) | 22 October 2025 | https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/public-procurement/legal-rules-and-implementation/thresholds_en |
| Directive 89/665/EEC as amended by Directive 2007/66/EC (remedies, standstill) | 2007 amendment | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2007/66/oj |
| US Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR), Revolutionary FAR Overhaul | Overhaul in progress, page updated 2026-10-26 | https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul |

## 12. Standard and licence note

Based on the UK Procurement Act 2023 and its Cabinet Office guidance,
Directive 2014/24/EU, Directive 2007/66/EC and the European
Commission's threshold page, all public law and official publications,
paraphrased in original wording. Thresholds and minimum periods are
dated examples: check the current official texts, transitional rules
and any national implementing law before each procurement. US federal
buyers should follow the current FAR, which is being rewritten under
the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul. This template is not legal advice.

Template licence: MIT.