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After submitting your tender, it undergoes evaluation against pre-published criteria, followed by a standstill period if you're unsuccessful, then contract award and debriefing opportunities.
Once you submit your tender, the contracting authority begins a structured evaluation process against the published award criteria. Your submission enters a formal assessment phase where evaluators score your technical response, commercial offer, and any additional requirements like social value commitments. This evaluation must follow the methodology outlined in the tender documentation.
The authority cannot make any changes to the evaluation criteria after the submission deadline, ensuring fair treatment of all bidders. Depending on the procurement's complexity, this evaluation period typically ranges from 2-8 weeks for standard procedures.
Evaluators assess submissions using the published weightings—commonly 60% quality and 40% price for services, though this varies by sector. For construction projects, technical capability often carries higher weighting. The evaluation team scores each criterion independently before moderation meetings to ensure consistency.
Once evaluation concludes, the authority prepares award recommendations and seeks internal approvals. This stage includes legal and commercial reviews, particularly for high-value contracts exceeding £4.7 million for goods/services or £5.9 million for works under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Before contract signature, unsuccessful bidders receive notification and enter a mandatory 10-day standstill period (15 days if sent by post). This 'Alcatel period' allows you to challenge the decision if you believe the process was flawed. The authority must provide specific reasons for your unsuccessful bid during this period.
Successful bidders receive provisional award notices but cannot commence work until the standstill expires and contracts are formally signed. Any legal challenges during standstill can delay the entire process.
You're entitled to request a detailed debriefing within 12 months of the award decision. This feedback session explains your scores, identifies improvement areas, and compares your bid against the winning submission (without revealing confidential information). Many authorities offer these debriefings as standard practice to support supplier development.
For transparency, contract award notices appear on Contracts Finder within 30 days for lower-value procurements, with higher-value awards also published in the Official Journal of the European Union despite Brexit.
The entire post-submission timeline from evaluation to contract signature typically spans 6-12 weeks for standard procedures, though complex procurements or legal challenges can extend this significantly. Understanding these timescales helps you plan resource allocation and manage cash flow expectations effectively.