Issuing Notice and Rejection

Final Hurdle

We have a legal obligation to inform all of the Tenderers of the decisions made and give them full details of how they were reached (i.e. their overall score, ranking, the name of the successful supplier and other relevant information).

A letter of our intention to award is accordingly issued by Procurement; the unsuccessful firms are afforded an opportunity to challenge any award made, and are allowed fifteen (15) days (the "mandatory standstill period") following announcement of selection (reduced to ten (10) days if this is sent   electronically).  It is very common to receive requests for further information at this stage, and we must do our best to accommodate them: the alternative might be that these will be received as Freedom of Information Requests, or even legal challenges, so provided the information is not considered commercially confidential (and in the public sector very little is) details should generally be released, but this must always be treated as a formal matter, and all communications should be through Procurement.

After this period is over, and as long as we don't receive any challenges, we can begin discussing and agreeing the terms and conditions of contract with the successful supplier.