Glossary
Procurement terms, explained for bidders
Relevant terms covering UK and EU public procurement — from procedures and portals to scoring and strategy. Written by bid professionals, not lawyers.
Procurement procedures
Framework agreement
A long-term agreement between one or more buyers and one or more suppliers that establishes the terms for contracts awarded during its lifetime, typically lasting two to four years.
Dynamic purchasing system(DPS)
An electronic procurement system that remains open to new suppliers throughout its lifetime, allowing qualified providers to join at any point rather than only during an initial competition.
Open procedure
A single-stage procurement process where any interested supplier can submit a full tender response. There is no pre-qualification or shortlisting step — all compliant tenders are evaluated.
Restricted procedure
A two-stage procurement process where suppliers first complete a selection questionnaire to be shortlisted, and only shortlisted candidates are invited to submit a full tender.
Competitive dialogue
A procurement procedure where the buyer engages in structured conversations with shortlisted suppliers to develop solutions before inviting final tenders, used when the buyer cannot define the technical specification upfront.
Negotiated procedure without prior publication
A procurement route where the buyer negotiates directly with one or more suppliers without publishing a contract notice, permitted only in specific circumstances such as extreme urgency or where only one supplier can deliver.
Light touch regime(LTR)
A simplified procurement regime for certain social, health, education, and other specified services, with higher thresholds and more flexible procedural rules than the standard procurement regulations.
Mini-competition
A competition run among suppliers already appointed to a framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system to award a specific contract or call-off, using the terms established in the overarching agreement.
Call-off contract
An individual contract awarded under a framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system for a specific requirement, drawing on the pre-agreed terms of the overarching arrangement.
Documents and notices
Invitation to tender(ITT)
A formal document issued by a buyer inviting suppliers to submit a tender for a specific contract, containing the specification, evaluation criteria, terms and conditions, and submission requirements.
Selection questionnaire(SQ)
A standardised pre-qualification document used in restricted procedures to assess whether suppliers meet the minimum requirements to be invited to tender, covering financial standing, technical capability, and relevant experience.
Pre-qualification questionnaire(PQQ)
The predecessor to the selection questionnaire, used before 2015 to pre-qualify suppliers in restricted procurements. The term is still widely used colloquially to refer to any pre-qualification stage.
Contract notice
A formal advertisement published on procurement portals announcing that a buyer intends to award a contract, inviting suppliers to express interest or submit tenders.
Award notice
A public notice confirming that a contract has been awarded, naming the winning supplier, the contract value, and the number of tenders received.
Prior information notice(PIN)
An advance notice published by a buyer signalling their intention to procure in the future, typically issued months before the formal contract notice to alert the market and allow suppliers to prepare.
Evaluation and scoring
Most economically advantageous tender(MEAT)
The evaluation principle requiring public buyers to award contracts based on the best combination of quality and price (or cost), not simply the lowest price.
Evaluation criteria
The specific factors and their weightings used by a buyer to assess and score tender responses, typically covering technical quality, methodology, staff, price, and social value.
Quality score
The score awarded to the non-price elements of a tender response, assessed against published evaluation criteria and typically representing 60–80% of the total evaluation in quality-led procurements.
Social value
The wider economic, social, and environmental benefits that a supplier's delivery of a public contract generates beyond the direct goods or services purchased, now a mandatory evaluation criterion in most UK central government procurements.
Strategy and decision-making
Bid/no-bid decision
The structured assessment a supplier makes to determine whether a tender opportunity is worth pursuing, weighing factors like strategic fit, win probability, resource cost, and commercial value.
Win themes
The three to five key messages woven throughout a tender response that differentiate your bid from competitors, articulating why you are the best choice for this specific buyer on this specific contract.
Competitor analysis in procurement
The systematic process of identifying, tracking, and analysing the suppliers competing for the same public sector contracts, using award notices, framework positions, and market intelligence to inform bid strategy.
Consortium bid
A joint tender submitted by two or more organisations that combine their capabilities, experience, and resources to compete for a contract that none could win or deliver alone.
Portals and systems
Contracts Finder
The UK government's free online portal where public sector buyers must advertise contract opportunities and publish award notices for contracts valued above £12,000 (central government) or £30,000 (sub-central authorities).
Find a Tender(FTS)
The UK's e-notification service that replaced the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for UK procurements after Brexit, used for publishing contract notices above the international procurement thresholds.
Tenders Electronic Daily(TED)
The European Union's online publication platform for public procurement notices, covering all EU member states and EEA countries. Since Brexit, UK procurements appear on Find a Tender instead, but TED remains relevant for UK suppliers bidding into EU markets.
CPV codes(CPV)
The Common Procurement Vocabulary — a standardised classification system using numerical codes to describe the subject of procurement contracts, enabling consistent categorisation and searchability across public procurement portals.
Regulations and compliance
Procurement thresholds
The financial values that determine which procurement rules apply to a public sector contract — below-threshold contracts follow lighter rules, while above-threshold contracts must comply with full procurement regulations including mandatory advertising and specific procedure requirements.
Public Contracts Regulations 2015(PCR 2015)
The primary legislation governing public procurement in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, transposing the EU Public Procurement Directive into UK law. Being progressively replaced by the Procurement Act 2023.
Procurement Act 2023
The new UK procurement legislation replacing the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, introducing a simplified and more flexible framework including new procedures, a single digital platform, and enhanced transparency requirements.
Standstill period(Alcatel period)
A mandatory waiting period of at least 10 calendar days between the buyer announcing the contract award decision and formally entering into the contract, giving unsuccessful bidders time to challenge the decision.