Documents and notices
Contract details notice
Written by Justin Cesman, CEO of Skim. Last reviewed:
- Definition
- A contract details notice is published once a contracting authority has entered into a public contract. It confirms the contract that followed the award and records its terms, including the start and end dates — which makes it the key record for tracking contract expiry.
Key takeaways
- A contract details notice is published after the contract is actually entered into, not when the award is announced.
- It carries the contract's start and end dates, making it the primary source for expiry tracking.
- An award notice announces the outcome and triggers standstill; the contract details notice confirms the contract that resulted.
- A contract that was announced but never signed will have an award notice and no contract details notice.
- Later contract change notices can amend the recorded dates, so check for them before relying on an end date.
The Procurement Act 2023 separates announcing an award from recording the contract. The contract award notice comes first and starts the standstill period. Once standstill passes and the contract is signed, the authority publishes a contract details notice covering the contract actually entered into.
For suppliers, this second notice is the more useful of the two. It is where the contract's duration is recorded, and duration is what turns a historic award into a future opportunity.
The gap between the two notices is itself informative. An award notice with no subsequent contract details notice may mean the procurement was abandoned, challenged, or is still within standstill.
Why it matters for bidders
Every pipeline forecast built from award history depends on knowing when contracts end. The contract details notice is where that date lives, which makes it the single most valuable notice type for anyone trying to see a tender before it is published.
How Skim helps
Skim reads contract details and contract change notices across every UK and EU portal and joins them to their award notices, reconstructing a contract-level history with expiry dates you can query rather than assemble by hand.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between an award notice and a contract details notice?
- An award notice announces the outcome of a procurement and triggers the standstill period. A contract details notice is published once the contract has actually been entered into, and records its terms including the start and end dates. For expiry tracking, the contract details notice is the more useful of the two.
- Where do I find a contract details notice?
- On Find a Tender for above-threshold contracts and Contracts Finder for below-threshold ones, published by the contracting authority after it enters into the contract. Search by buyer name, supplier name, or CPV code.
- Does every contract have a contract details notice?
- Not always. A procurement that was announced but abandoned or successfully challenged may have an award notice with no contract details notice following it. A missing notice can also simply mean the contract is still within its standstill period.
Sources
Related terms
Award notice
An award notice is a public notice confirming the outcome of a procurement — naming the winning supplier, the contract value, and the number of tenders received. Under the Procurement Act 2023 the term splits into two notices: a contract award notice published before the contract is signed, and a contract details notice published after.
Contract expiry
Contract expiry is the date a public sector contract reaches the end of its agreed term. Because the buyer must usually re-procure the requirement to keep the service running, an expiry date is the most reliable published signal of a future tender.
Standstill period(Alcatel period)
The standstill period is a mandatory pause between a public buyer announcing a contract award and signing it, giving unsuccessful bidders time to challenge. Under the Procurement Act 2023 it is at least eight working days from publication of the contract award notice; under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 it was ten calendar days.