Regulations and compliance
Standstill period(Alcatel period)
Written by Justin Cesman, CEO of Skim. Last reviewed:
- Definition
- 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.
Key takeaways
- The standstill period — also called the Alcatel period — is the legally required pause between announcing a contract award and entering into the contract, giving unsuccessful bidders a window to scrutinise or challenge the decision.
- Under the Procurement Act 2023, the mandatory standstill is at least eight working days, beginning on the day the contract award notice is published (section 51).
- Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, it was at least ten calendar days from the award decision notice when sent electronically, or fifteen calendar days when sent by post (regulation 87).
- Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays in any part of the UK — so eight working days can span eleven or more calendar days around a bank holiday.
- Frameworks, dynamic markets, light-touch contracts, and certain urgent or direct awards are exempt, though buyers may apply a voluntary standstill, which must also be at least eight working days.
How it works
The standstill period — sometimes called the Alcatel period after the European court case that established it — is a legal safeguard for unsuccessful bidders. Once a buyer decides who has won, it cannot sign the contract immediately. It must pause, tell all bidders the outcome, and wait. That pause is the moment when a losing supplier can request feedback, examine the scoring, and, if the process looks flawed, issue a legal challenge that can automatically suspend the award before the contract is entered into.
Under the Procurement Act 2023, in force for procurements started on or after 24 February 2025, the mandatory standstill period is at least eight working days, beginning on the day the contract award notice is published (section 51). Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays in any part of the United Kingdom, so a standstill that crosses a bank holiday weekend can run to eleven or more calendar days. Before the contract award notice can be published, the buyer must issue assessment summaries to successful and unsuccessful suppliers, so bidders receive the reasons for the decision at the start of the window rather than having to chase a debrief.
Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which still govern procurements begun before 24 February 2025, the clock worked differently. The standstill ran for at least ten calendar days from the day after the buyer sent the regulation 86 award decision notice by electronic means, or at least fifteen calendar days where the notice was sent only by post (regulation 87). The trigger was the dispatch of the decision letter to bidders, not the publication of a notice — and the count was in calendar days, not working days.
The standstill applies to above-threshold procurements run under the full rules. Below-threshold awards, call-offs from a framework agreement, and awards through a dynamic market are generally exempt, as are light-touch contracts and certain awards justified by extreme urgency. Where no standstill is required, a buyer may still apply a voluntary one as good practice — but under the Procurement Act 2023 any voluntary standstill must also be at least eight working days.
Standstill period: Public Contracts Regulations 2015 vs Procurement Act 2023
| Feature | PCR 2015 (before 24 Feb 2025) | Procurement Act 2023 (from 24 Feb 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum length | 10 days electronic; 15 days by post | 8 working days |
| Unit counted | Calendar days | Working days (excl. weekends and UK bank holidays) |
| What starts the clock | Sending the regulation 86 award decision notice to bidders | Publishing the contract award notice (s.51) |
| Reasons given to bidders | On request / in the decision notice | Assessment summaries issued before the notice is published |
| Main exemptions | Below-threshold; framework call-offs; urgency | Frameworks; dynamic markets; light-touch; urgency / direct award |
| Voluntary standstill | Permitted as good practice | Permitted, but must be at least 8 working days |
Under the Procurement Act 2023
Reviewed
The length and trigger of the standstill period depend on when the procurement started. Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), which still govern procurements begun before 24 February 2025, the standstill was at least ten calendar days from the day after the buyer sent the award decision notice to bidders by electronic means, or at least fifteen calendar days where sent only by post (regulation 87). The Procurement Act 2023, in force for procurements started on or after 24 February 2025, changes both the duration and the unit: the mandatory standstill is now at least eight working days beginning on the day the contract award notice is published (section 51), with working days excluding weekends and bank holidays in any part of the UK. The trigger also moves from the dispatch of a decision letter to the publication of a notice. Frameworks, dynamic markets, and light-touch contracts are exempt under the Act, but any voluntary standstill a buyer chooses to run must still be at least eight working days.
Sources: Procurement Act 2023, section 51 (legislation.gov.uk) · Public Contracts Regulations 2015, regulation 87 (legislation.gov.uk) · GOV.UK — Guidance: Contract award notices and standstill
Why it matters for bidders
The standstill period is the one moment when a public buyer must stop and let you scrutinise a decision before it becomes final — so treat it as a working window, not a formality. Request the assessment summary or debrief in every case, even when you have no intention of challenging: the feedback on your quality scores and evaluation comments is the most direct read you will get on how a buyer judged your bid. The shift to eight working days under the Procurement Act 2023 compresses the calendar but front-loads the reasons, because assessment summaries now land before the clock starts. Used well, that feedback compounds across submissions — the discipline of mining award decisions bid after bid, drawn from teams who have won £3bn+ in UK and EU public contracts, is what turns a lost tender into a sharper next one.
How Skim helps
Skim tracks standstill timings and debrief feedback across your bid history, building a pattern of your scoring performance over many evaluations so you can see which aspects of your bidding consistently cost you. Its Bid Analysis agent reads the assessment summaries and evaluation comments against the published criteria, so the feedback you collect during each standstill becomes structured input for the next bid rather than a one-off note that gets filed and forgotten.
Frequently asked questions
- How long is the standstill period under the Procurement Act 2023?
- The mandatory standstill period is at least eight working days, beginning on the day the contract award notice is published (section 51). Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays in any part of the UK. The buyer cannot enter into the contract during this window, giving unsuccessful bidders time to scrutinise or challenge the award decision.
- What was the standstill period under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015?
- Under regulation 87 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the standstill was at least ten calendar days from the day after the buyer sent the award decision notice to bidders by electronic means, or at least fifteen calendar days where the notice was sent only by post. These rules still apply to procurements started before 24 February 2025.
- What is the Alcatel period?
- The Alcatel period is another name for the standstill period — the mandatory pause between a public buyer announcing a contract award and signing it. It is named after the Alcatel court case that established the requirement, ensuring unsuccessful bidders have time to challenge a decision before the contract becomes binding.
- Does the standstill period apply to framework call-offs?
- Generally no. Call-offs from a framework agreement, awards through a dynamic market, light-touch contracts, and certain urgent or direct awards are exempt from the mandatory standstill under the Procurement Act 2023. Buyers may still apply a voluntary standstill as good practice, but it must be at least eight working days.
- Are standstill days calendar days or working days?
- Under the Procurement Act 2023 they are working days — at least eight of them — which exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and UK bank holidays, so a standstill can span eleven or more calendar days. Under the older Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the period was counted in calendar days: ten if the decision was sent electronically, fifteen if by post.
- Can you challenge a contract award during the standstill period?
- Yes. The standstill period exists precisely so unsuccessful bidders can act before the contract is signed. Issuing court proceedings during the standstill triggers an automatic suspension that prevents the buyer entering into the contract until the challenge is resolved or the suspension is lifted, which is why the window is the supplier's main point of leverage.
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.
Call-off contract
A call-off contract is the individual, legally binding contract a public sector buyer places with a supplier under a framework agreement or dynamic market. The framework sets the rules; the call-off is the actual order, with its own scope, value, duration, and deliverables.
Procurement thresholds
Procurement thresholds are the financial values, set in Schedule 1 of the Procurement Act 2023 and revised every two years, that decide which rules a UK public contract follows. A contract estimated at or above the threshold (including VAT) triggers full regulated procurement; below it, lighter rules apply.