Procurement procedures

Procurement procedures describe award processes that are defined by law to conduct a procurement. The EU Public Procurement law defines four procurement processes: 

  • Open procedure tenders: An open procedure tender is a formal procurement method where any interested potential supplier may submit a tender. In this one-stage procedure, suppliers respond to an open call for competition set up by the purchaser (contracting authority) which details the criteria used for awarding the contract.
  • Restricted procedure tenders: A restricted procedure tender is a formal, two-stage procurement method. Any interested potential supplier can submit a request to participate in the first stage, but only suppliers who fulfil pre-qualification criteria set out by the purchaser (contracting authority) may submit tenders in the second stage.
  • Competitive dialogue procedures: Competitive dialogue is a two-stage procurement method that involves the purchaser (contracting authority) pre-selecting potential suppliers based on their initial submissions and initiating a dialogue with them to identify the best possible method to address the need specified by the purchaser.
  • Competitive procedures with negotiation: A competitive negotiated procedure is a two-stage procurement method that involves pre-selection of suitable potential suppliers by the purchaser (contracting authority) and negotiations of submitted tenders.

Last update: 20 June 2023

Source: PPRI