# How do you qualify a tender notice before you commit to a bid? - Title: How to qualify a tender notice before you bid — Sinal - URL: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/answers/how-to-qualify-a-tender-notice - Language: en - Updated: 2026-10-25 - Alternate (pt-PT): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/respostas/como-avaliar-um-anuncio-de-concurso (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/respostas/como-avaliar-um-anuncio-de-concurso.md) - Alternate (es-ES): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/respuestas/como-evaluar-un-anuncio-de-licitacion (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/respuestas/como-evaluar-un-anuncio-de-licitacion.md) [← Back to Answers](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/answers) Open the notice itself, then check the six things that decide a bid: the deadline, the [lot](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/lot) and scope, your capacity against the [selection criteria](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/selection-criteria), the [award criteria](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/award-criteria-meat), the exclusion and paperwork risk, and what delivery will cost you. Do this before drafting. The result is a documented bid or no-bid decision, not a prediction of who wins. Reviewed 25 October 2026 · Sinal team ## 1. Open the current notice and its documents Start from the official record, not a summary. Confirm which procedure it is, who the [contracting authority](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/contracting-authority) is, and whether the notice was corrected or extended. The minimum time to bid is set by the procedure: 35 days in an [open procedure](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/open-procedure) above the EU threshold, from the day the notice was sent, which can be shortened in cases such as electronic submission (Directive art. 27(1) and (4)), and 30 days to request participation plus 30 to tender in a restricted one (art. 28). If additional information requested in good time is not provided at least six days before the deadline, or the documents change significantly, the authority must extend it (art. 47(3)). ## 2. Read the scope and the lots Compare the object with what you deliver, and treat the [CPV code](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/cpv-code) as a clue, not proof. If the contract is divided into lots, the notice says whether you can bid for one, several or all, and may cap how many one bidder can win (Directive art. 46; CCP art. 46-A; LCSP art. 99(3) and (4)). ## 3. Check your capacity against the selection criteria Selection criteria can cover suitability for the activity, economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability, and must be related and proportionate to the contract (Directive art. 58(1); LCSP art. 74(2)). They are a pass or fail on you, separate from how the offer is scored. ## 4. Read how the offer is scored Authorities award on the most economically advantageous tender, based on price or cost and possibly a price-quality ratio (Directive art. 67(1)-(2); CCP art. 74; LCSP art. 145). Lowest price does not always win. Map each stated criterion and weighting to evidence you can actually supply. ## 5. List the exclusion and paperwork risks Check tax and social security standing, signatory powers, guarantees and the declarations to submit. In an EU-level procedure you can use the [ESPD](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/espd-deucp) as preliminary evidence (Directive art. 59). See the answer on why bids are excluded on formalities. ## 6. Test the economics and record the decision Estimate the cost of delivery, staff, cash flow and guarantees against the value stated. Write down what fits, what does not, what is still unknown and who will check it. Keep the source link and a dated copy of the documents you reviewed. Primary sources - [Directive 2014/24/EU ↗](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014L0024) — art. 27(1), art. 28, art. 46, art. 47(3), art. 58(1), art. 59, art. 67(1)-(2) (read 25 October 2026) - [Código dos Contratos Públicos (Decreto-Lei 18/2008), consolidated text, Diário da República ↗](https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/2008-34455475) — art. 46-A, art. 74 (read 25 October 2026) - [Ley 9/2017 on public sector contracts (LCSP), consolidated text, BOE ↗](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2017-12902) — art. 74(2), art. 99(3) and (4), art. 145 (read 25 October 2026) General information, not legal advice. The notice and the applicable national law decide. Sources - [TED ↗](https://ted.europa.eu/) - [PLACSP ↗](https://contrataciondelestado.es/) - [BASE PT ↗](https://www.base.gov.pt/) Read next - [See it on a real record](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/evidence/police-system-maintenance-award) - [Counted in our data: How many PLACSP result rows report exactly one received tender?](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/field-notes/placsp-reported-received-tenders) ### [What is the difference between BASE.gov.pt and PLACSP?](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/answers/base-vs-placsp) ### [Can a company bid for public contracts across the Portugal–Spain border?](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/answers/bidding-across-the-portugal-spain-border) ### [When must a tender be published in TED rather than only nationally?](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/answers/eu-thresholds-2026)