# Evidence

- Title: Evidence: from public record to supplier signal — Sinal
- URL: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/evidence
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-10-25
- Alternate (pt-PT): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/evidencia (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/evidencia.md)
- Alternate (es-ES): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/evidencia (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/evidencia.md)

Evidence

Sinal reads public procurement records and turns them into signals. Each Evidence page follows one real, dated record from the official source to the signal, and says what was observed, what was inferred and what was estimated.

## 01 [From public record to supplier signal](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/evidence/police-system-maintenance-award)

A dated example of how public procurement data becomes a traceable signal.

Read the record →

## What observed, inferred and estimated mean

Sinal puts one of three labels on every item it shows from a public record. The examples come from the record on the next page, a contract award published on PLACSP.

**Observed.** Observed means copied from the public record or from Sinal's dated copy of the notice, with nothing added. Example: the [contracting authority](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/contracting-authority) is “Alcaldía del Ayuntamiento de Ibi”, the procedure is published as “[Contrato Menor](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/iberian-low-value-procedures)” and the estimated value, excluding VAT, is €6,927.27.

**Inferred.** Inferred means worked out by Sinal from observed fields. It suggests that a notice may matter to you and does not prove it. Example: The notice title contains "mantenimiento" (Spanish for maintenance). The [CPV code](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/cpv-code) 72400000 begins with 72, the IT services division. This is a broad match.

**Estimated.** Estimated means calculated from observed fields under an assumption we state, so it can be wrong. Example: the end date, 6 October 2027, is the award date, 6 October 2026, plus the recorded duration of 365 days, assuming the term starts on the award date. An extension or a later start changes it.

## How to read a Sinal signal

1. Open the source first. A notice in Sinal links to the original on BASE, PLACSP or TED, and the original is what counts.
2. Read the label before the value. An observed value can be quoted, an inferred match is a reason to look closer, and an estimated date is a planning aid.
3. Read each date for what it is. The day Sinal first recorded a notice is not the day the buyer first published it, so the record page shows both.
4. Use the buyer's history as context. It shows how often the contracting authority has published, and it counts notice rows, not separate procedures.

## What you must still verify

A signal tells you where to look. Before you act, confirm in the notice and its documents:

- that the notice is still open and has not been corrected, cancelled or replaced;
- the deadline, and how and where to submit;
- the scope, the [lots](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/lot), and which [selection criteria](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/selection-criteria) and [award criteria](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/award-criteria-meat) apply;
- that your company can meet the conditions, because Sinal does not assess eligibility;
- the legal basis the notice cites.

## Where to go next

- [From public record to supplier signal](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/evidence/police-system-maintenance-award)
- [How it works](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/how-it-works)
- [Coverage](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/coverage)
- [All glossary terms](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary)

General information, not legal advice. The notice and the applicable national law decide.

The questions suppliers ask most are answered in [Answers](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/answers), in plain words and with their sources.

Reviewed 25 October 2026 · Sinal team