# Public procurement glossary

- Title: Public procurement glossary — Sinal
- URL: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-10-26
- Alternate (pt-PT): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/glossario (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/glossario.md)
- Alternate (es-ES): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/glosario (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/glosario.md)

Glossary

The twelve terms a supplier meets most often in a tender notice, each defined in one sentence, with the EU, Portuguese and Spanish articles that govern it.

## 01 [Contracting authority](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/contracting-authority)

A public buyer or other body that falls within the legal definition and runs a procurement procedure.

## 02 [CPV code](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/cpv-code)

A code from the Common Procurement Vocabulary used to describe the subject of a public contract in a standard way.

## 03 [Lot](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/lot)

A separately identified part of a procurement that may have its own scope, bid rules, and award outcome.

## 04 [Contract notice](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/contract-notice)

A published notice that calls for competition and tells suppliers how to take part in a procurement.

## 05 [Prior information notice](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/prior-information-notice)

A notice that gives advance information about planned procurement. Where national law allows it, a sub-central authority can use it as the call for competition in restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation.

## 06 [Open procedure](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/open-procedure)

A procedure in which any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to the published call.

## 07 [Restricted procedure](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/restricted-procedure)

A two-stage procedure: interested suppliers first request to participate, and only selected candidates are invited to submit tenders.

## 08 [Framework agreement and call-off](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/framework-agreement-call-off)

A framework agreement sets terms for later contracts; a call-off is a contract awarded under that framework.

## 09 [Selection criteria](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/selection-criteria)

Requirements used to assess whether a supplier has the suitability, economic standing, or technical ability to perform the contract.

## 10 [Award criteria and MEAT](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/award-criteria-meat)

Award criteria compare admissible tenders to identify the most economically advantageous tender under the method stated in the procurement documents.

## 11 [ESPD / DEUCP](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/espd-deucp)

The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is a self-declaration that a supplier meets the participation conditions and has no exclusion ground. It serves as preliminary evidence only.

## 12 [Iberian low-value procedures](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/iberian-low-value-procedures)

Portugal's *ajuste direto* and *consulta prévia* are often used for smaller purchases but can also be chosen on other legal grounds; Spain's *contrato menor* is defined by contract value under its national law.

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 26 October 2026 · Sinal team