What it does not mean
The application deadline is not the later tender deadline; meeting selection requirements does not itself guarantee an invitation.
In practice in Portugal
Applications (candidaturas) cannot close less than 30 days after the notice is sent to the Publications Office, or 15 days in a justified urgency (CCP, Article 174(1) and (2)). Without EU publication the minimum is six days (Article 173).
The procedure programme must state the application deadline and may fix how many candidates are qualified, which cannot be fewer than five when qualification works by selection (Article 164(1)(n) and (o)).
In practice in Spain
For harmonised contracts, requests to participate cannot close less than 30 days after sending the notice, or 15 days in justified urgency (LCSP, Article 161(1)). Otherwise the minimum is 15 days from publication (Article 161(3)).
Requests come with the documentation of Article 140 (Article 161(4)). The buyer sets objective solvency criteria before the anuncio, and must invite at least five firms unless fewer qualify (Article 162(1) and (2)).
The EU rule behind both
After selection, the invitation to tender normally gives at least 30 more days, and less in the cases of Article 28(3) to (6) (Directive 2014/24/EU, Article 28(1) and (2)).
What you see on the notice
- TED: “Type of procedure: Restricted” and “Deadline for receipt of requests to participate”, not “of tenders”.
- The deadline in the notice is the first-stage date; the tender date arrives later, with the invitation.
How Sinal shows it
Sinal displays the source deadline when available; check whether the notice calls it an application or tender deadline.
- The drawer shows the chip “Restricted” and labels the date “Apply by” instead of “Deadline”, and explains that only shortlisted firms go on to tender. The label change applies to TED notices; the chip and its explanation appear for any source that stores a procedure code.
Example in a real notice
TED restricted procedure with a first-stage application (notice text in Danish) ↗