Award Notice
The formal notification of a contract award, sent to all bidders and (above threshold) published on Find a Tender / Contracts Finder.
Definition
An award notice is the formal notification of a contract award decision, sent to all bidders at the same time. For above-threshold contracts under the Procurement Act 2023 and PCR 2015, the award notice must also be published on the relevant portal (Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Sell2Wales, or Public Contracts Scotland) within statutory deadlines. The notice triggers the Standstill Period during which unsuccessful bidders can challenge the decision.
How it works in practice
The award notice serves three purposes. First, it formally informs each bidder of the outcome. Second, for above-threshold contracts it discharges the contracting authority's transparency obligation by publishing the award details. Third, it provides the substantive feedback that unsuccessful bidders need to decide whether to challenge: the winning bidder name, the award rationale, the scores against each evaluation criterion (the unsuccessful bidder's scores plus, where relevant, the winning bidder's scores), and panel commentary that justified the scoring. A bare award notice without scoring detail is not compliant and can re-start the standstill if reissued with proper detail. The notice is the first source of post-bid feedback; suppliers should treat it as the primary input to their lessons-learned process and supplement with FOI requests where deeper insight is needed. Under PA 2023 the award notice is one of the family of transparency notices and includes additional information beyond PCR 2015 requirements: contract value, contract term, social value commitments, supplier KPIs, and (for high-value contracts) a transparency notice that signals the contract for inclusion in the public supplier conduct record. The publication deadline is typically 30 days from contract signature for above-threshold awards.
Common questions
What information must an award notice contain?
The winning bidder name, the award rationale, the unsuccessful bidder's scores against each evaluation criterion, the winning bidder's scores where comparable, panel commentary that justified the scoring, contract value, and contract term. A bare notice without scoring detail is not compliant and can re-start the standstill if reissued with proper detail.
When is the award notice published on the portal?
For above-threshold contracts, the notice must be published on the relevant portal (Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, etc.) within statutory deadlines. Typically 30 days from contract signature under PCR 2015. PA 2023 introduces additional transparency notices that may be published earlier in the process.
Can I use the award notice to inform my next bid?
Yes. The award notice is the first source of post-bid feedback and the primary input to the bid team's lessons-learned process. Patterns across multiple award notices (consistently low marks on a particular sub-criterion, recurring feedback themes) point to specific bid library gaps to address before the next opportunity in that sector.