An Invitation to Tender is (ITT) is sent to a select number of contractors who have been successful at the pre qualification stage. These contractors will have responded to an OJEU Notice and completed a PQQ. The successful contractors will have satisfied the contracting authority and then be added to a short list and invited to tender.
Short list requirements
The procurement process timetable must factor in the right amount of time for any clarifications and evaluation that the contractors may require. You can read about the four different Procurement Procedures used to award contracts by clicking on the above link.
The contracting authority must make it clear within the Invitation To Tender about the criteria used to evaluate bids and their relative weightings. The scoring process is made clear within the ITT document so that the contractor understands the process and does not feel disadvantaged in any way.
Also disclosed within the ITT will be the full terms and conditions of the proposed contract.
Finally, the supplier will need to provide details of their pricing and a template should be included within the submission.
Other Factors
Please note that the ITT may require changing based upon the procurement process. In other words, some authorities will use an Electronic Tendering System and must as a result make it clear how the system operates and how responses are submitted.
When the procurement process advertises the use of Lots such as different categories in a Notice e.g. Architects, Engineers, CDM-C and others. Each Lot will need to be clarified.
On larger projects a consortium may want to submit a bid and as a result will be required to answer additional questions.
Public Sector Contracts
Tendering for Public Sector Contracts Using Contracts Finder.