Definition
The award decision (κατακύρωση) is the decision of the contracting authority by which the contract is finally awarded to the economic operator that submitted the most advantageous bid and passed the check of the award evidence. It is governed by article 105 of Law 4412/2016. After the award and the unused expiry of the appeal deadlines, the authority invites the contractor to sign the contract.
What comes before it
- Evaluation. The tender committee checks the participation documents, the technical and the financial offers and ranks the bidders.
- Provisional contractor. The first in the ranking is invited to submit the award evidence (article 103): proof that no exclusion grounds apply and that it meets the selection criteria it declared in the ESPD.
- Check. If the evidence is complete and correct, the committee recommends the award. If not, the provisional contractor is excluded and the next in the ranking is invited.
- Decision. The deciding organ of the authority (municipal council, board, minister or delegated official) issues the award decision.
Notification and publicity
The decision is notified to all bidders not finally excluded, together with the committee minutes, so that they can lodge a pre-judicial appeal. It is also posted in ΚΗΜΔΗΣ as an award decision and in Διαύγεια. From that posting it becomes public who won, for what amount and against how many participants.
Why it matters to those who did not win
Award decisions are the most accurate picture of your market. They show the real price at which contracts close in your category, the discount against the estimate, which competitors win with which authorities and how many bidders take part on average. A company that studies the awards of the last two years before pricing its next bid has a clear head start.
Awarded contracts are available per CPV code, contracting authority and supplier, with the award amount next to the estimate. Each competitor's profile shows its record of wins and the authorities where it is established.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from bid to award?
It depends on the authority and the number of bids. The law sets deadlines for each stage and tender documents set an offer validity period, often twelve months, precisely because evaluation can take long. In practice simple supplies are awarded in a few weeks, while complex tenders with appeals can take many months.
What does provisional contractor mean?
The bidder with the best offer before the award evidence is checked. It becomes the contractor only after the award decision and the signing of the contract. If its evidence is rejected, the position passes to the next in the ranking.