Procurement method
How bids were invited, following OCDS. This field makes non-competitive awards visible. Publishing it is what lets anyone ask how much government spending was never put out to competition - a question no number of published contracts can answer on its own.
Part of the Procurement and contracts profile, used by Tender.
Terms
| Code | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
open |
Open | Any interested supplier can bid. |
selective |
Selective | Only pre-qualified suppliers can bid. |
limited |
Limited | A small number of suppliers are invited directly. |
direct |
Direct | Given to one supplier with no competition. Always publish procurementMethodRationale alongside this — a sole-source award with no stated reason is the most common finding in procurement audits. |