Directive 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (repealed)Show full title

Article 38 Time limits for receipt of requests to participate and for receipt of tenders

1. When fixing the time limits for the receipt of tenders and requests to participate, contracting authorities shall take account in particular of the complexity of the contract and the time required for drawing up tenders, without prejudice to the minimum time limits set by this Article.

2. In the case of open procedures, the minimum time limit for the receipt of tenders shall be 52 days from the date on which the contract notice was sent.

3. In the case of restricted procedures, negotiated procedures with publication of a contract notice referred to in Article 30 and the competitive dialogue:

(a) the minimum time limit for receipt of requests to participate shall be 37 days from the date on which the contract notice is sent;

(b) in the case of restricted procedures, the minimum time limit for the receipt of tenders shall be 40 days from the date on which the invitation is sent.

4. When contracting authorities have published a prior information notice, the minimum time limit for the receipt of tenders under paragraphs 2 and 3(b) may, as a general rule, be shortened to 36 days, but under no circumstances to less than 22 days.

The time limit shall run from the date on which the contract notice was sent in open procedures, and from the date on which the invitation to tender was sent in restricted procedures.

The shortened time limits referred to in the first subparagraph shall be permitted, provided that the prior information notice has included all the information required for the contract notice in Annex VII A, insofar as that information is available at the time the notice is published and that the prior information notice was sent for publication between 52 days and 12 months before the date on which the contract notice was sent.

5. Where notices are drawn up and transmitted by electronic means in accordance with the format and procedures for transmission indicated in point 3 of Annex VIII, the time limits for the receipt of tenders referred to in paragraphs 2 and 4 in open procedures, and the time limit for the receipt of the requests to participate referred to in paragraph 3(a), in restricted and negotiated procedures and the competitive dialogue, may be shortened by seven days.

6. The time limits for receipt of tenders referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3(b) may be reduced by five days where the contracting authority offers unrestricted and full direct access by electronic means to the contract documents and any supplementary documents from the date of publication of the notice in accordance with Annex VIII, specifying in the text of the notice the internet address at which this documentation is accessible.

This reduction may be added to that referred to in paragraph 5.

7. If, for whatever reason, the specifications and the supporting documents or additional information, although requested in good time, are not supplied within the time limits set in Articles 39 and 40, or where tenders can be made only after a visit to the site or after on-the-spot inspection of the documents supporting the contract documents, the time limits for the receipt of tenders shall be extended so that all economic operators concerned may be aware of all the information needed to produce tenders.

8. In the case of restricted procedures and negotiated procedures with publication of a contract notice referred to in Article 30, where urgency renders impracticable the time limits laid down in this Article, contracting authorities may fix:

(a) a time limit for the receipt of requests to participate which may not be less than 15 days from the date on which the contract notice was sent, or less than 10 days if the notice was sent by electronic means, in accordance with the format and procedure for sending notices indicated in point 3 of Annex VIII;

(b) and, in the case of restricted procedures, a time limit for the receipt of tenders which shall be not less than 10 days from the date of the invitation to tender.