31.—(1) In a competitive dialogue, a contracting authority must permit any economic operator to submit a request to participate in response to a contract notice within the time period set in accordance with this regulation.
(2) Any negotiation and finalisation of the terms of the contract referred to in paragraph (20) must not involve changes to the essential aspects of the tender or the procurement, including the needs and requirements set out in the contract notice or in the descriptive document, where such changes are likely to distort competition or cause discrimination.
(3) A contracting authority may specify prizes or payments to the participants in the dialogue.
(4) A contracting authority may limit the number of suitable candidates to be invited to participate in the procedure in accordance with regulation 66 (reduction of the number of otherwise qualified candidates to be invited to participate).
(5) Only those economic operators invited to do so by the contracting authority following its assessment of the information provided may participate in the dialogue.
(6) The contract must be awarded on the sole basis of the best price-quality ratio in accordance with regulation 67 (contract award criteria).
(7) A contracting authority must—
(a)in the contract notice, set out its needs and requirements; and
(b)in the contract notice, in a descriptive document or in both—
(i)define those needs and requirements;
(ii)set out and define the chosen award criteria; and
(iii)set out an indicative timeframe.
(8) A contracting authority—
(a)must open, with the participants selected in accordance with the relevant provisions of regulations 57 to 66, a dialogue with the aim of identifying and defining the means best suited to satisfying its needs; and
(b)may discuss all aspects of the procurement with the chosen participants during this dialogue.
(9) During the dialogue, a contracting authority—
(a)must ensure equal treatment of all participants; and
(b)must not provide information in a discriminatory manner which may give any participant an advantage over others.
(10) In accordance with regulation 22 (confidentiality), a contracting authority must not reveal to the other participants solutions proposed or other confidential information communicated by a candidate or tenderer participating in the dialogue without its agreement.
(11) Any agreement referred to in paragraph (10) shall not take the form of a general waiver but must be given with reference to the intended communication of specific information.
(12) A contracting authority may conduct a competitive dialogue in successive stages in order to reduce the number of solutions to be discussed during the dialogue stage only by applying the award criteria specified in—
(a)the contract notice; or
(b)the descriptive document.
(13) The contracting authority must indicate, in the contract notice or the descriptive document, whether it will use the option described in paragraph (12).
(14) The contracting authority shall continue the dialogue until it can identify the solution or solutions which are capable of meeting its needs.
(15) Where the contracting authority uses the option described in paragraph (12) it must ensure that in the final stage, the number of solutions remaining shall make for genuine competition in so far as there are enough solutions or qualified candidates.
(16) When the contracting authority has declared that the dialogue is concluded and informed the remaining participants, the authority must invite each remaining participant to submit their final tender on the basis of the solution or solutions presented and specified during the dialogue.
(17) The final tenders—
(a)shall contain all the elements required and necessary for the performance of the project; and
(b)may, subject to paragraph (18), be clarified, specified and optimised at the request of the contracting authority.
(18) Any clarification, specification, optimisation or additional information provided pursuant to a request referred to in paragraph (17)(b) must not involve changes to the essential aspects of the tender or the procurement, including the needs and requirements set out in the contract notice or in the descriptive document, where such changes are likely to distort competition or cause discrimination.
(19) A contracting authority must assess the tenders received on the basis of the award criteria laid down in the contract notice or in the descriptive document.
(20) At the request of the contracting authority, and subject to paragraph (21), negotiations with the tenderer identified as having submitted the tender presenting the best price-quality ratio in accordance with regulation 67 (contract award criteria) may be carried out to confirm financial commitments or other terms contained in the tender in order to finalise the terms of the contract.
(21) Any negotiation and finalisation of the terms of the contract referred to in paragraph (20) must not involve changes to the essential aspects of the tender or the procurement, including the needs and requirements set out in the contract notice or in the descriptive document, where such changes are likely to distort competition or cause discrimination.
(22) A contracting authority may specify prizes or payments to the participants in the dialogue.