tender competition

A tender competition is the procurement procedure used in Norway for public contracts below the EEA threshold values. Regulated under Part II of the Norwegian Public Procurement Regulation, it differs from a standard tender procedure by allowing contracting authorities to conduct dialogue and negotiations with suppliers after receiving tenders.

How does a tender competition work?

The contracting authority prepares tender documents and publishes the competition on Doffin, Norway's national procurement database. Suppliers submit their tenders by the deadline, and the authority evaluates them against the published award criteria. After the deadline, the authority can either award the contract based on the tenders as submitted, or open dialogue with one or more suppliers. This dialogue can range from simple clarifications to full negotiations — provided the principle of equal treatment is upheld.

If the authority plans to conduct dialogue, this must be stated in the procurement documents. However, the authority may decide against dialogue after the deadline if it proves unnecessary.

Open and restricted tender competitions

• Open tender competition: All interested suppliers may submit a tender. Best suited for straightforward procurements where preparation and evaluation are not overly resource-intensive.
• Restricted tender competition: All suppliers may apply to participate, but only those meeting the qualification requirements are invited to submit tenders. The minimum number of invited tenderers is three.

When is a tender competition used?

In Norway, the tender competition is the only permitted procedure under Part II of the Procurement Regulation — covering contracts valued between NOK 1.3 million (excl. VAT) and the EEA threshold values. Above these thresholds, Part III applies, requiring formal open or restricted procedures without the option to negotiate.

Tools like Cobrief can help suppliers identify and monitor tender competitions across Norwegian public contracting authorities.

The tender competition is the most flexible procurement procedure in Norwegian public procurement, giving contracting authorities room to find the best solution through dialogue while upholding the fundamental principles of equal treatment and transparency.