Knowledge base › The basics of public procurement
How the open and restricted procedures work, which minimum time limits the Act sets and which other procedures exist.
Checked on 15-09-2026
Above the European threshold, a contracting authority chooses from a limited number of procedures. The two basic forms are the open procedure and the restricted procedure.
In the open procedure, any interested company may submit a tender straight away. The Dutch Public Procurement Act 2012 sets a time limit of at least 45 days from the date the notice was sent (article 2.71). After a prior information notice the limit may be shorter, and in a substantiated urgent situation the authority may go down to at least fifteen days (article 2.74).
In the restricted procedure, you first register with a request to participate. The authority assesses the requests and invites only selected companies to tender. The Act sets at least 30 days for the request and at least 40 days for the tender, counted from the invitation.
In addition there is the competitive procedure with negotiation, where the authority first selects and then negotiates on the tenders; the competitive dialogue, for complex contracts where the authority works out solutions together with selected parties; the innovation partnership, for a solution not yet available on the market; and the negotiated procedure without prior publication, which is allowed only in specific situations described in the law.
What this means for you: in an open procedure you submit a complete tender in one go, with self-declaration, substantive documents and price. In a restricted procedure you first prepare a request to participate in which suitability and references are central; only after selection do you write the offer. Plan backwards from the closing date and allow time for questions. The Proportionality Guide assumes that the final clarification note (nota van inlichtingen) is published no later than 10 days before the closing date, so ask your questions early.
These articles explain how public tendering works; they are not legal advice. If you are unsure about a specific tender, ask your question through the clarification round or consult a lawyer.
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