Competitive flexible procedure
A competitive flexible procedure is a Procurement Act 2023 competition designed by the contracting authority around the requirement. It can use stages, dialogue, negotiation or other features if the notice explains them and the Act's transparency and fairness rules are met.
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What the procedure allows
The competitive flexible procedure is the Procurement Act 2023 route for a competition that is not a single-stage open procedure. The authority designs a proportionate process for the requirement and starts it with a tender notice. It may include an initial request to participate, shortlisting, written tenders, dialogue, negotiation, demonstrations or successive tender rounds. The procedure must still be transparent, treat suppliers equally and support the procurement objectives.
The notice and tender documents should explain the stages, deadlines, conditions of participation, award criteria, any rules for refining criteria and how the authority will decide which suppliers progress. A flexible procedure is not permission to change the rules informally after bids arrive.
How to respond
Map your bid plan to every stage. Check whether the first response is a request to participate or a tender, what evidence is needed at each gate, and whether later dialogue can change the tender. Conditions of participation test your capacity or ability to perform; award criteria decide the most advantageous tender. Keep a written record of assumptions and clarification questions because a later stage may be limited to shortlisted suppliers.
For example, an authority buying a complex digital service might shortlist suppliers on capacity, run demonstrations and then invite final tenders. If you miss the participation deadline, a strong final solution may never be assessed. Read the published process as the contract's route map and allocate people to each stage before deciding to bid.