The standstill period is a mandatory pause between the announcement of the winner and the signing of the contract. It exists so that unsuccessful suppliers have a chance to raise concerns before the deal is done.
Where it appears in the Act. Section 51 says the mandatory standstill period is the period of eight working days beginning with the day on which the contract award notice is published. The buyer may not enter into the contract before it ends, or before the end of any longer standstill period stated in the notice. Some contracts are exempt, including framework call-offs, dynamic market contracts, light touch contracts and some direct awards such as urgent ones. Section 51(3) lists them, and the buyer may still state a voluntary standstill period in the notice.
gov.uk’s guidance says the period gives suppliers an opportunity to raise any concerns about, or formally challenge, the award decision, and that a legal challenge issued and notified during it triggers an automatic suspension of the award.
What it means for a small supplier. Eight working days is short. If you lose, read your assessment summary immediately: it should give your scores for each award criterion and the reasons for them, according to gov.uk’s assessment summaries guidance. Decide within a day or two whether the scoring looks wrong. A challenge is a legal matter, so take professional advice before you start one.
Next: how tenders are evaluated.