Article 34Launch and conduct of the open procedure

1.In the open procedure, public buyers shall make their procurement needs known through a public summary of competition published pursuant to Article 110 setting out whether and which selection criteria apply, and whether they intend to negotiate.

2.Any interested economic operator may express its interest and submit a tender (‘first tender’) using the electronic eligibility service referred to in Article 133. The expression of interest shall be submitted together with a tender specifying in particular how the economic operator proposes to address the needs of the public buyer. The deadline for receiving expressions of interest with tenders shall be no less than 20 days from the publication of the public summary of competition.

3.Where a public buyer has indicated that it intends not to negotiate, it shall award the contract in accordance with Article 98 to one or more economic operators that are not in a situation of exclusion, and, where applicable, fulfil the selection criteria set pursuant to Article 27. The contract shall be awarded on the basis of the first tenders submitted pursuant to paragraph 2.

4.Where the public buyer has indicated that it intends to negotiate, it shall send an invitation to negotiate to all interested economic operators that are not in a situation of exclusion, and, where applicable, that fulfil the selection criteria set pursuant to Article 27.

5.Negotiations shall be carried out in accordance with Article 33. Where the public buyer has decided to conclude the negotiations and has invited each of the remaining economic operators to submit a final tender, the contract shall be awarded on the basis of those final tenders.

6.Public buyers may decide not to negotiate, despite having indicated their intention to do so, but instead proceed to award the contract on the basis of the first tenders, provided that they have reserved the possibility of doing so in the public summary of competition.