Thresholds and procedures
Whether a contract appears on simap.ch depends on its value. Below certain amounts, the Confederation, cantons and municipalities award without a public tender.
The four procedures
- Open procedure
- The tender is public; anyone can submit a bid.
- Selective procedure
- Tendered publicly. Bidders first apply to take part, then the contracting authority invites the suitable ones to bid.
- Invitation procedure
- No public tender: the contracting authority invites bidders directly, if possible at least three (PPA Art. 20).
- Direct award procedure
- The contract is awarded directly, without a tender (PPA Art. 21).
In the open and selective procedures, the tender and the award are published on simap.ch (PPA Art. 48 para. 1, IAPP Art. 48 para. 1). Invitations and direct awards do not appear there as tenders.
Confederation
| Procedure | Construction works | Supplies | Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open or selective | from CHF 2’000’000 | from CHF 230’000 | from CHF 230’000 |
| Invitation | from CHF 300’000 | from CHF 150’000 | from CHF 150’000 |
| Direct award | below CHF 300’000 | below CHF 150’000 | below CHF 150’000 |
Cantons and municipalities
| Procedure | Supplies | Services | Ancillary construction trades | Main construction trades |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open or selective | from CHF 250’000 | from CHF 250’000 | from CHF 250’000 | from CHF 500’000 |
| Invitation | from CHF 150’000 | from CHF 150’000 | from CHF 150’000 | from CHF 300’000 |
| Direct award | below CHF 150’000 | below CHF 150’000 | below CHF 150’000 | below CHF 300’000 |
Large contracts: scope of the international agreements
From certain values, the international agreements on public procurement apply as well. For the federal administration these are CHF 8’700’000 for construction works and CHF 230’000 for supplies and services (PPA Annex 4 no. 1.1). Longer minimum deadlines apply, among other rules.
Deadlines for bids
Within the scope of the international agreements, the deadline in the open procedure is at least 40 days from publication. Outside it, as a rule at least 20 days, and no less than 5 days for largely standardised services (PPA Art. 46).
What this means for you
- Larger contracts are on simap.ch. TEXFY shows them to you by service and canton, with the deadline.
- Smaller contracts are awarded by invitation or directly. What counts there is that the procuring offices know your business. The awards of the last months show which offices award in your service.