Prior Information Notice on the Tender 2026 – Pre-Announcement in Procurement Law

Definition: The prior information notice on the tender is a voluntary or mandatory notice by which public contracting authorities announce planned procurement procedures in advance in order to inform the market early and, where relevant, to be able to make use of shorter tender deadlines.

Last updated: January 2026 · Legal basis: Art. 48 Directive 2014/24/EU, § 38 VgV (Germany), § 46 BVergG 2018 (Austria)

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What is a prior information notice?

The prior information notice (PIN) is a planning tool of public contracting authorities that informs potential bidders at an early stage about upcoming procurement procedures. It can be published on a voluntary basis to prepare the market or on a mandatory basis in order to benefit from shorter tender deadlines in the subsequent open procedure.

Purpose of the prior information notice

The prior information notice pursues several objectives:

1. Market transparency: companies learn of procurement projects early on and can plan their capacities accordingly
2. Time-limit optimisation: contracting authorities that have published a prior information notice at least 35 days before the actual contract notice can reduce the minimum tender deadline from 35 to 15 days (open procedure)
3. Strategic procurement planning: under Art. 48 Directive 2014/24/EU, public contracting authorities must publish prior information notices for planned supply and service contracts above the threshold for the respective following budget year (where individual notices are not published each time)

Content of the prior information notice

A prior information notice typically contains the following information:

• Description of the planned contract (subject matter, type)
• Estimated contract value
• Anticipated schedule for the tender
• Contact details of the contracting authority
• Indication of whether the prior information notice serves as a call for competition (possible in the restricted procedure / negotiated procedure)

Prior information notice as a call for competition

One particular feature: in the restricted procedure and in the negotiated procedure, the prior information notice can be used as a call for competition (substitute for the contract notice). In this case, interested companies are invited to express their interest, and the contracting authority then directly invites selected companies to submit tenders without publishing a separate notice.

Publication

Above the thresholds, prior information notices are published on the European TED platform (Tenders Electronic Daily). In Austria and Germany they can additionally appear on national publication portals.

FAQ

Is publication of a prior information notice mandatory? Not generally. It is mandatory where the contracting authority does not plan to publish individual notices for the following year but nevertheless wishes to inform the market. Voluntary publication is always possible.

Does the prior information notice bind the contracting authority to the announced tender? No. The prior information notice does not create a legal obligation to carry out the procurement procedure. It is a non-binding announcement.

Is there a prior information notice below the thresholds? Not mandatorily in this form, but individual contracting authorities use similar mechanisms to inform the market.

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Last updated: January 2026 All information is provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement law.