Variant Bid (Austria) in Procurement Law
Variant bid: Austrian term for an alternative bid offering a different way of performing the service. Only admissible if expressly allowed by the contracting authority.
Definition: A variant bid is the term used in Austrian procurement law for a bid in which the bidder proposes an alternative way of performing the tendered service. Such a bid is only eligible for evaluation if the contracting authority has expressly allowed variant bids in the tender.
Last updated: January 2026 · Legal basis: BVergG 2018
What is a variant bid?
In Austrian procurement law, the term "variant bid" is used synonymously with "alternative bid" and refers to a bid that offers the contracting authority an alternative, functionally equivalent way of performing the required service.
A variant bid gives bidders the opportunity to propose their own solution, departing from the tender specifications, that achieves the result sought by the contracting authority by a different route. Typical use cases are works contracts with alternative construction techniques or IT projects with different architectural approaches.
It is always a precondition that the contracting authority expressly allows variant bids in the tender and that minimum requirements are set for the variant bid to be eligible for evaluation. If express permission is missing, the variant bid must be excluded.
Significance in the procurement procedure
The variant bid allows the contracting authority to benefit from the innovation and expertise of the market, without having to dispense with a detailed constructive description of services.
In Austrian procurement practice, the terms "variant bid" and "alternative bid" are largely used as synonyms. Both describe a bid offering an alternative way of performing the service that departs from the tender specifications but achieves the required result with equivalent value.
The variant bid is to be distinguished from a side bid: a side bid is a supplementary bid submitted in addition to the main bid and represents a specific addition to or improvement on the main bid. With a variant bid, the alternative solution as such is the focus.
Related terms
Last updated: January 2026 All information without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialised in procurement law.
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