Article 44 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
المادة 44 من نظام المنافسات والمشتريات الحكومية · الفصل الثالث: فتح العروض
The article requires bids to be opened in the presence of all committee members when the receiving period ends, with minutes prepared, lets bidders attend, and requires referral to the examination committee within 3 days.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- تفتح العروض بحضور جميع أعضاء اللجنة في موعد انتهاء مدة تلقي العروض، ويعَد محضر بذلك، وفي الحالات التي تتطلب تقديم عرض فني مستقل عن العرض المالي، تفتح العروض الفنية دون المالية، وتحدد اللائحة إجراءات فتح العروض.
2- لأصحاب العروض حضور جلسات فتح العروض.
3- على اللجنة خلال (ثلاثة) أيام من تاريخ فتح العروض؛ إحالة محضرها والعروض إلى لجنة فحص العروض.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 44 explained in plain English
This article governs the bid-opening session conducted by the committee formed under Article 43 by decision of the head of the government entity or his delegate. It contains three provisions:
1- How the opening is done:
- Bids are opened in the presence of all the committee's members, not just some.
- The opening takes place at the time the bid-receiving period ends.
- Minutes are prepared of it.
- If the tender requires a technical bid separate from the financial bid, the technical bids are opened, not the financial ones.
- The Implementing Regulations set the procedures for opening bids.
2- The right to attend: Bidders may attend the bid-opening sessions. This is a right of the competitor that promotes transparency and reassures him of the soundness of the procedures.
3- Referral for examination: Within 3 days of the date of opening the bids, the committee must refer its minutes and the bids to the bid-examination committee.
The separation between opening and examination is intended: Article 45 provides for forming an independent committee to examine bids, and bars combining the chairmanship of the bid-opening committee with the chairmanship of the bid-examination committee or membership in them.
If you were prevented from attending the opening session or noticed a violation in its procedures, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative disputes and government contracts.
Practical example
An engineering company in Jeddah submitted a separate technical bid and financial bid in a government tender. Its representative attended the opening session when the bid-receiving period ended, and saw the committee with all its members open the technical bids only and not the financial ones, then the minutes and bids were referred to the examination committee within 3 days.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 44 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
Is a competitor entitled to attend the bid-opening session?
Yes. Bidders may attend bid-opening sessions.
When are bids opened in government tenders?
At the time the bid-receiving period ends, and in the presence of all the committee's members.
Is the financial bid opened along with the technical one?
If the tender requires a technical bid separate from the financial one, the technical bids are opened and not the financial ones.
Within how many days are bids referred to the examination committee?
Within 3 days of the date of opening the bids, together with the opening committee's minutes.
More articles on Examining Bids and Award
- Article 24
The article requires the government entity to set in the tender documents the criteria for evaluating, comparing and accepting bids, as the Implementing Regulations explain.
تحدد الجهة الحكومية في وثائق المنافسة معايير تقييم ومقارنة وقبول العروض وفقاً لما توضحه اللائحة.
- Article 25
The article requires non-price evaluation criteria to be objective, proportionate to the nature of the works and procurement, and quantifiable as far as practically possible.
يجب أن تكون معايير التقييم غير السعرية موضوعية وتتناسب مع طبيعة الأعمال والمشتريات المراد طرحها، وأن تكون -بالقدر الممكن عملياً- قابلة للتحديد الكمي.
- Article 43
The article provides for forming one or more bid-opening committees by decision of the head of the government entity or his delegate, as the Implementing Regulations explain.
تكوّن بقرار من رئيس الجهة الحكومية أو من يفوضه لجنة أو أكثر لفتح العروض، وفقاً لما توضحه اللائحة.
- Article 45
The article governs forming the bid-examination committee, its tasks, the unified procurement entity's participation and recording its recommendations in minutes, and bars combining its chairmanship with award authority or with the opening committee.
1- تكوّن لجنة أو أكثر بقرار من رئيس الجهة الحكومية أو من يفوضه لفحص العروض، وفقاً لما توضحه اللائحة. وتتولى هذه اللجنة فحص العروض وتقديم توصياتها في الترسية على
- Article 46
The Article requires bids to be examined against the tender documents' criteria, non-compliant bids excluded and their guarantees returned; where bids are split, technical bids are examined first, then the financial bids of accepted technical bids.
1- تفحص العروض وفقاً للمعايير المنصوص عليها في وثائق المنافسة، وتستبعد العروض المخالفة، وترد الضمانات الابتدائية لأصحابها. 2- في حال قدمت العروض في ملفين إلكترو
- Article 47
The Article allows the bid examination committee to negotiate with the best bidder and then the next ones if the price is clearly above market prices or exceeds the approved amounts, and explains when the tender is canceled.
للجنة فحص العروض التفاوض مع صاحب أفضل عرض ثم مع من يليه من المتنافسين في الحالتين الآتيتين: 1- إذا ارتفع سعر أفضل عرض عن الأسعار السائدة في السوق بشكل ظاهر، تحد
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.