Article 45 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
المادة 45 من نظام المنافسات والمشتريات الحكومية · الفصل الرابع: فحص العروض وصلاحية التعاقد
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 أفضل العروض، وفقاً لأحكام النظام، ولها أن تستعين في إعداد توصياتها بتقارير من فنيين متخصصين.
2- للجهة المختصة بالشراء الموحد أن تشارك في حضور جلسات لجنة فحص العروض، وتكون لها صلاحيات بقية أعضاء اللجنة.
3- تصدر لجنة فحص العروض توصياتها، وتدوّن التوصيات في محضر مع بيان الرأي المخالف -إن وجد- وأسباب كل رأي، وجميع ما قامت به من أعمال واتخذته من إجراءات، ويعرض المحضر على صاحب الصلاحية للبت في الترسية بما يتفق مع أحكام النظام.
4- لا يجوز الجمع بين رئاسة لجنة فحص العروض وصلاحية البت في الترسية، كما لا يجوز الجمع بين رئاسة لجنة فتح العروض ورئاسة لجنة فحص العروض أو العضوية فيهما.
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 45 explained in plain English
This article governs the bid-examination committee, the committee that receives the minutes and the bids from the bid-opening committee within 3 days of opening under Article 44.
1- Formation and task: One or more committees are formed by decision of the head of the government entity or his delegate as the Implementing Regulations explain. The committee examines the bids and gives its recommendations on awarding to the best bids in accordance with the Law's provisions, and it may use reports from specialized technicians.
2- Participation of the unified procurement entity: This entity, designated by decision of the Council of Ministers, may take part in attending the committee's sessions, and has the powers of the other members.
3- Minutes and recommendations: The recommendations are recorded in minutes that include any dissenting opinion and the reasons for each opinion, and all the work and procedures the committee carried out, and then are presented to the person with authority to decide on award. The committee recommends and does not decide the award itself.
4- Preventing conflict of roles:
- It is not permitted to combine chairing the bid-examination committee with the authority to decide on award.
- It is not permitted to combine chairing the bid-opening committee with chairing the bid-examination committee or membership in them.
The aim is to divide responsibilities so that one person does not take sole charge of the stages of the tender. The examination criteria themselves are set out in Article 46, as bids are examined according to the criteria stated in the tender documents.
Anyone who believes the committee's recommendation was made in violation of these provisions is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative disputes and government contracts.
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 45 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
Does the bid-examination committee decide the award?
No. The committee gives its recommendations in minutes that are presented to the person with authority to decide on award.
May one person chair both the opening committee and the examination committee?
No. It is not permitted to combine the chairmanship of the bid-opening committee with the chairmanship of the bid-examination committee or membership in them.
May the bid-examination committee use experts?
Yes. In preparing its recommendations it may use reports from specialized technicians.
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 44
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.
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
- 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.