Article 50 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
المادة 50 من نظام المنافسات والمشتريات الحكومية · الفصل الرابع: فحص العروض وصلاحية التعاقد
The Article bars accepting a sole bid, or the only compliant one, unless its prices are similar to prevailing prices and with the approval of the head of the government entity, and refers tied bids to the Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- إذا لم يقدم إلا عرض واحد، أو قدمت عدة عروض واتضح أنها غير مطابقة لوثائق المنافسة -عدا عرضٍ واحدٍ-، فلا يجوز قبول هذا العرض إلا إذا كانت أسعاره مماثلة للأسعار السائدة في السوق وبعد موافقة رئيس الجهة الحكومية.
2- تحدد اللائحة الأحكام اللازمة عند تساوي 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 50 explained in plain English
This Article deals with two special situations in the result of a tender.
First: the sole bid. This covers two situations:
- Only one bid is submitted in the tender.
- Or several bids are submitted and it becomes clear that they do not conform to the tender documents except one bid.
In both cases this bid may not be accepted unless two conditions are met together:
- Its prices are similar to prevailing market prices.
- The head of the government entity approves accepting it, who under the definition in Article 1 is the Minister, the president, the governor or the top official of the entity.
The reason is that the absence of real competition leaves the entity without a way to be sure the price is fair, so the Law requires comparing it with market prices and the approval of the highest official.
Second: tied bids. The Article refers to the Implementing Regulations the setting of the necessary provisions when bids are tied, and does not itself explain how to choose between them.
If the two conditions are not met for the sole bid, it may not be accepted. Article 51 lists the cases in which a tender is canceled, including that all bids violate the tender documents and that the public interest requires cancellation. Article 49 also requires the entity to announce the tender results and notify the other bidders.
If you are the holder of the sole bid and a decision on it is delayed, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases and government contracts.
Practical example
A government entity in Abha put out a tender to supply medical equipment, and only one bid was submitted. The committee compared its prices with prevailing prices and found them similar, then the matter was put to the head of the entity, who approved, so accepting the bid was permitted.
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 50 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
May a bid be accepted if no other bid is submitted?
Yes, on condition that its prices are similar to prevailing market prices and with the approval of the head of the government entity.
What if all the bids are non-compliant except one?
It is treated as a sole bid, so it is accepted only if its prices are similar to prevailing prices and with the approval of the head of the government entity.
What happens if bids are tied?
The Article refers the setting of the necessary provisions for tied bids to the Implementing Regulations.
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 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
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.