Expertise
For businesses responding to a call for tenders and for public bodies issuing one.
In a few words
Cantons, municipalities and public companies award contracts for works, supplies and services every year.
For a business, they are an important market. For the contracting authority, they mean a demanding procedure. Either way, form matters as much as substance: an incomplete bid is excluded, and a poorly reasoned decision can be overturned.
Our approach
In public procurement, a bid is first judged on compliance: required documents, participation conditions, suitability criteria. A formal error can rule out the best bid. We review the tender documents with you, flag points to clarify and check the bid before it is submitted.
For contracting authorities, we help choose the procedure, set award criteria that hold up and give reasons for decisions. A well-built procedure limits the risk of appeals and the delays they cause.
In Neuchâtel, contracts awarded by public bodies are governed by intercantonal and cantonal procurement law. Award and exclusion decisions can be appealed to the Cantonal Court, within a very short time limit.
Who for
Responding to a call for tenders takes rigour: participation conditions, suitability criteria, required documents, price. We review the file with you, flag points to clarify and check the bid before submission.
A sound procedure is prepared upstream: choice of procedure, award criteria and weighting, documents, reasons for decisions. We support municipalities and public bodies to limit the risk of appeals.
What we handle
Calls for tenders, bids, awards, exclusions, appeals and contract performance.
What is at stake
A vague requirement or a questionable criterion must be raised during the procedure, within the time set for questions. Waiting for the award decision to complain is often too late.
After the award, an unsuccessful bidder can obtain the reasons for the decision. They allow a quick assessment of the chances of an appeal.
An appeal does not always prevent the contract from being signed. Requesting suspensive effect when filing the appeal is often decisive to obtain more than a mere finding of unlawfulness.
Law and tax
VAT, bank guarantees, subcontracting, late-delivery penalties: we also review the contractual and tax terms of the bid, so that the contract won remains a profitable one.
Get in touch
A question, a dispute, a decision to challenge? Describe your situation in a few lines: we will reply by email or call you back, whichever you prefer.
+41 32 354 35 40Monday to Friday, 8:00–12:00 and 14:00–17:30
