Corrigendum Notice

A Corrigendum Notice is the mechanism by which a contracting authority corrects or amends information published in a procurement notice on TED. It can range from a minor typographical correction to a substantive change in the scope of what is being procured, and the nature of the change determines what procedural consequences follow.

What is a Corrigendum Notice?

When a contracting authority publishes a Contract Notice or other procurement notice and subsequently needs to amend it, it cannot simply edit the original publication on TED. Instead, it must publish a Corrigendum Notice that references the original notice (via its Notice Publication ID) and sets out the specific changes being made.

Corrigendum Notices are important for two reasons. First, they ensure that all potential bidders receive the same updated information simultaneously, preserving the equal treatment principle that is central to EU procurement law under Directive 2014/24/EU. A buyer who informally told one supplier about a change but did not publish a Corrigendum would be acting unlawfully. Second, where the change is material (for example, a change to the subject matter, award criteria, or time limits), the tender period must be reset to give bidders adequate time to respond to the amended terms.

What counts as "material" is a matter of judgment, but courts across Europe have generally held that changes to award criteria weightings, significant alterations to technical specifications, or extension of the scope to include substantially different services are material and require a reset of the tender period. Minor corrections to contact details or obvious typographical errors typically do not.

Under eForms, the Corrigendum Notice maps to specific notice subtypes within the change notice family. The eForms-era equivalent term is Change Notice, which is the more precise designation for corrigenda published under the new regime.

Why Corrigendum Notices matter for bidders

Corrigendum Notices are one of the most practically important notices for active bidders. Missing a Corrigendum that changed the deadline or altered specifications can result in a non-compliant bid. Monitoring Corrigenda for live tenders is as important as monitoring the original Contract Notice.

Corrigenda also sometimes reveal the buyer's thinking. A correction that shifts award criteria weightings, adds new mandatory requirements, or extends the deadline significantly may indicate that the buyer received market feedback suggesting the original notice was unclear or restrictive. These signals can inform bid strategy.

Example

A Swedish municipality publishes a Contract Notice for the supply of school furniture. Two weeks later, following supplier questions, the authority realises it specified a non-standard fabric classification that would exclude most compliant products. It publishes a Corrigendum Notice on TED, amending the specification and extending the tender deadline by 14 days to ensure suppliers have adequate time to prepare revised bids with the corrected specification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to monitor Corrigenda for tenders I am actively bidding on?

Yes, absolutely. Corrigenda are published on TED with a reference to the original notice but may not be prominently flagged by all procurement portals. Setting up alerts for corrigenda linked to notices you are tracking is essential to ensure you are bidding on the correct and current requirements.

Can a buyer use a Corrigendum to change the award criteria after bids are received?

No. Changes to award criteria after the tender deadline has passed are unlawful, as they would allow the buyer to adjust the evaluation to favour a particular bidder. Award criteria can only be amended before the tender deadline, and only by publishing a Corrigendum that resets the tender period.

What is the difference between a Corrigendum Notice and a Modification Notice?

A Corrigendum Notice amends a notice published during the procurement process (before contract signature). A Modification Notice records changes to a contract that has already been signed and is being executed.