Prior Information Notice (PIN)

A Prior Information Notice gives suppliers early warning of planned procurement activity before a formal competition opens. Published on TED (for EU above-threshold contracts) or on national procurement portals, a PIN is one of the first signals in the procurement lifecycle, sitting upstream of the Contract Notice that launches a live competition.

What is a Prior Information Notice (PIN)?

Under Directive 2014/24/EU, contracting authorities may publish a PIN at the beginning of the financial year to announce contracts they intend to award during the coming months. Publication is voluntary in most cases, but it carries a practical reward: if a PIN has been published at least 35 days (and no more than 12 months) before the Contract Notice, the minimum time limit for receipt of tenders in an open procedure can be reduced from 35 days to 15 days.

A PIN can also serve as a call for competition in certain restricted or light-touch procedures. In restricted procedures, a PIN can replace the Contract Notice as the means of inviting suppliers to express interest, provided it contains sufficient procurement detail and invitations to confirm interest are subsequently sent to shortlisted candidates.

For social and other specific services covered under the light-touch regime of Directive 2014/24/EU (Annex XIV), publication of a PIN is one of two permitted ways to call for competition, alongside publication of a standard Contract Notice.

In the UK, the equivalent concept exists under the Procurement Act 2023 as a "planned procurement notice," which serves a similar market-warming function and can also trigger a reduced standstill or time limit in subsequent procedures.

The legacy Standard Form 1 was the pre-eForms version of the PIN. Under eForms, the PIN maps to specific notice subtypes within the planning notice family.

Why PINs matter for bidders

A PIN is often the earliest actionable intelligence about an upcoming contract. For suppliers who track procurement markets actively, spotting a PIN several months before the competition opens allows time to research the buyer, attend market engagement events, form consortium arrangements, and prepare capability statements. Winning major public contracts rarely happens by reading the Contract Notice on day one; the groundwork is laid much earlier.

PINs also provide a structural advantage in some procedures: where a buyer uses a PIN to reduce tender time limits, suppliers who spotted the PIN early have had weeks or months to prepare, while those who first encounter the opportunity at the Contract Notice stage have far less time. Monitoring PINs is therefore a meaningful competitive differentiator.

Example

A French national agency publishes a PIN in January announcing its intention to procure IT infrastructure services with an estimated value of EUR 4 million in the second quarter of the year. The PIN is published on TED. A software supplier spotting this PIN immediately begins mapping the agency's technical landscape, reaching out to relevant contacts, and preparing a bid strategy. When the Contract Notice is published in March, the supplier is already well-positioned.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a PIN mandatory?

In most cases, no. Publication of a PIN is voluntary. However, for certain light-touch regime services and in some member states where national rules go further than the Directive minimum, publication of a PIN (or equivalent planning notice) may be required.

Does a PIN commit the buyer to proceed with the procurement?

No. A PIN signals intent but does not create a binding obligation to launch a tender. Buyers may withdraw, delay, or significantly alter the planned procurement without legal liability arising purely from the PIN.

How do I find PINs relevant to my sector?

PINs are published on TED and indexed by CPV code, country, and estimated value. Procurement monitoring platforms aggregate these and can alert suppliers when a PIN matching specified criteria is published.