Guidance

How to make changes to your published Digital Outcomes and Specialists requirements

When and how you can edit and withdraw published requirements.

When you can change your published requirements

You can only edit your requirements if the new content would not have affected a supplier’s original decision to apply.

You can edit your requirements if you need to:

  • add or change details of your supplier question and answer session
  • make a minor change to evaluation or scoring, for example remove duplicated evaluation criteria
  • make something in your requirements clearer

If you think this change could have affected a supplier’s decision to apply, you must:

If you don’t know what to do, get commercial or legal advice.

How to change your published requirements

Use the question and answer publishing process on the Digital Marketplace to tell suppliers about a change to your requirements. Describe the error or the reason for the correction using the question box. Correct the small error or add new information, for example changed webinar details, using the answer box.

You can’t add criteria using the question and answer publishing process. You can only remove duplicates.

You must publish your changes at least one working day before the deadline.

Read more about how to answer questions from suppliers.

When to withdraw your requirements

Withdraw your requirements if:

  • the proposed change may have affected whether suppliers applied for the work
  • you can no longer offer the work

What to do if the proposed change may have affected whether suppliers apply

If the change could have affected a supplier’s original decision to apply, you can’t edit your requirements.

You must withdraw your requirements and start again if:

  • you need to change the start date or closing date
  • you need to add or change the additional terms and conditions
  • you need to change the budget range
  • you want to add a maximum day rate (specialists only)
  • you need to change where the supplier will work
  • you haven’t published all questions and answers at least one working day before the application deadline
  • your technical competence, cultural fit or price criteria have changed
  • your evaluation weighting has changed
  • you need to add another evaluation method

What to do if you can no longer offer the work

You can withdraw or cancel your requirements if you can’t offer the work because:

  • the work is not going ahead
  • you don’t have the budget any more
  • you didn’t find a supplier who could meet your needs
  • you’ve found another way to do the work

How to withdraw or cancel your requirements

How you withdraw or cancel your requirements depends on whether they’re open or closed.

Withdraw open requirements

You can withdraw open requirements through your Digital Marketplace account.

When you withdraw, suppliers:

  • will no longer be able to apply for the opportunity
  • who’ve already applied will receive an email to let them know the opportunity was withdrawn

Cancel closed requirements

You can cancel closed requirements through your Digital Marketplace account.

Suppliers will still be able to see the requirements but it’ll be clear that the contract wasn’t awarded.

You need to get in touch with any suppliers who applied to tell them why you’ve cancelled the requirement. If you cancelled because you didn’t find a suitable supplier you need to give feedback to any suppliers who applied.

You can review what you need and then publish new requirements.

Published 27 June 2016
Last updated 7 November 2017 + show all updates
  1. You can now withdraw open requirements through your Digital Marketplace account.

  2. First published.