5.40 Following receipt of the shortlisted participants' proposals where the ITPD is used, the NHS body may carry out an evaluation exercise in order to select a shorter list of participants to whom a ISFT is to be issued. The evaluation criteria used must be consistent throughout the ITPD and ISFT stages and should be aimed at selecting the most economically advantageous offer.
5.41 The ISFT should be issued to the remaining participants and should follow the format as previously outlined in Information to be provided by the NHSScotland body in both the ITPD and ISFT. It will take into account the results of the dialogue process and reflect the any comments from participants and any key issues that were raised at the earlier stage. All parties should be aware that following submission of the Final Bids only clarification, specification and fine tuning changes will be permitted in the Preferred Bid and only to the extent that these are not material and do not distort the competitive process.
5.42 It is good practice to offer unsuccessful participants a debriefing and the EU procurement regulations require that unsuccessful participants, at whichever stage of the process, must be debriefed within 15 days of their having submitted a written request. NHSScotland bodies should also take account of Alcatel standstill requirements (see paragraph 6.57 of this Section of the guidance).