6.57 The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 contain an obligation on contracting authorities to respect a mandatory 10 day standstill period between the award decision and the conclusion of a contract with the party to whom the award is made. A notice (an "Alcatel Letter") must be issued to unsuccessful bidders as soon as the award decision document is made, and the 10 day period must then be observed prior to the signing of a contract. When the preferred bidder has been selected, the remaining bidder should be asked to accept reserve bidder status. The reserve bidder may be recalled if negotiations with the preferred provider do not look likely to achieve an acceptable deal to the NHSScotland body. Having a reserve bidder in place allows the NHSScotland body to maintain a greater element of competitive pressure on the preferred provider. However, this pressure will diminish the longer the period after which the preferred provider was selected.