4 Procurement

The procurement phase, as the term is used in this Guide, begins with the publication of the procurement notice and ends with financial close, the point at which project activities (beginning with construction) can start up. The procurement phase constitutes the main focus of the Guide. It has been broken down for convenience into two stages: (i) the bidding process stage; and (ii) the stage which includes the activities carried out from the award of the PPP contract to financial close. Chart 6 outlines the stages and steps in the procurement phase, which is described in more detail in the sections that follow.