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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/d4dd6a57-afe0-405b-8609-d6aa74a076e2/Ellipse_2_(2).svg" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/d4dd6a57-afe0-405b-8609-d6aa74a076e2/Ellipse_2_(2).svg" width="40px" /> A design contest is a procedure that allows a contracting authority to run a competition for the submission of designs or proposals from the market, before reviewing those submissions with an expert jury, and awarding either prizes or a follow-up contract to the selected winners.
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The design contest has traditionally been used for designing works in the fields of town planning, architecture, engineering and data processing, but the EU rules recall that this procedure is suitable also for other types of projects (and it has been used for the first time in the EU for technology recently - see below).
Design contests can be a great way of running procurement in a startup or SME-friendly way, with pitches and demos replacing normal tendering processes, reducing transaction costs for both sides. UK local authorities rarely use them. However, they can be an extremely powerful mechanism, especially when combined with additional negotiations.
Design contests should be used when a borough is considering piloting a number of different solutions to a challenge, but wants to follow up the process with a formal contract.
The rules governing application and submission requirements are much more flexible than in traditional procurement procedures. Suppliers can submit proposals to challenges in many forms, including by designing wireframes, sending a pitch deck, or even by developing an initial version of a solution by using mock-data issued by the public authority. Second, multiple suppliers can be awarded ‘prizes’, usually conducted at an awards ceremony, so even participants that are not awarded follow-up contracts can benefit from the programme.
Design contests may be organised in view of awarding prizes (with payments) or service contracts by means of a follow-up negotiated procedure without publication of a contract notice.
The rules on design contests apply to two types of contests: (i) design contests organised as part of a procedure leading to the award of a public service contract (design contests leading to an award); and (ii) design contests with prizes or payments to participants (self-standing design contests or design contests leading to negotiations).
Design contest with a prize or payment A design contest can be a self-standing competition without any follow-up contract, including a prize, payment or award. Prizes or 'honoraria' can also be paid to all short-listed schemes.
Design contest with a follow-up contract Design contest can also be followed up with a contract award.
Design contest followed by a negotiated procedure It is also possible to specify in a design contest your intention to follow-up with a negotiated procedure. ****This enables you to enter into a negotiation with the winner to establish a working agreement with a practice of their choice to provide any additional capacity and resource needed to deliver the project.