All qualified suppliers are welcome. We've made our decision that no one else can do this, challenge it, if you will. The time varies with the complexity of the situation, but all bidders have the same amount of time to prepare and submit their bids. The selected supplier has no formal constraint on the time it has to prepare its offer. The tendering documents contain a detailed statement of requirements and specify how parties' requirements are to be presented.
All parties receive the same information.
The department may or may not supply additional information. The chosen supplier has ongoing access to the statement and frequently drafts it. The basis for assessment must be clearly stated in the tendering documents. All parties must receive the same information, and they have an equal chance to shape their tender to maximize the assessment. There is no assessment information.