Contract Award Notice (CAN)

A contract award notice (CAN) is a mandatory publication issued after a public contract has been awarded, disclosing the identity of the winning economic operator, the final contract value, the number of tenders received, and other key award details. Required by Article 50 of Directive 2014/24/EU, the CAN must be published within 30 days of contract conclusion and serves as the primary source of transparency data for completed public procurements.

How It Works

The contract award notice is the final major publication in a procurement procedure's lifecycle. It closes the information loop that began with the contract notice, providing the market and the public with data on how public money has been spent.

When a CAN Is Published

After the contracting authority makes its award decision, observes the mandatory standstill period (at least 10 days), and signs the contract with the winning tender, it must submit a contract award notice to TED within 30 calendar days of contract conclusion. In practice, many contracting authorities publish CANs with some delay, and compliance with the 30-day requirement varies across Member States.

Content of the CAN

Under the eForms standard, a CAN contains structured data covering:

Winner identification — The name, address, national registration number, and country of the successful economic operator(s). For joint ventures or consortia, all participating entities are identified.
Contract value — The total value of the contract as awarded, which may differ from the estimated value published in the contract notice.
Number of tenders received — The total number of tenders submitted, providing a measure of competition.
Award date — The date of the award decision.
Award criteria used — Confirmation of which award criteria were applied (e.g., most economically advantageous tender based on price-quality ratio).
Subcontracting information — Whether subcontracting is involved and, if so, the share or value subcontracted.
Lot-level details — For procedures divided into lots, the CAN provides award information per lot, potentially identifying different winners for different lots.

eForms Subtypes

can-standard — Standard contract award notice for goods, services, or works
can-social — Award notice for social and other specific services under the lighter regime
can-modif — Contract modification notice, published when a contract is substantially modified during execution under Article 72

Relationship to Other Notices

The CAN references the original contract notice (creating a traceable link between the call for competition and its outcome), and may be followed by contract modification notices if the contract terms change significantly during execution. The CAN is typically the last notice in the procedure lifecycle unless modifications occur.

Legal Framework

Article 50 of Directive 2014/24/EU requires contracting authorities to send a contract award notice to the Publications Office (for TED publication) no later than 30 days after the conclusion of a contract or framework agreement. The notice must be drawn up in the standard form (eForms format since October 2023).

For framework agreements, authorities may group individual contract award notices on a quarterly basis rather than publishing for each call-off separately. This flexibility reflects the high volume of individual orders that can be placed under a framework.

Article 50(4) provides a limited exemption from publishing certain information where disclosure would be contrary to the public interest, would harm legitimate commercial interests, or would impede fair competition. In practice, contracting authorities occasionally redact specific contract values or supplier details under these provisions, though such redactions are subject to scrutiny.

Article 72 governs contract modifications, and can-modif notices must be published when contracts are modified beyond the thresholds set in that article. This ensures transparency extends beyond the initial award to cover significant changes during contract execution.

The Remedies Directives (89/665/EEC and 92/13/EEC) interact with the CAN requirement: failure to publish a CAN can extend the period during which an award decision may be challenged, since the standstill period and challenge deadlines are tied to notification and publication timelines.

In Germany, the Bekanntmachung der Auftragsvergabe is published both on TED and national platforms. In France, avis d'attribution follow the same dual-publication pattern via BOAMP and TED. National courts in both jurisdictions have addressed cases where late or incomplete CANs undermined transparency and affected challenge rights.

Practical Examples

Example 1: Standard Services Award. After an open procedure for cleaning services worth an estimated EUR 500,000, the contracting authority awards the contract to the tenderer offering the best price-quality ratio. The CAN published on TED discloses the winner's name and registration number, a contract value of EUR 475,000 (5% below the estimate), and confirms that 8 tenders were received. This data tells the market that the cleaning sector remains competitive in this region.

Example 2: Multi-Lot Construction Award. A regional government publishes a CAN covering the award of a school renovation project divided into three lots. Lot 1 (structural work, EUR 2.1 million) is awarded to a local construction firm, Lot 2 (electrical work, EUR 800,000) to an electrical contractor, and Lot 3 (HVAC, EUR 600,000) to a mechanical services company. The CAN provides per-lot data on tenders received: 6, 4, and 5 respectively.

Example 3: Framework Agreement CAN. A central purchasing body publishes a CAN announcing the establishment of a four-year framework agreement for IT procurement services with five selected suppliers. The CAN discloses the maximum framework value of EUR 20 million and identifies all five framework parties. Individual call-off CANs may be grouped and published quarterly.

Key Considerations for Suppliers

Mine CANs for competitive intelligence. Contract award notices are the richest public data source for understanding your competitive landscape. They reveal who is winning contracts in your sector, at what price points, how many competitors participated, and how the market is segmented by lot. Systematically tracking CANs builds a competitive database that informs your pricing, partnering, and targeting strategies.

Compare award values to estimated values. The difference between the estimated value in the contract notice and the actual award value in the CAN reveals market pricing dynamics. If contracts are consistently being awarded below the estimate, competition is intense. If values are at or above the estimate, the market may be less crowded. This intelligence informs your own pricing strategy.

Track your competitors' win patterns. By analyzing which companies win CANs in your sector, you can map your competitors' geographic focus, preferred lot sizes, typical pricing range, and relationship with specific contracting authorities. This competitor intelligence is invaluable for strategic positioning.

Use CANs to identify potential teaming partners. If a company consistently wins lots or contracts that complement your capabilities, they may be a strong consortium partner for future procurements. Similarly, subcontractors named in CANs may be available for collaboration on future bids.

Monitor contract modifications. When a can-modif notice is published, it reveals that a contract has been significantly changed during execution. This may signal emerging needs, budget overruns, or performance issues — all of which create potential opportunities for alternative suppliers in future procurement cycles.

Verify your own CAN data. When you win a contract, check the published CAN for accuracy. Errors in your company name, registration number, or contract value can affect your visibility in procurement databases and may need to be corrected.

Contract Notice — The preceding notice that called for competition; the CAN closes the procurement cycle that the CN opened.
Award — The formal decision announced in the CAN, selecting the winning tender.
Economic Operator — The supplier, contractor, or service provider identified as the winner in the CAN.
Estimated Value — Published in the contract notice; comparison with the CAN's actual contract value reveals pricing dynamics.
Lot — For multi-lot procedures, the CAN provides per-lot award information, potentially with different winners per lot.
Framework Agreement — CANs for framework agreements disclose the establishment of the framework and its parties.

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon after contract signature must a CAN be published?

Article 50 of Directive 2014/24/EU requires the contracting authority to send the contract award notice to TED within 30 days of contract conclusion. In practice, publication times vary, and some authorities publish CANs with delays. However, late publication has legal consequences, as it can affect challenge deadlines and transparency obligations.

Can a contracting authority withhold information from a CAN?

Yes, under limited circumstances. Article 50(4) allows certain information to be withheld where disclosure would impede law enforcement, would be contrary to the public interest, would harm legitimate commercial interests of a particular economic operator, or might prejudice fair competition. However, the authority must justify any redactions, and the general principle favors maximum transparency.

What is the difference between a CAN and a can-modif?

A standard CAN (can-standard) announces the initial award of a contract. A can-modif (contract modification notice) is published when a contract is substantially modified during its execution period — for example, when the contract value increases beyond permitted thresholds, when additional works or services are added, or when the contractor changes. Both use the eForms format but serve different purposes: the CAN announces the original outcome, while the can-modif provides transparency over in-contract changes. Learn more about interpreting these notices in our guide on how to read a contract notice.

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