What does the UK guidance distinguish?
The Cabinet Office guidance explains lots as parts of a procurement awarded through contracts. It distinguishes limits on the number a supplier may tender for from limits on the number it may be awarded and discusses stated options to combine lots. This is UK Procurement Act guidance, not a rule for every Australian or private tender.
Tender Glossary is independent and is not affiliated with the Cabinet Office. This article is not legal advice. Apply the actual buyer instructions and obtain qualified procurement or legal advice for the applicable regime.
Sources: UK Cabinet Office: Cabinet Office guidance on lots, updated 13 July 2026
What belongs in the lot decision worksheet?
Use the buyer's lot identifiers rather than equate every equipment line with a separately awardable lot. Keep shared response requirements and lot-specific evidence separate. A single portal upload does not prove there is one indivisible contract.
| Record | Source to retain | Decision question |
|---|---|---|
| Lot identity | Lot ID and package description | Which scope is separately evaluated? |
| Bid limit | Maximum lots that may be tendered | Does the proposed selection exceed it? |
| Award limit | Maximum lots that may be won | What combinations remain feasible? |
| Combination rule | Any permitted combined award basis | Must combined pricing or conditions be supplied? |
| Capacity evidence | Actual required eligibility and resource evidence | Can the bidder support each proposed combination? |
| Submission | Shared and lot-specific file requirements | Is each chosen lot's response complete? |
How can a valid bid selection still exceed the award limit?
Illustrative example. A fictional electrical procurement has four named lots. The instructions allow bids for up to three and awards of up to two. A bidder can select three within the bidding limit, but cannot assume it may receive all three.
Check any stated preference, combination and allocation mechanism. The example supplies invented limits and makes no claim about a real procurement. A priced line within one lot is not automatically a separate lot that can be omitted. Partial bids need the buyer's actual permission.
What should be resolved before submission?
Map proposed selections to the stated limit, each lot's required response and any permitted combinations. Ask through the authorised clarification route when the notice and tender files conflict. Do not invent a rule that the lowest numbered lots win or that a preference list will be accepted.
Preserve the bid owner's decision and the source revisions used. If an addendum changes package boundaries or the limits, recheck both selection and response completeness. The worksheet supports tender reading; it does not predict an award or determine the legality of the procurement.
Common questions
What else should the bid team know?
Is a lot the same as every pricing item?
No. Use the buyer's identified procurement packages.
Can a bidder tender for more lots than it can win?
Only where the actual instructions permit different bidding and award limits.
May part of a lot be omitted?
Do not assume so. Check the actual partial-bid instructions.
Primary sources
- Cabinet Office guidance on lots, updated 13 July 2026UK Cabinet Office