In the private sector the organisation can conduct an RFI and decide how many suppliers are shortlisted.
In the public sector, tenders are conducted under the Public Regulations 2015
How many candidates should be invited to tender?
Provided that in all cases there is a sufficient number of candidates to do so:
| Restricted | A minimum of 5 |
| Negotiated (with prior advert) | A minimum of 3 |
| Competitive Dialogue | A minimum of 3 |
Note- open tenders are a single stage but suppliers can be disqualified for further scoring based on meeting minimum technical requirements