Art. 61. Restricted procedures

1.In restricted procedures, any economic operator may submit a request to participate in response to a call for competition containing the information set out in Annex XIV, Part I, letters B or C as the case may be, by providing the information requested by the contracting authority for qualitative selection.

2. The minimum time limit for receipt of requests to participate shall be 30 days from the date on which the contract notice was sent or, where a prior information notice is used as a means of calling for competition, from the date the invitation to confirm interest was sent.

3. Following the assessment by the contracting authorities of the information provided, only those economic operators invited to do so may submit a tender. Contracting authorities may limit the number of suitable candidates to be invited to participate in the procedure in accordance with Article 91. The minimum time limit for the receipt of tenders shall be 30 days from the date on which the invitation to tender was sent.

4. Where contracting authorities have published a prior information notice which was not itself used as a means of calling for competition, the minimum time limit for the receipt of tenders may be shortened to 10 days, provided that all of the following conditions are fulfilled:

a) the prior information notice includes all the information required in Annex XIV, part I, letter B, section B1, in so far as that information was available at the time the prior information notice was published;

b) the prior information notice has been sent for publication between 35 days and 12 months before the date on which the contract notice was sent.

5. Contracting authorities within the meaning of Article 3, paragraph 1, letter c), may set out the time limit for the receipt of tenders by mutual agreement with the selected candidates, provided that all selected candidates have the same time to prepare and submit their tenders. In the absence of agreement on the time limit for the receipt of tenders, the time limit shall be at least 10 days from the date on which the invitation to tender was sent.

6. Where, because of a state of urgency duly substantiated, it is impossible to respect the time limits laid down in this Article, contracting authorities may fix:

a) for the receipt of requests to participate, a time limit which shall not be less than 15 days from the date on which the contract notice was sent;

b) a time limit for the receipt of tenders which shall not be less than 10 days from the date on which the invitation to tender was sent.