Article 159. Digital availability of tender documents.

1. Starting from the date of publication of a notice or from the date of sending an invitation to confirm interest, the tender documents are made available in digital form, free of charge, unlimited and directly. The notice and the invitation to confirm interest indicate the hyperlink where the tender documents are accessible. 2. When the means of calling a tender is a notice on the existence of a qualification system, such access is permitted as quickly as possible and in any case no later than the time of the invitation to submit an offer or to negotiate. 3. When it is impossible to use the means of electronic communication provided for by the code, the notice or invitation to confirm interest they account for it and indicate the methods with which the documents are transmitted. In these cases the deadline for submitting offers is extended by no more than five days. 4. When the derogation from the obligation to use means of electronic communication provided for by the code is due to needs of protection of confidentiality, the notice or invitation to confirm interest or, when the means of calling for tenders is a notice on the 'existence of a qualification system, the tender documents indicate the measures adopted to protect the confidential nature of the information and the methods of access to the documents. In this case, the deadline for submitting offers is extended by no more than five days, unless the new deadline has been set in agreement between the contracting authority or the granting body and all the selected candidates. 5. The additional information requested on the tender documents is communicated to all bidders or made available on the digital procurement platform and on the institutional website at least six days before the deadline established for the receipt of offers and at least four days before when the deadline for receiving offers is reduced. EFFECTIVE FROM: 1 July 2023