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Section 2 of 11

What happens to a submission

The journey from arrival to certificate, and where the clock runs.

Every submission takes the same path. Knowing the path tells you what state your case is in, who has it, and what happens next.

The seven stages

  1. 1. RecordedThe entity enters the contract: what is being bought, for how much, under which project, and why. The case now exists and has a number of its own.
  2. 2. Checked for completenessA case officer at the Office checks the required documents are there and readable. If something is missing the case is returned to the entity with each deficiency listed against the requirement it fails.
  3. 3. AcceptedWhen the submission is complete, the Office accepts it. This is the moment that matters for timing — see the note below.
  4. 4. Assigned to a reviewerThe same case officer names the technical reviewer who will assess it, and records why — sector experience, workload, whoever is free. This is what moves the case into assessment: an accepted case that has been given to nobody cannot be assessed. A case can be moved to a different reviewer later, and every movement stays on the file with its reason.
  5. 5. AssessedThe technical reviewer compares the price against the benchmark library and against what similar contracts have cost. Where something is unclear, they send a request for information, and the clock pauses while the entity answers.
  6. 6. RecommendedThe reviewer writes a recommendation with reasons. On larger cases a second reviewer reads it and either concurs or dissents, and the dissent is kept whether or not it is followed.
  7. 7. DecidedA decision officer records the decision. They may depart from the recommendation, and if they do, the departure is recorded as such.
  8. 8. CertifiedAn approval produces a numbered certificate with a ceiling and an expiry date. Anyone holding the number can check it is genuine.

Separation of duties

The person who assesses a case is not the person who decides it. This is not a matter of preference — it is the reason a decision means anything. The system enforces it: the decision screen will not accept a decision from the officer who carried out the assessment.