Section 56, The Public Procurement Act, 2004

(1) The contract shall be awarded to the bidder havingsubmitted the lowest evaluated and substantially responsive bid which meets only those evaluation criteria as specified in the bidding (2) Prior to the expiry of the period of bid validity, the procuring entity shall notify the successful bidder of the proposed award, which shall specify the time within which the contract must be signed, subject to any intervening complaints filed in accordance with Part VII. (3) Where the value of the contract exceeds the levels set in the regulations, notice shall be given to the other bidders, specifying the name and address of the proposed successful bidder and the price of the contract, but the contract shall not be signed until at least 14 calendar days have passed following the giving of that notice. (4) If the bidder whose bid has been accepted fails to sign a written contract, when required to do so, or fails to provide any required security for the performance of the contract within the prescribed time limit, the procuring entity shall accept the next ranked bidder from among the remaining bids that are in force, but in selecting the next ranked bidder, the procuring entity shall comply with the provisions of section 52 as appropriate, as well as with the notice requirements provided in subsection (2).