The goal of this white paper is to help contracting authorities draft technical specifications in the tender documentation for public contracts for the supply of computer systems (desktops, notebooks and servers).

Public procurement legislation aims to enable contracting authorities to achieve Best Value for Money in their purchasing activities. The way in which technical specifications for products are defined in the contract documents is critical to this purpose.

At its simplest, technical specifications indicate what product a contracting authority wants to buy. As for any other type of products, contracting authorities should follow a basic two-step process when drafting technical specifications for computer systems:

• Identifying the features of the computer system they would like to purchase, taking primarily into account their intended use of the product and the available budget; and
• Writing the technical specifications accordingly, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Sections 2 and 3 of the white paper provide practical guidance on the two-step process outlined above. Such guidance is consistent with public procurement legislation worldwide and, in particular, with the governing principles of transparency and openness of tenders to competition, equal treatment of tenderers and non-discrimination.

This white paper will therefore enable contracting authorities to effectively achieve their Best Value for Money objectives when buying computers, while remaining compliant.