Article 29

specify the procedure for submitting tenders and stipulate how they are to be presented, including, in particular, any requirement as to the use of a standard reply form;

make reference to the general conditions applicable to the contract concerned (supplies or services), where appropriate, and to any document containing conditions specifically applicable to the particular contract concerned;

include a clause stating that the submission of a tender implies acceptance of the relevant conditions;

specify the terms under which an inspection may be made, where appropriate, to be set out in detail in the case of on-the-spot inspections;

specify the period during which a tender will remain valid and may not be varied in any respect;

specify the penalties for failure to comply with the provisions of the contract;

specify the details which must be contained in the invoices (or in the relevant supporting documents);

prohibit any contact between the Deputy Secretary-General and his staff, representatives of the Governments of the Member States referred to in Article 25, representatives of the Governments of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland and tenderers on matters related to that invitation to tender save, by way of special exception, under the following conditions:

before the closing date for the submission of tenders:

1. (i)

   at the instance of tenderers:

   additional information solely for the purpose of clarifying the nature of the invitation to tender may be communicated to all tenderers;

2. (ii)

   at the instance of the Deputy Secretary-General:

   if the Member States referred to in Article 25, or Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, or the General Secretariat of the Council notice an error, a lack of precision, an omission or any other type of clerical defect in the text of the invitation to tender, the General Secretariat may, in a manner identical to that applicable in respect of the original invitation to tender, inform the persons concerned accordingly;

3. (iii)

   after the tenders have been opened and at the instance of the Member States referred to in Article 25, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, or the General Secretariat of the Council, if some clarification is required in connection with a tender, or if obvious clerical errors contained in the tender must be corrected, the General Secretariat may contact the tenderer.