Prior information notice (PIN)
A prior information notice (PIN) is an advance notice about a possible procurement, traditionally used under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and related regimes. It can announce market activity or provide early information; its effect depends on the legislation and notice sequence.
Reviewed
The term PIN is most useful when reading older or transitional procurement records, where it signals early market information or planned activity. It is strongly associated with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and older notice sequences; under the Procurement Act 2023, buyers use different notice types such as a planned procurement notice or preliminary market engagement notice.
Read the legal regime first
Look at the publication date and the legislation named in the record. Transitional procurements can continue under PCR 2015 even after 24 February 2025, while a new Act procurement will normally use its Act notice types. A PIN may contain estimated scope, timing, value, lots and a contact route, but it is not automatically a call for tenders. It may also have a specific procedural effect under the regime that applies, so do not copy assumptions from an old notice into a new one.
What a supplier should do
Use the notice to plan capacity, identify partners and prepare relevant evidence. Follow any stated expression-of-interest or market-engagement process, then monitor for the contract notice or tender notice. For example, a PIN for a local authority’s fleet services might indicate a market event in spring and a procurement later in the year; attendance can help you understand the problem, but it does not reserve a place in the competition. Check the buyer’s portal, amendments and final tender documents before spending bid effort.