## 16. Costs of preparing tenders 

No costs incurred by the tenderer in preparing and submitting the tender are reimbursable. All such costs will be borne by the tenderer. 

## 17. Ownership of tenders 

The contracting authority retains ownership of all tenders received under this tender procedure. Consequently, tenderers have no right to have their tenders returned to them. 

## 18. Joint venture or consortium 

18.1 If a tenderer is a joint venture or consortium of two or more persons, the tender must be a single one with the object of securing a single contract, each person must sign the tender and will be jointly and severally liable for the tender and any contract. Those persons must designate one of their members to act as leader with authority to bind the joint venture or consortium. The composition of the joint venture or consortium must not be altered without the prior written consent of the contracting authority. 

18.2 The tender may be signed by the representative of the joint venture or consortium only if it has been expressly so authorised in writing by the members of the joint venture or consortium, and the authorising contract, notarial act or deed must be submitted to the contracting authority in accordance with point 11 of these instructions to tenderers. All signatures to the authorising instrument must be certified in accordance with the national laws and regulations of each party comprising the joint venture or consortium together with the powers of attorney establishing, in writing, that the signatories to the tender are empowered to enter into commitments on behalf of the members of the joint venture or consortium. Each member of such joint venture or consortium must provide the proof required under Article 3.5 as if it, itself, were the tenderer. 

## 19. Opening of tenders 

19.1 The purpose of the opening session is to check whether the tenders are complete, whether the requisite tender guarantees have been provided, whether the required documents have been properly included and whether the tenders are generally in order. 

19.2 The tenders will be opened in public session on 04/01/2021 at 2:00 p.m. (local time) at Mustafa Kemal Mahallesi, Dumlupınar Bulvarı, (Eskişehir Yolu 7. Km), 2151.Cadde, No:154/A, Kat:7 06530 Çankaya/Ankara/Turkey by the appointed committee. The committee will draw up minutes of the meeting, which will be available on request. 

In the case that at the date of the opening session some tenders have not been delivered to the contracting authority but their representatives can show evidence that it has been sent on time, the contracting authority will allow them to participate in the first opening session and inform all representatives of the tenderers that a second opening session will be organised. 

19.3 At the tender opening, the tenderers’ names, the tender prices, any discount offered, written notifications of alteration and withdrawal, the presence of the requisite tender guarantee (if required) and such other information as the contracting authority may consider appropriate may be announced. 

19.4 After the public opening of the tenders, no information relating to the examination, clarification, evaluation and comparison of tenders, or recommendations concerning the award of the contract can be disclosed until after the contract has been awarded. 

