43.—(1) In an open procedure, a utility must permit any interested economic operator to submit a tender in response to a call for competition within the time period set by the utility in accordance with this regulation.
(2) The tender must be accompanied by the information for qualitative selection that is required by the utility.
(3) Subject to paragraphs (4) to (6), the minimum time period for the receipt of tenders shall be 35 days from the date on which the contract notice is sent for publication.
(4) Where a utility has published a periodic indicative notice which was not itself used as a mean of calling for competition under regulation 42(5)(a) (choice of procedures), the minimum time limit for the receipt of tenders may be reduced to 15 days, provided that—
(a)the periodic indicative notice included all the information required for the contract notice in Section I and II of Part A of Annex VI to the Utilities Contracts Directive, insofar as the information in section II was available at the time the periodic indicative notice was published; and
(b)the periodic indicative notice was sent for publication between 35 days and 12 months before the date on which the contract notice was sent for publication.
(5) Where a state of urgency duly substantiated by a utility renders it impracticable to apply the minimum time limit set out in paragraph (3), the utility may fix a time limit which must not be less than 15 days from the date on which the contract notice was sent for publication.
(6) A utility may reduce the minimum time period referred to in paragraph (3) by a period of up to 5 days where it accepts that tenders may be submitted by electronic means in accordance with regulation 38 (rules applicable to communication).