Article XIII: Procurement (a) Subject to this Article, procurement of goods and services required by INTELSAT shall be effected by the award of contracts, based on responses to open international invitations to tender, to bidders offering the best combination of quality, price and the most favourable delivery time. The services to which this Article refers are those provided by juridical persons. (b) If there is more than one bid offering such a combination, the contract shall be awarded so as to stimulate, in the interests of INTELSAT, world-wide competition. (c) The requirement of open international invitations to tender may be dispensed with in those cases specifically referred to in Article 16 of the Operating Agreement.