In short
This glossary defines the terms bid managers meet when responding to public tenders in Europe, with a focus on the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, plus the general vocabulary of bid management. It is written for US readers who bid on European public contracts, so where useful it notes the closest US federal term, such as SAM.gov or the FAR. The three most important terms: a contracting authority is the public body that runs the tender, award criteria are the published, weighted criteria used to score and rank tenders, and the standstill period is the pause between announcing the award decision and signing the contract, during which unsuccessful bidders can challenge it.
All EU member states work from the same procurement directives (2014/24/EU for the public sector), so most concepts translate directly. The national words differ: a Dutch nota van inlichtingen and German Bieterfragen are both clarification questions. Each entry below gives the local term in italics where it helps you read the documents. Amounts come from official sources and are shown with their validity period.
A
Abnormally low tender
A tender whose price looks too low to deliver the contract properly. The contracting authority must ask the bidder to explain the price before it can reject the tender on that ground.
Award criteria
The criteria, with their weightings, that the buyer uses to score and rank tenders. They must be published in the tender documents. In the Netherlands they are gunningscriteria, in Germany Zuschlagskriterien. TenderRender scores a draft against each (sub-)criterion with weaknesses and suggestions; it is a second opinion, not a prediction of the evaluation panel. See review and score bids with AI.
Award decision
The notice telling bidders who the buyer intends to award the contract to, with reasons and, in most countries, the scores. It starts the standstill period. See why did I lose the bid?.
B
BAFO (best and final offer)
A final, improved offer requested from shortlisted bidders at the end of a negotiation or dialogue stage.
Best value (US)
The US federal approach of choosing the offer that gives the government the greatest overall benefit, either through a tradeoff between price and non-price factors or as lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA). Comparable to MEAT in the EU.
Bid manager
The person who runs a bid from the go decision to submission: planning, writers, reviews, compliance and the final package.
Bid/no-bid decision
The structured decision on whether to pursue a tender, based on fit, chance of winning, capacity, risk and margin. Also called go/no-go. See bid/no-bid decision.
C
Clarification questions
Questions bidders submit to the buyer during the tender period about unclear or contradictory documents. Answers are shared with all bidders, in the Netherlands in a nota van inlichtingen. TenderRender proposes clarification questions with reasoning and a source location and exports them to Excel; you submit them yourself. See clarification questions with AI.
Color team reviews
Staged internal reviews of a bid, named by color. Common conventions: Pink team reviews the storyline early, Red team scores a near-final draft as an evaluator would, Gold team gives final approval. Shipley-style naming is widespread in US federal contracting; names and timing vary between organizations.
Competitive dialogue
A procedure for complex contracts where the buyer cannot yet specify the solution. It develops the solution in dialogue with selected bidders, then invites final tenders.
Compliance matrix
A table that lists every requirement in the tender documents and shows where and how your response meets it. It is the main defence against an avoidable disqualification.
Consortium
Two or more companies bidding together, usually with joint and several liability. In Germany a Bietergemeinschaft, in the Netherlands a combinatie.
Content library
A managed store of reusable bid material: past answers, case studies, CVs, policies and certificates. See how to build a bid library.
Contracting authority
The public body that awards the contract, such as a ministry, municipality or public institution. Dutch aanbestedende dienst, Belgian aanbestedende overheid, German öffentlicher Auftraggeber.
CPV codes
Common Procurement Vocabulary: the EU code list describing the subject of a contract. Use it to filter notices on TED and national portals.
D
Dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
An electronic system open to new suppliers throughout its life, from which the buyer runs mini-competitions for call-off contracts.
E
eForms
The EU standard data format for procurement notices, mandatory since 25 October 2023. Notices on TED now carry structured data on lots, deadlines and criteria.
ESPD (European Single Procurement Document)
A standard EU self-declaration in which a company states that no exclusion grounds apply and that it meets the selection criteria. Evidence follows only on request. Set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/7. Dutch and Belgian buyers call it the UEA, German buyers the EEE. TenderRender fills ESPD forms supplied as PDF or Word; signatures stay empty.
Exclusion grounds
Circumstances that bar a company from a tender, such as certain criminal convictions (mandatory) or insolvency and grave professional misconduct (discretionary).
Executive summary
The opening section of a response that states, in a page or less, why the buyer should choose you. Evaluators read it first; often it is not scored directly.
F
FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation)
The main body of rules for US federal government purchasing. It does not apply to European tenders, but many US bid teams use its vocabulary, such as RFP, RFQ and best value.
Framework agreement
An agreement with one or more suppliers that sets terms for future call-off contracts. Under the EU public sector directive it normally lasts at most four years. Winning a framework place does not guarantee work.
I
ITT (invitation to tender)
The document pack inviting suppliers to submit a full tender, with instructions, specification, contract terms and evaluation criteria. Common in UK and Irish usage; US buyers usually issue an RFP instead.
L
Lots
Parts into which a contract is split, by region, service or product. You can bid for one or several, and the buyer may cap how many lots one bidder can win.
M
Mandatory requirements
Pass/fail requirements. Failing one usually means your tender is set aside, however strong the rest is. Also called knock-out criteria.
Market engagement
Pre-tender contact between buyer and market to test feasibility and requirements, also called market consultation. It gives early insight but no advantage in the evaluation.
MEAT (most economically advantageous tender)
The EU award basis: the best tender is identified on price, cost or the best price-quality ratio. It is close to the US "best value" concept. Dutch EMVI, German wirtschaftlichstes Angebot. See win government bids on quality, not only on price.
N
National procurement portals
The platforms where buyers publish national and EU notices and share documents: TenderNed in the Netherlands, BOSA e-Procurement (publicprocurement.be) in Belgium, and in Germany the federal notice service oeffentlichevergabe.de alongside many platforms run by states and providers.
Negotiated procedure
A procedure in which the buyer negotiates with selected bidders, with or without prior publication. Allowed only in the cases set out in the directives and national law.
O
OJEU / OJ S
The Official Journal of the European Union, S series, where EU-wide notices are published. In practice that means TED.
Open procedure
A single-stage procedure where any interested company can submit a tender after the notice is published.
P
PQQ / SQ (selection questionnaire)
The questionnaire used in a first stage to check a supplier's suitability, a UK term. In EU procedures the ESPD plays this role.
Price-quality ratio
A weighting that combines price and quality criteria, for example 40% price and 60% quality. Dutch buyers call it BPKV.
Prior information notice (PIN)
An advance notice in which a buyer announces planned procurements, sometimes months ahead. Useful for early bid/no-bid planning; a PIN can in some cases shorten the later tender period.
R
Restricted procedure
A two-stage procedure: the buyer first selects candidates on suitability, then invites only those to tender.
RFI (request for information)
A request for market information before or instead of a formal tender. It is not a bid and usually not scored.
RFP (request for proposal)
A request for a full proposal covering solution, approach and price. The standard term in US federal and commercial bidding; in European public tenders you see "tender" or "ITT" more often.
RFQ (request for quotation)
A request for a price for a clearly defined product or service, with little or no qualitative evaluation.
S
SAM.gov
The US government's System for Award Management, where companies register to do business with the federal government and where federal contract opportunities are posted. Its European counterparts are TED and the national portals.
Selection criteria
Requirements about the supplier rather than the offer: financial standing, technical ability, experience and certifications. Dutch geschiktheidseisen, German Eignungskriterien.
Sources sought notice (US)
A US federal market research notice asking companies to describe their capabilities before a solicitation. It plays the role of market engagement or an RFI in Europe.
Specification
The part of the tender documents describing what the buyer wants: functional, performance or technical requirements.
Standstill period
The pause between the award decision and contract signature. The EU minimum is 10 calendar days when the decision is sent electronically and 15 otherwise. National rules: 20 calendar days in the Netherlands (the Alcatel-termijn, Article 2.127 Aanbestedingswet 2012), 15 calendar days in Germany or 10 for electronic notice (§ 134 GWB), 15 days in Belgium. US federal procurement has no direct equivalent; unsuccessful offerors there rely on debriefings and bid protests.
Submission deadline
The date and time by which the complete tender must be uploaded to the buyer's portal. Late tenders are rejected, even if the delay was a technical problem on your side.
T
TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)
The online supplement to the Official Journal of the EU, where above-threshold notices from all member states are published.
Tender documents
Everything the buyer publishes for a tender: notice, instructions, specification, contract, forms, pricing sheets and clarification answers. See tender analysis with AI.
Thresholds
The values (excluding VAT) above which EU-wide tendering is required. From 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027: works €5,404,000; supplies and services for central government €140,000 and for sub-central authorities €216,000; utilities supplies and services €432,000; social and other specific services €750,000. Source: Delegated Regulations (EU) 2025/2150 and 2025/2152, European Commission. US federal thresholds are separate and set under the FAR.
V
Variants
Alternative offers that deviate from the specified solution. Allowed only when the buyer explicitly permits them and sets minimum requirements.
W
Win rate
The share of submitted bids that you win. Measure it consistently, by count or value, and per segment, or it tells you little.
Win themes
The three to five core messages that explain why you are the best choice, tied to what the buyer values most and repeated with evidence throughout the response.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between selection criteria and award criteria?
Selection criteria assess the company: can you deliver? Award criteria assess the offer: how good is it? Only bidders who pass selection have their tender scored against the award criteria.
What is the difference between an RFP and a tender?
An RFP is a request for a proposal, the usual term in US federal and commercial procurement. "Tender" is the usual European term for a formal public procurement procedure and for the response to it. The work is similar; public tenders follow stricter procedural rules.
How long is the standstill period?
It depends on the country: 20 calendar days in the Netherlands, 15 days in Belgium and 15 calendar days in Germany (10 if notice is sent electronically). The EU minimum is 10 calendar days for electronic notice.
Is the ESPD the same as the UEA and the EEE?
Yes. ESPD is the English name; UEA is the Dutch and Belgian name and EEE the German name for the same EU self-declaration form.
Can a US company bid on European public tenders?
Often yes. EU procurement is open to companies from countries covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, which includes the US, for the contracts that agreement covers. Check each tender's documents for platform registration, language and evidence requirements; above the thresholds you will usually complete an ESPD.
