In short
Public contracts in the EU above set value thresholds must be advertised EU-wide on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and follow Directive 2014/24/EU. From January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 the main thresholds are €5,404,000 for works, €140,000 for supplies and services bought by central government and €216,000 for those bought by other public bodies, all excluding VAT. To bid, you find the notice on TED or the national portal, download the documents from the buyer's e-procurement platform, check the exclusion and selection criteria, submit the ESPD and your bid in the language the buyer asks for, and do it all before the deadline on that platform.
This guide is for US and other non-European companies that want to bid on public tenders (government contracts) in EU member states, with extra detail on the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. If you know SAM.gov and the FAR, think of TED as the EU-wide equivalent of a central notice board, with 27 national rulebooks behind it. It is about how to submit a bid. For how to search across countries, see our Dutch-language guide to searching tenders across Europe.
How EU public procurement works
Three EU directives set the rules for public purchasing:
- Directive 2014/24/EU for public sector buyers such as ministries, municipalities, hospitals and universities. This is the one most bidders deal with.
- Directive 2014/25/EU for utilities in water, energy, transport and postal services.
- Directive 2014/23/EU for concessions.
Each member state has written these directives into national law. The Netherlands has the Aanbestedingswet 2012, Belgium the law of June 17, 2016 on public procurement, and Germany Part 4 of the GWB with the VgV for supplies and services and the VOB/A EU for works. The core rules are the same everywhere: equal treatment, transparency, non-discrimination and proportionality. The details, portals and forms differ.
EU thresholds for 2026–2027
The directives apply in full only above a contract value threshold. The European Commission revises the thresholds every two years. The values below apply from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027.
| Contract type | Threshold (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Works contracts and works concessions | €5,404,000 |
| Supplies and services, central government authorities | €140,000 |
| Supplies and services, sub-central authorities (regions, municipalities, other public bodies) | €216,000 |
| Social and other specific services (Annex XIV) | €750,000 |
| Supplies and services in the utilities sectors | €432,000 |
Sources: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152 (Directive 2014/24/EU), Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2150 (Directive 2014/25/EU) and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2151 (concessions), all of October 22, 2025. The €750,000 threshold for social and other specific services is set in the directive itself. Overview on the European Commission thresholds page.
Two practical points. The buyer calculates the value over the whole contract term, including options and extensions. And below the thresholds, national rules apply. Smaller contracts are often published only on the national portal, sometimes with simpler procedures and only in the national language.
Where tenders are published
TED (ted.europa.eu) is the EU's official journal for procurement notices. Every contract above the thresholds must appear there. Searching and reading notices is free. Since October 25, 2023 notices use the standard eForms format, which makes the data more consistent across countries.
TED gives you the notice. The tender documents themselves usually sit on the buyer's own e-procurement platform, linked from the notice. That is also where you ask questions and submit your bid. In the three countries we know best:
| Country | Main portal | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | TenderNed | Central government platform for notices and, for many buyers, the full tender process. Some buyers use other platforms such as Negometrix (Mercell). |
| Belgium | e-Procurement (publicprocurement.be), run by BOSA | Federal platform for notices (e-Notification) and electronic submission (e-Tendering). Language depends on the buyer's region: Dutch, French or German. |
| Germany | oeffentlichevergabe.de, service.bund.de and many e-Vergabe platforms | Germany has no single portal. Federal, state and municipal buyers use different platforms, so the notice tells you where the documents and submission are. |
The procedures you will meet
Directive 2014/24/EU sets out these procedures. The notice always says which one applies.
| Procedure | How it works | Minimum time limit (standard) |
|---|---|---|
| Open procedure (Art. 27) | Anyone can submit a full bid | 35 days from the notice for tenders |
| Restricted procedure (Art. 28) | First a request to participate, then a shortlist is invited to bid | 30 days for requests, 30 days for tenders |
| Competitive procedure with negotiation (Art. 29) | Shortlist, initial bid, then negotiation | 30 days for requests, 30 days for initial tenders |
| Competitive dialogue (Art. 30) | Dialogue with a shortlist to develop solutions for complex needs | 30 days for requests |
| Innovation partnership (Art. 31) | For developing innovative products or services not yet on the market | 30 days for requests |
| Negotiated without prior publication (Art. 32) | Only in narrow exceptions, such as extreme urgency | No public notice |
Time limits can be shorter when the buyer published a prior information notice, in justified urgency, or when tenders are submitted electronically. Do not count on the minimum: start the day the notice appears. These are the directive's minimums; countries may set longer ones. The Netherlands, for example, requires at least 45 days for an open procedure. See EU tender deadlines by country.
The ESPD: your self-declaration
The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is a standard self-declaration under Article 59 of the directive. In it you state that none of the exclusion grounds apply (such as convictions for fraud or unpaid taxes) and that you meet the selection criteria (such as turnover, insurance and references). The buyer normally asks only the winning bidder for the supporting evidence: certificates, tax statements and extracts from trade registers.
In practice the ESPD has national names and formats: the UEA in the Netherlands and Belgium, the EEE in Germany. Some buyers use an online ESPD service; others send a Word or PDF form. If you bid from abroad, use the e-Certis database to see which document from your own country counts as evidence in the buyer's country.
Step by step: bidding as a foreign supplier
- Check that you can bid. EU and EEA companies have equal access. Suppliers from countries that are party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement or have a trade agreement with the EU, including the United States and the UK, generally have access to the contracts covered by those agreements. Coverage depends on the buyer and the contract, so check the notice and, if in doubt, ask the buyer.
- Find the notice and the documents. Search TED by CPV code and country, then follow the link to the buyer's platform. Register there early; some platforms need time to verify a foreign company.
- Read the full document set. Instructions to tenderers, specification, draft contract, award criteria and forms. List every requirement and every document to submit. See tender analysis with AI for a faster way to do this.
- Make a bid/no-bid decision. Do you meet every selection criterion, can you deliver in that country, and can you write in the required language? Our bid/no-bid guide has a scoring template.
- Ask clarification questions. Every procedure has a question round with a deadline. Use it for unclear requirements and contradictions between documents. Answers are shared with all bidders.
- Decide how you bid. Alone, as a consortium, or relying on the capacity of another company (Art. 63). Each partner usually needs its own ESPD.
- Write the bid against the award criteria. Most EU contracts are awarded on the most economically advantageous tender, which usually combines price and quality. Answer each criterion and sub-criterion directly. See win government bids on quality, not only on price.
- Fill in the forms and check completeness. ESPD, pricing schedule, declarations and any required certificates.
- Submit on the platform, early. Uploads can take time and the portal deadline is absolute. Get a submission receipt.
- Wait for the award decision and the standstill period. Under the EU Remedies Directives, the buyer must wait at least 10 calendar days after sending the award decision electronically before signing the contract. That is your window to ask questions or challenge the decision.
Language requirements
Buyers publish the notice in one or more official EU languages of their choice, and only that version is authentic. TED shows a summary of each notice in all EU official languages, but the tender documents are usually only in the buyer's language. The notice also states the language or languages in which bids may be submitted.
In practice: Dutch buyers expect Dutch, German buyers German, and Belgian buyers Dutch, French or German depending on the region. Some buyers accept English, especially for specialist or international contracts, but do not assume it. Supporting documents in another language may need a translation, sometimes a certified one.
Common mistakes by foreign bidders
- Missing the platform registration. The notice is on TED, but submission happens on a national platform that may need days to verify your company.
- Treating the ESPD as a formality. A wrong answer about exclusion grounds or a missing selection criterion can exclude you before anyone reads your bid.
- Generic answers. A translated sales brochure scores poorly. Evaluators score how well you answer their criteria.
- Underestimating language. A bid in poor German or Dutch reads as a delivery risk.
- Ignoring national evidence formats. A certificate from your country may need an equivalent the buyer recognizes. Check e-Certis.
- Late questions. Clarification deadlines are often well before the submission deadline.
- Abnormally low prices. A price far below other bids triggers a request for explanation under Article 69 and can lead to rejection.
Where TenderRender fits
TenderRender is an AI bid management platform for teams that answer public tenders. For cross-border bidders, three parts are relevant. Search covers Dutch, Belgian and German sources (TenderNed, BOSA and öffentlicheVergabe) in one screen with an AI match score. The analysis reads the full tender pack with a source reference for every finding and proposes clarification questions. And the AI can write in American or British English, Dutch, German, French or Italian, independent of your interface language, while Form Autopilot fills forms such as the ESPD from your own documents and leaves signatures to you. You still check every statement and submit through the buyer's platform yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Can US companies bid on EU public tenders?
Generally yes, for contracts covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, to which both the EU and the US are parties. That coverage is narrower than the access EU companies have and depends on the buyer and the type of contract. Many US companies bid through an EU subsidiary. Check the notice and ask the buyer if it is unclear.
What are the EU procurement thresholds for 2026?
From January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027: €5,404,000 for works, €140,000 for supplies and services of central government authorities, €216,000 for those of other public buyers, €750,000 for social and specific services and €432,000 for supplies and services in the utilities sectors, all excluding VAT.
Do I have to register on TED to bid?
No. TED is where notices are published and you can read them without an account. You submit your bid on the buyer's e-procurement platform, where you usually do need to register.
Can I bid in English?
Only if the notice allows it. Most buyers require their own language. The accepted languages are stated in the notice.
What is the difference between TED and a national portal?
TED publishes notices for contracts above the EU thresholds from every member state. National portals such as TenderNed or Belgium's e-Procurement also publish smaller contracts and often host the documents and submission.
Read more
- What is tender management? Process, roles and tools
- Bid/no-bid decision: criteria and scoring template
- Fill out bid forms and clarification questions faster with AI
- Why did I lose the bid?
Sources: Directive 2014/24/EU; Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152; European Commission thresholds page; TED; TenderNed; Belgian e-Procurement; oeffentlichevergabe.de. Checked on October 15, 2026.
