# How do public tenders work in Germany?

Germany has the largest public procurement market in the EU, split between the federal government, 16 Länder and thousands of municipalities. EU-value tenders follow Part 4 of the GWB and the VgV and appear on TED, while smaller tenders follow the UVgO, VOB/A and state law. Notices are spread over many federal, state and commercial e-procurement platforms, and bids are submitted electronically in German.

Checked on 15 October 2026. Made by TenderRender from official sources. Not legal advice: check the notice and documents of each tender.
Source: https://www.tenderrender.com/en-us/tender-guides/germany

## At a glance

- Law: [Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen (GWB), Teil 4, und Vergabeverordnung (VgV)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gwb/)
- Oversight: [Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE)](https://www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de)
- Central portal: [Bekanntmachungsservice (oeffentlichevergabe.de)](https://www.oeffentlichevergabe.de)
- Thresholds: Supplies and services, top-level and higher federal authorities (EU): € 140.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj))
- Thresholds: Supplies and services, all other contracting authorities including Länder and municipalities (EU): € 216.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj))
- Thresholds: Works (EU): € 5.404.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj))
- Thresholds: Utilities: supplies and services (EU): € 432.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2150/oj))
- Thresholds: Social and other specific services (EU): € 750.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/24/oj))
- Thresholds: Direct award without a procurement procedure, federal contracting authorities (national, since 1 July 2026): € 50.000 ([source](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bho/__55.html))

## Law and buyers

Above the EU thresholds the rules are in Part 4 of the Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen (GWB, Act against Restraints of Competition) and in ordinances: the Vergabeverordnung (VgV) for supplies and services, VOB/A Section 2 for works, the SektVO for utilities, the KonzVgV for concessions and the VSVgV for defence. Below the thresholds, budget law applies: the Unterschwellenvergabeordnung (UVgO) for supplies and services and VOB/A Section 1 for works, as adopted by the federation and each Land, plus state procurement and wage-compliance laws. The Vergabebeschleunigungsgesetz (Procurement Acceleration Act) has applied since 1 July 2026, and the Bundestariftreuegesetz (Federal Collective Wage Compliance Act) since 1 May 2026 for federal works and services contracts. Buyers include federal bodies such as the Beschaffungsamt des BMI and the Bundeswehr procurement office, the Länder, municipalities and public companies such as Deutsche Bahn.

## Where tenders are published

There is no single tender portal. Since the introduction of eForms, the Bekanntmachungsservice at oeffentlichevergabe.de collects notices as a national data hub and forwards EU notices to TED. Federal authorities mostly use e-Vergabe, the federal procurement platform, and list tenders on service.bund.de. Länder and municipalities use state platforms such as vergabe.NRW, vergabe.bayern or the Berlin platform, or commercial platforms. By share of EU notices, the largest platforms in 2025 were DTVP, subreport ELViS, RIB eVergabe, Deutsche eVergabe, e-Vergabe of the federation and evergabe.de. Bidders can usually register and download documents free of charge, although some platforms sell premium search features. Bids are normally submitted in text form, without a qualified electronic signature unless the buyer requires one.

## Procedures and thresholds

Above the EU thresholds the procedures are the offenes Verfahren (open procedure), the nicht offenes Verfahren (restricted procedure with a Teilnahmewettbewerb, or prequalification stage), the Verhandlungsverfahren with or without Teilnahmewettbewerb (negotiated procedure), the wettbewerblicher Dialog (competitive dialogue) and the Innovationspartnerschaft; open and restricted procedures may be chosen freely. Below the thresholds the UVgO and VOB/A Section 1 provide the öffentliche Ausschreibung (public tender), the beschränkte Ausschreibung with or without Teilnahmewettbewerb (restricted tender), the Verhandlungsvergabe or freihändige Vergabe (negotiated award) and the Direktauftrag (direct award). The value limits for these national procedures differ between the federation and the Länder. Since 1 July 2026 federal buyers may award contracts up to a fixed value without any procedure.

## Documents and language

Buyers usually start with Eigenerklärungen (self-declarations) and ask the preferred bidder for evidence later; in EU procedures they must accept the Einheitliche Europäische Eigenerklärung (EEE, the ESPD). Typical evidence includes a commercial register extract, a tax certificate (Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung) from the tax office, a social security certificate, liability insurance, turnover figures and references. Entry in a prequalification register, the PQ-VOB list for works or the official AVPQ register of the chambers of commerce for supplies and services, can replace many individual documents. For larger contracts, buyers query the federal Wettbewerbsregister (competition register) at the Bundeskartellamt for exclusion grounds. Tenders and bids are in German. Foreign bidders may submit equivalent documents from their home country, usually with a German translation.

## Deadlines, award and challenges

In an open EU procedure the minimum period for bids is 35 days from the day after the notice is sent, or 30 days when electronic bids are accepted and 15 days in justified urgency. In a restricted procedure candidates have at least 30 days to apply and at least 30 days to bid. The contract goes to the most economically advantageous tender. Before signing, the buyer must inform unsuccessful bidders and wait 15 calendar days, or 10 calendar days if the information is sent electronically (§ 134 GWB). Infringements must first be raised with the buyer by a Rüge (complaint) within 10 calendar days of becoming aware of them. A review application then goes to the Vergabekammer (procurement review chamber), with appeal to the procurement senate of the Higher Regional Court; since the Vergabebeschleunigungsgesetz, this appeal no longer has suspensive effect when the Vergabekammer has rejected the application (§ 173 GWB). Below the EU thresholds there is generally no review procedure, except in a few Länder.

## Tips for bidders

Do not rely on one platform: set up searches across oeffentlichevergabe.de, TED and the main federal, state and commercial platforms, or the regional ones where your buyers are. Consider prequalification, because entry in PQ-VOB or the AVPQ register saves paperwork in every tender. Check for state wage-compliance declarations and, for federal works and services contracts from €50,000, the obligations under the Bundestariftreuegesetz. Raise unclear or unlawful requirements early, because a complaint about anything recognisable from the notice must be made before the bid deadline. Use the buyer's own forms and price sheets exactly as provided, as changes to the tender documents lead to exclusion. Submit well before the deadline, since late electronic bids are rejected automatically.

## Platforms in Germany

Share of the 86,081 TED notices from 2025 whose documents sit on this platform.

- DTVP 12.7% (Commercial) — [Registrierung für Bieter](https://dtvp.de/bieter/registrierung/) The Basic Edition is permanently free for downloading and bidding; the optional Professional Edition (€49/month) adds alerts and extra services.
- subreport ELViS 8.5% (Commercial) — [FAQ - subreport](https://subreport.de/wiki/faq/) subreport ELViS is completely free for bidders, from registration to bid submission; the contracting authority sets the required signature form.
- RIB eVergabe 8.5% (Commercial) — [Bieterportal und Bieterclient – Einleitung](https://download.arriba-net.de/fileadmin/downloaddaten/meinauftrag.rib.de/hilfe/index.html) RIB Tender is the central bidder portal for all RIB e-procurement platforms; register free and submit with the free AVA-Sign bidder client.
- Deutsche eVergabe 8.1% (Commercial) — [Deutsche eVergabe Unternehmen | Vergabeportal](https://portal.deutsche-evergabe.de/dashboards/dashboard_off) Free registration lets you download documents, message the contracting authority and submit electronic bids; only the optional alert service is paid.
- e-Vergabe (Bund) 6.6% (Public) — [e-Vergabe - Erste Schritte](https://www.evergabe-online.info/e-Vergabe/DE/3%20Unternehmen/Erste%20Schritte/node_Erste_Schritte.html) Free company registration in the AnA-Web bidder application; a signature certificate is only needed when the tender notice requires it.
- evergabe.de 4.7% (Commercial) — [FAQ: Registrierung auf evergabe.de für Bieter](https://www.evergabe.de/faq/administration/bieterkonto-vergabeteilnahme) A free Basic account lets you take part in procedures; public and EU-wide procedures require registration, some small direct awards do not.
- Deutsche Bahn (own portal) 3.1% (Public) — [Öffentliche Ausschreibungen – DB Lieferantenportal](https://lieferanten.deutschebahn.com/lieferanten/Bedarfe-der-DB/OeffentlicheAusschreibungen) DB tenders run on its own bidder portal (free registration); many also require supplier registration or prequalification in DB's SMaRT system.

## Tender search for this country

- [Auftragsbörse (Vergabeplattform Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar)](https://www.auftragsboerse.de): Regional e-tendering platform where contracting authorities in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region publish tenders and receive electronic bids.
- [ausschreibungen-deutschland.de](https://www.ausschreibungen-deutschland.de): Free listing site publishing current German public tender notices for supplies, services and works.
- [Ausschreibungsprofi](https://www.ausschreibungsprofi.de): Finds suitable public tenders for companies, reviews the tender documents and prepares complete bids for submission.
- [B_I MEDIEN (B_I ausschreibungsdienste)](https://www.bi-medien.de): German tender service with national and EU tenders, private construction projects, email alerts, print editions and e-tendering.
- [BidAtlas](https://bidatlas.ch): Swiss AI bid-management platform whose agents find tenders on simap and DTVP, analyse requirements, suggest references and draft bid documents.
- [BlackSwanAI (auftragr / prüfr)](https://blackswanai.de): Two AI products for German procurement: auftragr helps bidders find and assess tenders; prüfr supports contracting authorities.
- [Deutsches Ausschreibungsblatt](https://www.deutsches-ausschreibungsblatt.de): German tender portal bundling national and EU notices with email alerts, e-tendering, training and an AI chat on tender documents.
- [DTVP (Deutsches Vergabeportal)](https://www.dtvp.de): Commercial German e-procurement portal where contracting authorities run procedures and bidders search notices and submit bids.
- [evergabe.de](https://www.evergabe.de): Commercial German platform where public and private buyers publish tenders and companies search notices and submit bids digitally.
- [Everwise](https://everwise.ai): Tender monitor for TED and German platforms with AI document analysis, chat with tender documents, version comparison and translation.
- [Forgent AI](https://www.forgent.ai): AI agents that find public tenders, assess fit and draft tender proposals, with coordination features for bid teams.
- [Healy Hudson (Deutsche eVergabe)](https://www.healy-hudson.com): Commercial e-Vergabe portal and workflow (Deutsche eVergabe) for authorities to run tenders and for companies to find tenders and submit bids.
- [Hello Tender](https://www.hellotender.eu): AI search and alerts for TED and other public tender notices across Europe, with CPV filters and AI summaries.
- [Hessische Ausschreibungsdatenbank (HAD)](https://www.had.de): Public-interest: Hesse's mandatory publication database for national and EU tenders, run by ABSt Hessen e.V. and free for buyers and companies.
- [ibau](https://www.ibau.de): German project and tender database (ibau Xplorer) covering construction projects and public tender notices, with alerts.
- [Leto](https://www.getleto.ai): AI tool that matches above-threshold public tenders to a search profile, answers questions on documents with sources and fills required forms.
- [oeffentlichevergabe.de (Bekanntmachungsservice)](https://www.oeffentlichevergabe.de): Public: German central publication service for federal, state and local notices, with free search and an open data service; bids go via the linked platform.
- [Oprade](https://www.oprade.com): Tender software for German SMEs that scans TED and German portals, scores bid/no-go, extracts requirements and drafts bids exportable as DOCX.
- [Patterno](https://www.patterno.de): Aggregates tenders from 4,500+ procurement portals in 29 European countries, scores them for relevance and automates parts of bid preparation.
- [procuris](https://www.procuris.eu): AI tender search across 90+ German portals and TED with summaries, profile fit, bid/no-bid decisions and a requirements workspace; full-service bid support.
- [Ready Tender](https://www.ready-tender.de): German tender platform that matches public tenders to a company profile and provides AI summaries and a chat assistant.
- [Scelion](https://scelion.com): German platform that aggregates public tenders, analyses requirements automatically and structures the bid process.
- [service.bund.de (Ausschreibungen)](https://www.service.bund.de): German federal government service portal that includes a public search for tender notices alongside jobs and agency information.
- [Staatsanzeiger eServices](https://www.staatsanzeiger-eservices.de): Commercial eVergabe platform (SeS system) of the Staatsanzeiger publisher for national and EU-wide tenders, with notice search and prequalification.
- [subreport (ELViS)](https://www.subreport.de): Commercial web-based e-Vergabe platform (since 2001) for national and EU-wide procedures; subreport also sells tender search subscriptions.
- [Tender Republic](https://www.tenderrepublic.de): AI tool that scores German tenders, checks knock-out criteria, answers document questions and pre-fills forms and bid sections for review.
- [Tender Zen](https://www.tenderzen.de): AI tender tool for construction, engineering and IT firms that searches 150+ German procurement platforms, analyses tender documents and matches references.
- [TenderFlow](https://www.tenderflow.de): Searches 150+ German and EU procurement portals daily and gives an AI bid/no-bid recommendation per tender.
- [Tendermeister](https://tendermeister.com): Tender software for Germany that scans procurement portals, reviews documents for knock-out criteria and deadlines and supports bid preparation.
- [Tendify](https://www.tendify.eu): Monitors EU and national procurement portals and matches tenders to a company profile with AI fit analysis.
- [TendiGo](https://tendigo.de): AI platform that aggregates 800+ German procurement sources, analyses tender documents, checks eligibility against a company profile and drafts bid sections.
- [vergabe.bot](https://www.vergabe.bot): AI search engine for public tenders in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, including notices from municipal websites, with daily email alerts and API.
- [vergabe.Niedersachsen](https://vergabe.niedersachsen.de): Public: Lower Saxony state e-procurement platform listing notices from state and municipal buyers with project rooms for electronic participation.
- [vergabe.NRW](https://www.vergabe.nrw.de): Public: North Rhine-Westphalia state procurement portal with access to the Vergabemarktplatz NRW, a publication client and procurement information.
- [Vergabe24](https://www.vergabe24.de): German tender research portal with regional, national and EU tender search and procurement news.
- [Vergabefix](https://www.vergabefix.de): Tender platform with semantic search across procurement portals, search agents and AI summaries of eligibility criteria; consulting offered separately.
- [VergabeHero](https://vergabehero.eu): AI tender platform that scans 1,500+ German procurement portals daily, matches tenders to a profile and summarises tender documents.
- [Vergabemarktplatz Brandenburg](https://vergabemarktplatz.brandenburg.de): Public: Brandenburg state e-procurement marketplace where state and municipal buyers publish notices and run procedures with project rooms for bidders.
- [Vergabemarktplatz Rheinland-Pfalz](https://www.vergabe.rlp.de): Public: Rhineland-Palatinate e-procurement marketplace where companies search notices, download documents, communicate and submit electronic bids.
- [Vergabepilot.AI](https://vergabepilot.ai): AI search engine that aggregates German public tenders from 300+ portals, with natural-language search, alerts, summaries and fit scoring.
- [Vergabeplattform des Landes Berlin](https://www.berlin.de/vergabeplattform): Public: State of Berlin procurement platform publishing open tenders and award information; bidders log in via the RIB Tender portal.
- [Vergabescanner](https://www.vergabescanner.de): AI tool for construction trades that reads bills of quantities from tenders, summarises requirements with source citations and drafts a cost estimate.

## Bid consultancies

- [Ausschreibungscoach](https://www.ausschreibungscoach.de): Supports bidding companies with bid management, document review and process optimisation, and also advises contracting authorities.
- [Ausschreibungsprofi](https://www.ausschreibungsprofi.de): Finds suitable public tenders for companies, reviews the tender documents and prepares complete bids for submission.
- [BidBox](https://www.bidbox.org): Proposal management consultancy offering bid preparation, proposal consulting and APMP training, including for German public tenders.
- [EVERTRUST](https://www.evertrust-germany.de): Berlin tender service that researches tenders, calculates prices and submits bids for companies, mainly in construction, technical services and IT.
- [procuris](https://www.procuris.eu): AI tender search across 90+ German portals and TED with summaries, profile fit, bid/no-bid decisions and a requirements workspace; full-service bid support.
- [RplusP Ausschreibungsmanagement](https://www.rplusp.de): Stuttgart consultancy for bid and tender management, supporting service-sector companies through public tender procedures.
- [Vergabefix](https://www.vergabefix.de): Tender platform with semantic search across procurement portals, search agents and AI summaries of eligibility criteria; consulting offered separately.

## How to win a tender in Germany

Above the EU thresholds the contract goes to the most economically advantageous tender under § 127 GWB and § 58 VgV, determined by the best price-performance ratio. The buyer must state the weighting of the award criteria, sometimes as a range, and often publishes a Wertungsmatrix showing how concepts are scored, for example on a points or grade scale. Below the thresholds the UVgO and VOB/A apply with similar principles. In the Bieterfragen phase, answers go to all bidders; if information requested in time is not provided at least six days before the bid deadline, the deadline must be extended. Errors you can recognise in the documents must be raised as a Rüge before the bid deadline, or you lose the right to a review. Study the buyer's earlier notices on oeffentlichevergabe.de and TED, and write each concept against the matrix with measurable commitments. Bids fail on lateness, altered price sheets, missing declarations and exclusion grounds; abnormally low prices must be explained under § 60 VgV. After the award, ask for the reasons and the characteristics of the winning bid, which the buyer must give within 15 days of your request under § 62 VgV.

1. Request the Wertungsmatrix and weighting and plan each concept against it.
2. Check the buyer's earlier notices on oeffentlichevergabe.de and TED.
3. Submit Bieterfragen early and raise any recognisable errors by Rüge before the deadline.
4. Use the buyer's forms and price sheets unchanged and add measurable commitments.
5. Upload well before the deadline with all declarations and correct signature form.
6. Request reasons under § 62 VgV and note the 10- or 15-day waiting period.

Clarification round: Bieterfragen (bidder questions)

## How contracts are awarded in Germany

- 64% of tenders are awarded on price alone
- 3 bids per lot (median)
- 23% of lots receive a single bid
- 76% of winners are SMEs

Source: TED, 40,008 contract and award notices from 2025, calculated by TenderRender. (https://ted.europa.eu/en/)

## Bidding in Germany with TenderRender

TenderRender does the work behind each step above. Your team checks and refines.

- **Research the buyer**: Brings together the buyer's earlier awards, policies and contracts, so your bid fits this buyer's situation in Germany.
- **Ask questions**: Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Bieterfragen (bidder questions).
- **Write per criterion**: Drafts a first version per award criterion, in the language of the tender, with citations to your own documents.
- **Review**: Scores your bid per award criterion the way an evaluator would, with concrete improvements.
- **Fill in forms**: Fills in the ESPD, price schedules, questionnaires and Excel annexes from your own data and earlier bids, with a source per answer.
- **Submit**: Builds a checklist of everything you need to submit on Bekanntmachungsservice (oeffentlichevergabe.de) and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Also finds the tenders for you, from Bekanntmachungsservice (oeffentlichevergabe.de) and other sources.

Teams writing or reviewing with TenderRender won 49% of their completed tenders. https://www.tenderrender.com/en-us/customers/win-rate

All players on the market map: https://www.tenderrender.com/en-us/market-map

## Frequently asked questions

### Where are public tenders in Germany published?

There is no single portal. EU-value tenders appear on TED and in the national Bekanntmachungsservice oeffentlichevergabe.de; the procedures themselves run on the federal e-Vergabe platform, state platforms and commercial platforms such as DTVP, subreport and Deutsche eVergabe.

### Do I need to register to bid?

Yes, on the platform the buyer uses. Registration and bid submission are usually free for bidders, and bids are normally submitted in text form without a qualified signature unless the buyer requires one.

### What are the thresholds?

From 2026 to 2027 the EU thresholds are €140,000 for supplies and services of top-level and higher federal authorities, €216,000 for all other buyers and €5,404,000 for works, excluding VAT. Since 1 July 2026 federal buyers may award contracts up to €50,000 directly.

### Can foreign companies take part?

Yes. Companies from the EU and from WTO Government Procurement Agreement countries can bid on equal terms and may use equivalent foreign documents, usually with a German translation.

### In which language must I bid?

In German. Tender documents and communication are almost always in German.

### How much time do I have to submit a bid?

In an open EU procedure at least 35 days, which may be shortened to 30 days for electronic bids. Below the EU thresholds the buyer must set an appropriate period; for works VOB/A Section 1 requires at least 10 calendar days.

### What is a Rüge?

A formal complaint to the buyer about an infringement. It must be made within 10 calendar days of becoming aware of it, and before the bid deadline for anything visible in the notice, or a later review application is inadmissible.

## Sources

- [Gesetz zur Beschleunigung der Vergabe öffentlicher Aufträge (Vergabebeschleunigungsgesetz), BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 137](https://www.recht.bund.de/eli/bund/bgbl-1/2026/137)
- [BHO – § 55 Öffentliche Aufträge (Direktauftrag bis 50.000 Euro)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bho/__55.html)
- [Bundestariftreuegesetz (BTTG) – § 1 Anwendungsbereich](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bttg/__1.html)
- [GWB – § 134 Informations- und Wartepflicht](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gwb/__134.html)
- [GWB – § 160 Einleitung, Antrag (Rügefrist)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gwb/__160.html)
- [GWB – § 173 Wirkung der sofortigen Beschwerde](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gwb/__173.html)
- [VgV – § 15 Offenes Verfahren](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vgv_2016/__15.html)
- [VgV – § 16 Nicht offenes Verfahren](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vgv_2016/__16.html)
- [Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung – Rundschreiben zum Vergabebeschleunigungsgesetz (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 137, in force 1 July 2026)](https://www.bundesamtsozialesicherung.de/fileadmin/user_upload/20260603_Rundschreiben_Vergabebeschleunigungsgesetz_Ref_813.pdf)
- [IHK Köln – Bundestariftreuegesetz](https://www.ihk.de/koeln/hauptnavigation/recht-steuern/bundestariftreuegesetz-6995154)
- [Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152 – thresholds 2026–2027](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj)
- [Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2150 – utilities thresholds 2026–2027](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2150/oj)
- [Bekanntmachungsservice oeffentlichevergabe.de](https://www.oeffentlichevergabe.de)
- [§ 58 VgV – Zuschlag und Zuschlagskriterien (gesetze-im-internet.de)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vgv_2016/__58.html)
- [§ 20 VgV – Angemessene Fristsetzung; Pflicht zur Fristverlängerung](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vgv_2016/__20.html)
- [§ 60 VgV – Ungewöhnlich niedrige Angebote](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vgv_2016/__60.html)
- [§ 62 VgV – Unterrichtung der Bewerber und Bieter](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vgv_2016/__62.html)
- [SERVICE.BUND.DE – Ausschreibungen](https://www.service.bund.de)
- [PQ Verein – Präqualifikation von Bauunternehmen (PQ-VOB)](https://www.pq-verein.de)
- [Amtliches Verzeichnis präqualifizierter Unternehmen (AVPQ, IHK)](https://amtliches-verzeichnis.ihk.de)
- [§ 1 WRegG – Einrichtung des Wettbewerbsregisters](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/wregg/__1.html)
- [gesetze-im-internet.de](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gwb/)