Guides to public tenders in Europe
Short, practical answers for companies that sell to the public sector, with real figures from TED, Find a Tender and the national portals.
How to find public tenders in Europe
Where European public tenders are published, which ones reach TED, how to search by CPV code and whether companies from outside the EU can bid.
What is a CPV code?
CPV codes are the categories every European public tender is filed under. What the digits mean, the ten busiest divisions, and how to find the codes for what you sell.
How to win public tenders: what the award data says
How many companies bid, how often only one does, how often price alone decides and how many contracts SMEs win, by category and country, from thousands of award notices.
Public tenders in Germany: where to find them and how to bid
Germany is Europe's biggest public tender market but has no single portal. Where German tenders are published, the rules below the EU thresholds, and what the award data says.
EU public procurement thresholds for 2026 and 2027
The EU tender thresholds in force from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027: €140,000 and €216,000 for supplies and services, €5,404,000 for works, and what they mean for where tenders are published.
Ways to find public tenders, compared honestly
Free official portals, paid tender alert services, bid consultants and Orbigate side by side: cost, coverage, languages, matching and what each one is best for.