How to find public tenders in Europe
Updated 18 Oct 2026 · figures from 5 Nov 2026
Public tenders in Europe are published in two places. Contracts above the EU thresholds go to TED, the EU's official journal for tenders, in a standard format. Smaller contracts usually appear only on the country's own portal, in the local language. To see the whole market in a country you need both.
1. TED: the bigger contracts, all in one place
TED (ted.europa.eu) publishes every tender above the EU thresholds from the 27 EU countries, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and some others. In 2026 the thresholds are €140,000 or €216,000 for supplies and services and €5,404,000 for works, so TED is where the larger contracts are. It is free, searchable in every EU language and has a public API. Registered users can save searches.
TED is busy. German buyers alone published 34,048 construction tenders on it in the last 12 months (see the figures).
2. National portals: the smaller contracts
Below the thresholds, each country has its own rules and its own portal. These carry many more tenders than TED, often with shorter deadlines and less competition. The main ones:
| Country | National portal |
|---|---|
| Germany | oeffentlichevergabe.de |
| Poland | e-Zamówienia (BZP) |
| France | BOAMP |
| Italy | ANAC Pubblicità Legale |
| Spain | Plataforma de Contratación del Sector Público |
| UK | Contracts Finder |
| Finland | Hilma |
| Ukraine | Prozorro |
Some countries have more than one. Germany has no single portal for smaller contracts: they are spread over federal, state and city platforms (see our Germany guide). Since Brexit, UK tenders above its own thresholds are on Find a Tender, not TED.
3. Search by CPV code, not only by keyword
Every European tender carries one or more CPV codes, a shared list of about 9,000 categories. A search by CPV code finds tenders in any language, which a keyword search in English will miss. How to find your CPV codes.
4. Make it a routine
Most open tenders give you about a month to bid. EU rules set a minimum of 35 days for an open procedure, often cut to 30 when bids are sent online. If you check once a month, you will find many tenders too late to prepare a good bid. Check at least weekly, and read the documents in the first few days: questions to the buyer usually have their own, earlier deadline.
5. Can a company from outside the EU bid?
Often, yes. Companies from countries in the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, such as the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Israel, have a right to bid for contracts the agreement covers. Others are frequently allowed in practice but have no guaranteed access. The notice and tender documents say whether there are limits, for example in defence.
Foreign wins are rare, though. In most markets on our pages fewer than 5% of awards go to a company from another country, so a local partner, a local entity or at least documents in the local language make a real difference.
Questions
Where are public tenders in Europe published?
Tenders above the EU thresholds are published on TED (ted.europa.eu). Smaller ones are published on each country's national portal, such as BOAMP in France, e-Zamówienia in Poland or Hilma in Finland.
Is TED free?
Yes. Searching and reading notices on TED is free, and so is its search API.
Can a US or UK company bid on EU public tenders?
Usually, yes. Companies from countries in the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, including the US and the UK, may bid for contracts it covers. The notice says if a tender is restricted.