The EU Threshold System
European public procurement operates on a two-tier system defined by financial thresholds. Contracts above these thresholds must follow full EU procurement directives and be advertised on TED. Contracts below the thresholds follow national rules and are typically published only on domestic portals.
Current EU Thresholds
The European Commission reviews threshold values every two years. The key thresholds (as of 2024) are:
- Central government supplies & services: ~€143,000
- Sub-central government supplies & services: ~€221,000
- Works contracts (all authorities): ~€5,538,000
- Social and specific services: ~€750,000
These figures vary slightly for countries outside the EU that participate in the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).
Why Sub-Threshold Matters
Sub-threshold procurement represents a massive segment of public spending that many companies overlook. National governments and municipalities spend billions annually on contracts that never appear on TED.
These tenders often have several advantages for bidders. Competition is typically lower since fewer companies monitor national portals systematically. Award timelines are shorter because simplified procedures apply. And the contracting authorities are often local organisations where relationship-building is more straightforward.
Where Sub-Threshold Tenders Are Published
Each EU member state has its own national procurement portal. For example, Portugal uses BASE, France uses BOAMP and PLACE, Germany uses service.bund.de, and the Netherlands uses TenderNed. The challenge is that each portal has its own format, language, and search functionality.
How TenderRadar Captures Both
TenderRadar runs dedicated scrapers against 7 national portals to capture sub-threshold opportunities that competitors relying solely on TED would miss. Combined with above-threshold TED data, you get the complete picture of European public procurement in a single feed.