Belgium's public procurement market exceeds €50 billion annually across federal, regional, and community levels. This guide covers the e-Procurement platform, trilingual requirements, EU institution opportunities in Brussels, and practical strategies for winning Belgian government contracts.
By TenderRadar Team
Belgium's public procurement market is one of the most complex in Europe due to the country's layered federal structure. Procurement is conducted at multiple levels: the federal government, three regions (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels-Capital), three linguistic communities (Flemish, French, and German-speaking), plus provinces and municipalities. Each level has its own contracting authorities, budgets, and — in many cases — language requirements. Tenders must be published in the language of the region where the contracting authority is located: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, and either Dutch or French (sometimes both) in Brussels-Capital. The German-speaking community publishes in German. Despite this complexity, Belgium offers significant opportunities, particularly because Brussels hosts the headquarters of major EU institutions and NATO, generating additional procurement streams that are published separately on EU portals.
€50 billion
Annual procurement value
~10%
Share of GDP
Belgian public procurement is governed by the Public Procurement Act of 2016 (Wet inzake overheidsopdrachten / Loi relative aux marchés publics), which transposed the EU Procurement Directives 2014/23/EU, 2014/24/EU, and 2014/25/EU into national law. The law took effect on 30 June 2017 and applies uniformly across all federal, regional, and community levels. It is supplemented by the Royal Decree of 18 April 2017, which details the placement rules, and the Royal Decree of 14 January 2013 on general execution rules. Belgium was an early adopter of mandatory e-procurement in Europe, requiring electronic submission for virtually all public tenders above the European thresholds since 2018. The Federal Procurement Service (Federale Dienst Aankoopbeleid / Service fédéral Achats) within the Federal Public Service Policy and Support (BOSA) oversees procurement policy and manages the central e-Procurement platform.
Key authority: Federal Public Service Policy and Support (BOSA) — Federal Procurement Service
Belgium's official central e-procurement platform, managed by the Federal Public Service BOSA. It bundles several modules: e-Notification (publication of contract notices in the Bulletin der Aanbestedingen / Bulletin des Adjudications), e-Tendering (electronic submission of bids), and e-Catalogue (for framework agreements). All federal, regional, and local contracting authorities are required to publish above-threshold tenders here. Most below-threshold tenders are also published voluntarily. Available in Dutch, French, and German.
Visit portalThe official EU procurement journal. All Belgian tenders above the EU thresholds are published on TED in addition to e-Notification. TED is also the portal for procurement by EU institutions headquartered in Brussels (European Commission, European Council, European Parliament), which are not published on the Belgian national platform.
Visit portalInformation portal of the Flemish government with guidance on regional procurement policy, standard documents, and links to current Flemish tender opportunities published via e-Procurement. Useful for understanding Flanders-specific procurement rules and accessing regional framework agreements.
| Category | Threshold (EUR) |
|---|---|
| Supplies | €143,000 (central government) / €221,000 (sub-central) |
| Services | €143,000 (central government) / €221,000 (sub-central) |
| Works | €5,538,000 |
Belgium applies the standard EU procurement thresholds as set by the European Commission, revised every two years. Below these thresholds, national rules apply but contracting authorities must still ensure transparency and equal treatment. For contracts below €30,000 (excl. VAT), a simplified 'accepted invoice' procedure may be used with reduced publication requirements. Defence and security procurement follows separate thresholds under EU Directive 2009/81/EC.
Belgium hosts NATO headquarters (SHAPE and the political HQ in Brussels) and has a significant defence procurement budget. Opportunities include military equipment, IT systems for allied commands, base maintenance, and security services. NATO procurement is published via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) and the NATO e-procurement portal.
CPV: 35
Large-scale IT modernisation programmes run across all government levels. The federal government and the EU institutions in Brussels drive demand for cloud services, cybersecurity, digital identity solutions, and enterprise software. Flanders and Wallonia both have active digital transformation programmes for public services.
CPV: 72
Belgium invests heavily in transport infrastructure including rail (SNCB/NMBS), motorways, the Brussels metro expansion, and the Port of Antwerp — one of Europe's largest. Major projects include the Oosterweel link in Antwerp and ongoing rail network modernisation by Infrabel. Brussels Airport Company also issues regular procurement for airport infrastructure and services.
CPV: 45
Healthcare procurement is significant given Belgium's comprehensive social security system. Hospitals, care homes, and public health agencies procure medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, IT systems, and facility management services. The federal RIZIV/INAMI institute and regional health agencies are major contracting authorities.
CPV: 33
Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union. The European Commission, European Council, European Parliament (Brussels campus), and dozens of EU agencies procure billions of euros annually in services ranging from translation and consulting to building maintenance and IT. These tenders are published on TED and individual institution portals, separate from Belgian national procurement.
Belgium's trilingual nature is not optional — it is legally binding. Tenders from Flemish authorities must be answered in Dutch, Walloon authorities in French, and German-speaking community authorities in German. Brussels tenders may accept either Dutch or French, sometimes both. Submitting a bid in the wrong language is grounds for exclusion. If you are a foreign company, invest in professional translation of your bid documents. Many contracting authorities will not accept English unless explicitly stated in the tender specifications.
Create your account on publicprocurement.be well before you plan to bid. The platform requires registration to access full tender documents and submit bids electronically. Familiarise yourself with the e-Tendering module, which has specific technical requirements for file formats and digital signatures. Belgium accepts qualified electronic signatures under the eIDAS regulation. Test the submission process with a non-binding tender first to avoid last-minute technical issues.
Belgium's procurement is decentralised across federal, regional, community, provincial, and municipal levels. A single contract type (e.g., IT services) might be procured by the federal BOSA, by the Flemish Digitaal Vlaanderen, by Wallonia's SPW Digital, or by the City of Brussels — each with different procedures and contacts. Map the contracting authorities relevant to your sector and monitor each level. Framework agreements at one level do not automatically apply to another.
Belgium makes extensive use of framework agreements (raamovereenkomsten / accords-cadres), especially at the federal level through the Federal Procurement Service and at the Flemish level through Vlaamse Overheid. Once admitted to a framework, you can receive call-offs without competing for each individual order. Watch for multi-year framework publications — they appear less frequently but offer sustained revenue. Check both e-Procurement and the specific contracting authority websites for upcoming frameworks.
See how Tender Radar covers Belgium:
The central platform is e-Procurement at www.publicprocurement.be. It includes e-Notification (where tender notices are published in the Bulletin der Aanbestedingen / Bulletin des Adjudications), e-Tendering (for electronic bid submission), and e-Catalogue. All public authorities in Belgium are required to publish above-threshold tenders here, and most voluntarily publish below-threshold opportunities as well.
Tenders are published in the official language of the region where the contracting authority is based: Dutch for Flanders, French for Wallonia, and German for the German-speaking community. In Brussels-Capital, tenders are typically published in both Dutch and French. Bids must generally be submitted in the language of the tender. The e-Procurement platform interface is available in Dutch, French, and German.
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The Walloon Region's procurement information portal. Provides access to Walloon tender notices, guidance documents, model specifications, and information about regional procurement policy. Tenders are cross-published on the national e-Procurement platform.
Visit portalCPV: 79
Belgium is pursuing ambitious climate targets, driving procurement in renewable energy, building renovation (the federal 'Reno-Pact'), waste management, and water treatment. Flanders and Wallonia each manage their own environmental agencies (OVAM, SPAQuE) with substantial procurement budgets for remediation and green infrastructure projects.
CPV: 09
Belgium has 581 municipalities, 10 provinces, and hundreds of intercommunales (intermunicipal associations) that regularly procure goods and services below EU thresholds. These smaller contracts face less competition and can serve as excellent references for larger bids. Many are published voluntarily on e-Procurement even when not legally required. The simplified 'accepted invoice' procedure for contracts under €30,000 means direct approaches to local contracting authorities can also yield results.
Belgian contracting authorities apply strict selection and exclusion criteria. You will typically need to demonstrate financial standing (turnover, bank references), technical capability (references from similar contracts, CVs of key personnel), and compliance with social and tax obligations. Belgium uses the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) to streamline this process. Ensure your ESPD is complete and that you can provide the underlying evidence documents quickly if requested. Non-compliance with Belgian social security (RSZ/ONSS) obligations is an automatic exclusion ground.
Yes. Under EU procurement rules, companies from any EU/EEA member state have equal access to Belgian tenders above the EU thresholds. Companies from countries with Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) coverage also have access. Foreign bidders must comply with Belgian selection criteria, provide equivalent certificates from their home country, and submit bids in the required language. Joint ventures and subcontracting arrangements with local Belgian partners are common strategies for foreign entrants.
No. Although the European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, and other EU bodies are physically located in Brussels, their procurement is governed by the EU Financial Regulation, not Belgian law. EU institution tenders are published on TED (ted.europa.eu) and on each institution's own procurement portal. They represent a separate, substantial market opportunity that follows different rules and procedures from Belgian national procurement.
For contracts below €30,000 (excluding VAT), contracting authorities may use the simplified 'accepted invoice' (aanvaarde factuur / facture acceptée) procedure, which has no formal publication requirement. Between €30,000 and the EU thresholds, national publication in the Bulletin der Aanbestedingen is required. Above EU thresholds (€143,000 for central government supplies/services, €221,000 for sub-central, €5,538,000 for works), publication on both e-Notification and TED is mandatory.
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