Public tender

A public tender is the procedure by which government bodies — from municipalities to ministries and publicly owned companies — award contracts to private suppliers. Instead of negotiating directly, the contracting authority publishes its requirements and lets companies compete.

Within the EU, contracts above defined thresholds must be published Europe-wide on TED, while below them national rules and the member states' own platforms apply. The goal is competition, transparency and the best use of public money.

For bidders three things matter most: the type of procedure (open, restricted, competitive dialogue), the selection criteria and the submission deadline. Monitoring tenders systematically surfaces contracts that genuinely fit your service profile.