National Publication Requirement

While the EU's public procurement Directives govern above-threshold contracts through harmonised rules and mandatory OJEU publication, below-threshold contracts are regulated by national law. This creates a patchwork of national publication requirements across Europe, with each country determining how and where below-threshold opportunities must be advertised. For suppliers targeting smaller contracts, navigating these national systems is as important as monitoring TED.

What is a national publication requirement?

A national publication requirement is the domestic legal or regulatory rule that specifies where and how a contracting authority must advertise a procurement opportunity that falls below the mandatory publication threshold for OJEU publication. These rules vary significantly by country:

United Kingdom. Contracts above GBP 25,000 (central government) or GBP 100,000 (other public bodies) must be published on Contracts Finder. Above-threshold contracts appear on Find a Tender Service (FTS), the UK's post-Brexit replacement for TED. The Procurement Act 2023 has further expanded publication duties and introduced a centralised contract register.

France. Contracts above EUR 40,000 must be published on the national BOAMP (Bulletin Officiel des Annonces des Marches Publics) or in a legal gazette. Regional and local authorities often also publish on departmental portals.

Germany. The DTVP (Deutsches Vergabeportal) and several regional platforms carry below-threshold notices. The federal public procurement portal (BUND) aggregates central government opportunities.

Netherlands. TenderNed is the national platform for Dutch public procurement at all levels. Even below-threshold opportunities are often published there voluntarily by authorities seeking broad market engagement.

Norway and EEA. Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein follow EEA rules and publish above-threshold notices on TED. Below-threshold contracts appear on Doffin (Norway) and equivalent national portals.

The Treaty principle of adequate publicity applies to below-threshold contracts with cross-border interest, meaning that even where no formal national publication rule exists, authorities must provide sufficient advertisement to allow suppliers from other EU member states a realistic chance to compete.

Why it matters for bidders

Below-threshold contracts often represent a more accessible entry point for suppliers, particularly smaller firms, because the procedural requirements are lighter. However, these contracts are scattered across dozens of national platforms, making systematic monitoring difficult without dedicated tools.

Knowing which national portal applies for each target market, and combining that with TED monitoring for above-threshold work, is essential to capturing the full landscape of publication requirements across Europe.

Example

An Irish IT consultancy targets public sector contracts in Ireland and Portugal. In Ireland, it monitors eTenders.gov.ie for all public sector opportunities. In Portugal, it monitors BASE (base.gov.pt) for contract award data and the national eSPap portal for active competitions. Neither platform feeds into TED for below-threshold work, so the consultancy must maintain separate monitoring routines for each country.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a single European portal for below-threshold contracts?

No. TED covers above-threshold contracts only. The European Commission has encouraged member states to consolidate their national portals, and some aggregation exists, but there is no single pan-European channel for below-threshold opportunities.

Does the UK have a national publication requirement separate from Find a Tender?

Yes. The UK has two tiers: Find a Tender Service (FTS) for above-threshold contracts, and Contracts Finder for smaller central government contracts above GBP 25,000. The Procurement Act 2023 also requires publication of pipeline information on a central transparency platform. Local authorities, NHS trusts, and other bodies each have their own publication practices alongside these central platforms.

Can a contracting authority satisfy its national publication requirement by publishing only on its own website?

In many jurisdictions, no. National rules typically specify approved channels. An authority publishing exclusively on its own website while keeping it unlisted from aggregators would likely fail to meet the adequate publicity standard, leaving any resulting contract vulnerable to challenge from excluded bidders.