JorpexJorpex

    Below-Threshold Procurement

    By Elena Marchetti, Public Procurement Analyst at JorpexUpdated: 2026-08-05

    Below-threshold procurement refers to public contracts whose estimated value falls under the EU procurement thresholds. These contracts follow national procurement rules instead of the EU directives — and they are published on national portals, never on TED.

    Key takeaway

    Below-threshold procurement is public purchasing whose estimated contract value falls under the EU procurement thresholds — €140,000 for central government supplies and services, €216,000 for sub-central authorities, and €5,404,000 for works in 2026–27. Such contracts are governed by national procurement law, follow lighter procedures, and are published only on national sources like oeffentlichevergabe.de (Germany), the PNCP (Italy), BOAMP (France), or Contracts Finder (England) — never on TED. Below-threshold contracts account for roughly 60–70% of EU public procurement spending and typically attract 3–6 bidders rather than the 8–15 common above threshold.

    Definition

    A procurement is "below-threshold" when the contracting authority's estimate of the total contract value — including options, renewals, and all lots — falls under the values at which EU procurement directives apply. The 2026–27 thresholds are €140,000 for central government supply and service contracts, €216,000 for sub-central authorities, €432,000 for utilities, and €5,404,000 for works. Below these values, the EU directives' full regime (EU-wide advertising on TED, minimum timelines, standstill periods) does not apply. Instead, each member state's national law governs how the contract is competed and where it is advertised. The same two-tier logic exists outside the EU: the UK applies its own thresholds with Contracts Finder carrying the below-threshold layer, and Switzerland distinguishes GPA-covered from national procedures on simap.ch.

    Where below-threshold contracts are published

    Because publication is a national matter below the thresholds, every country has its own channel. Germany centralised below-threshold publication on oeffentlichevergabe.de, the federal Bekanntmachungsservice, which publishes 300+ national notices per day. Italy publishes with legal effect on ANAC's PNCP (~120 biddable notices per day since January 2024). France requires publication on BOAMP from €40,000; the Netherlands channels voluntary publication through TenderNed; Spain consolidates on PLACSP; Poland runs the BZP bulletin on e-Zamówienia; England mandates Contracts Finder above £12,000 (central government) or £30,000 (wider public sector). The full country-by-country landscape is mapped in our below-threshold tenders guide and the national portals overview.

    National rules and publication floors

    National regimes differ in both procedure and publication duty. Germany's UVgO (Unterschwellenvergabeordnung) permits public tenders, restricted tenders, and negotiated awards below threshold, with publication floors that vary by federal state (commonly €25,000–€50,000). France's Code de la Commande Publique requires advertising from €40,000. Italy's Codice (D.Lgs. 36/2023) allows direct award up to €140,000 for services with publication of notices on the PNCP. The UK's Procurement Act 2023 sets statutory Contracts Finder noticing duties at £12,000/£30,000. Contracts under the lowest national floors — typically direct awards below ~€25,000 — may lawfully be placed without any advertisement, which is why no monitoring tool can surface the very smallest purchases.

    Ready to see it in action?

    Set up in minutes. 14-day free trial.

    Monitor below-threshold tenders

    Why below-threshold contracts matter to suppliers

    Below-threshold contracts represent roughly 60–70% of EU public procurement spending, and a larger share still by contract count. They attract structurally less competition — typically 3–6 bidders versus 8–15 on TED tenders — because they are visible only on national portals in national languages, use lighter procedures that favour known suppliers, and are too small for large international bidders' cost of sale. For SMEs they are the realistic entry point into public sector revenue and the fastest route to the track record needed for framework agreements and above-threshold competitions. The strategic playbook is covered in the below-threshold tenders guide.

    Monitoring below-threshold procurement with Jorpex

    Because below-threshold notices are scattered across national sources in a dozen languages, most tender tools — which re-index TED — never see them. Jorpex natively ingests 14+ national below-threshold sources, including oeffentlichevergabe.de, the PNCP, BOAMP, TenderNed, PLACSP, and Contracts Finder, alongside TED itself, with automatic deduplication of above-threshold notices that lawfully appear in both places. Configure a contract-value range that matches your capacity and receive AI-matched, translated below-threshold opportunities in Slack, email, or Microsoft Teams.

    Frequently asked questions

    What does below-threshold mean in procurement?

    A contract is below-threshold when its estimated value falls under the EU procurement thresholds — €140,000 for central government supplies and services, €216,000 for sub-central authorities, €5,404,000 for works (2026–27). Such contracts follow national procurement rules rather than the EU directives and are published on national portals, not TED.

    Where are below-threshold tenders published?

    On national sources: oeffentlichevergabe.de in Germany, the PNCP in Italy, BOAMP in France, TenderNed in the Netherlands, PLACSP in Spain, e-Zamówienia (BZP) in Poland, and Contracts Finder in England, among others. Each country sets its own publication floor, commonly between €25,000 and €50,000.

    Are below-threshold contracts open to foreign suppliers?

    Generally yes — EU treaty principles of transparency and equal treatment apply to below-threshold contracts with cross-border interest, and most national portals accept EU suppliers. The practical barriers are language and national administrative requirements (local tax IDs, certified email, e-signatures), not legal exclusion.

    What share of public procurement is below-threshold?

    Roughly 60–70% of EU public procurement spending is awarded through below-threshold contracts published only on national portals, and the share by contract count is higher still. TED's above-threshold notices represent only 30–40% of procurement spend.

    Ready to automate your tender monitoring?

    Set up in minutes. Start monitoring tenders today.

    Monitor below-threshold tenders Try free demo

    Related resources

    Guides

    Below-Threshold Tenders: The Public Contracts That Never Reach TED

    Every year, European public buyers award hundreds of thousands of contracts that are never advertised on [[sources/ted|TED]]. These are below-threshold tenders — contracts whose estimated value falls under the [[glossary/eu-procurement-thresholds-2026|EU procurement thresholds]] — and they follow national publication rules instead of EU-wide ones. They represent 60–70% of public procurement spending, attract far fewer bidders, and are published across a fragmented landscape of [[sources/national-portals|national portals]], from Germany's [[sources/oeffentliche-vergabe|oeffentlichevergabe.de]] to Italy's [[sources/pncp-italy|PNCP]]. This guide explains how the below-threshold market works, where each country publishes these contracts, and how to monitor them without a team of multilingual analysts.

    Glossary

    EU Procurement Thresholds 2026-2027

    EU procurement thresholds determine which public contracts must be advertised EU-wide on TED and which follow national rules only. Updated every two years, the 2026-2027 thresholds took effect on 1 January 2026 — most were revised downward due to currency fluctuations.

    Sources

    National Procurement Portals: The Complete Guide to Government Tender Sources Worldwide

    Every country that spends public money operates at least one national procurement portal where government buyers publish [[glossary/what-is-a-tender|tender]] opportunities. These portals are distinct from supranational databases like [[sources/ted|TED]] or [[sources/sam-gov|SAM.gov]] — they publish the below-threshold, domestic contracts that represent the majority of government spending worldwide. According to the {{https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/public-procurement.html|OECD}}, public procurement accounts for 12–20% of GDP across developed economies, yet supranational portals capture only 30–40% of that spend by value. The remaining 60–70% lives exclusively on national portals. Jorpex monitors 50+ of these portals and delivers AI-matched opportunities to Slack, email, or Microsoft Teams — giving your team access to the full breadth of global public procurement from a single notification feed.

    Sources

    oeffentlichevergabe.de: Germany's Central Source for Below-Threshold Tenders

    {{https://www.oeffentlichevergabe.de|oeffentlichevergabe.de}} is Germany's official federal notice service (Bekanntmachungsservice), operated by the Beschaffungsamt des BMI — the procurement office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. It went live in late 2023 alongside the eForms-DE standard and has become the single most important source for German public tenders that never appear on [[sources/ted|TED]]: it is the only central publication point for Germany's below-EU-threshold notices under national procurement law (VOB, VOL, and UVgO). With well over a thousand notices published on a typical day — of which 300+ are national [[glossary/below-threshold-procurement|below-threshold]] notices invisible to TED-based tools — it is essential coverage for any supplier serious about the German market. Jorpex ingests oeffentlichevergabe.de natively, alongside [[sources/dtvp|DTVP]], TED, and 50+ other [[sources/national-portals|procurement sources]], and delivers AI-matched German opportunities to Slack, email, or Microsoft Teams.

    Sources

    PNCP: Italy's National Publication Platform for Public Contracts

    The PNCP (Piattaforma Nazionale Contratti Pubblici) is the digital heart of Italy's reformed procurement system, operated by {{https://www.anticorruzione.it|ANAC}} (Autorità Nazionale Anticorruzione). Since 1 January 2024, legal publication of Italian public contract notices happens here — through the platform's Pubblicità a Valore Legale service — replacing the century-old role of the Gazzetta Ufficiale. For suppliers, the PNCP matters for one big reason: it carries Italy's below-EU-threshold tenders, roughly 120 biddable notices every day that never appear on [[sources/ted|TED]]. Above-threshold Italian tenders reach TED; the below-threshold band — the majority of Italian procurement by count — is visible only here. Jorpex ingests the PNCP natively alongside [[sources/acquisti-in-rete|Acquisti in Rete]], TED, and 50+ other [[sources/national-portals|procurement sources]], delivering AI-matched Italian opportunities with English summaries to Slack, email, or Microsoft Teams.

    Glossary

    What Is a Tender?

    A tender is a formal, structured invitation issued by a buying organisation — most commonly a government agency or public body — asking suppliers to submit competitive offers for the supply of goods, delivery of services, or execution of works. Tendering is the backbone of public procurement worldwide, ensuring that taxpayer money is spent transparently, competitively, and at the best available value. Understanding what a tender is, how the process works, and where tenders are published is the essential first step for any company looking to win public sector contracts.

    Glossary

    What Is E-Procurement?

    E-procurement (electronic procurement) is the end-to-end use of digital platforms to manage the purchasing of goods, services, and works in both the public and private sectors. In government procurement, e-procurement spans the full lifecycle: publishing [[glossary/what-is-a-tender|tenders]] on electronic portals, distributing tender documents online, accepting digital bid submissions, evaluating proposals through structured workflows, issuing contracts, and processing invoices. The shift from paper-based procurement to digital systems has been one of the most significant reforms in public spending over the past two decades, driven by mandates from the European Union, OECD recommendations, and national modernisation programmes worldwide.

    Further reading