How to Find Government Tenders in Germany

German public procurement operates at three levels: federal (Bund), 16 federal states (Länder), and over 10,000 municipalities (Kommunen). Federal procurement follows the GWB (Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen) and VgV (Vergabeverordnung) for services and supplies, while construction follows the VOB (Vergabe- und Vertragsordnung für Bauleistungen). Above EU thresholds, German tenders must be published on TED. Below-threshold tenders follow the UVgO (Unterschwellenvergabeordnung) and appear on national and regional portals. The fragmentation across levels and regulations makes Germany one of the most complex but largest EU procurement markets.

DTVP (Deutsches Vergabeportal) is the most widely used electronic procurement platform in Germany, hosting tenders from federal, state, and municipal buyers. Bund.de (service.bund.de/IMPORTE/Ausschreibungen) publishes federal-level procurement notices. Beyond these, each Bundesland may operate its own portal — for example, Vergabemarktplatz Brandenburg or HAD (Hessische Ausschreibungsdatenbank). Major cities like Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg also run municipal procurement platforms. This fragmentation means a company targeting the full German market might need to monitor 20+ portals — or use automated aggregation.

Above EU thresholds (€140K/€216K for services, €5.4M for works in 2026-2027), German tenders must follow EU directives and appear on TED. Below these thresholds, the UVgO applies with lighter procedural requirements. Many German below-threshold tenders are published only on DTVP or regional portals, not TED. There's no single German law mandating publication of all below-threshold tenders — practices vary by state and municipality. Some Länder require publication above €25,000, others above €50,000. This inconsistency makes below-threshold opportunities hard to track but often less competitive.

German procurement documentation is almost exclusively in German. While EU-level tenders on TED may have summaries in other languages, the full tender documents, response requirements, and contract terms are in German. Non-German companies bidding in Germany typically need either German-speaking team members or professional translation services. On the regulatory side, familiarize yourself with the Eigenerklärung (self-declaration) system, Eignungskriterien (suitability criteria), and the Nachprüfungsverfahren (procurement review procedure) for challenging decisions. Construction tenders additionally require knowledge of VOB/A, VOB/B, and HOAI fee structures.

If you're entering the German market from abroad, start with above-threshold TED tenders where EU rules guarantee non-discriminatory access. Register with DTVP early — some tenders require platform registration before you can access documents. Consider partnering with a local German company for your first bids; this addresses language barriers and provides local references. Many German contracting authorities value Bietergemeinschaften (bidder consortia), which let you combine capabilities with local partners. EU companies have full legal access under EU treaty rights; non-EU companies can bid on GPA-covered above-threshold tenders.

Monitoring DTVP, bund.de, 16 Länder portals, and TED manually is impractical for any team — especially a non-German-speaking one. Jorpex monitors all major German procurement sources alongside 50+ portals worldwide. Configure keyword filters for your services, set geographic filters to German NUTS regions, and define contract-value ranges. Matching German tenders arrive in Slack or email summarized in your preferred language — even if the original notice is in German. This removes the language barrier from the discovery phase entirely, letting you focus translation resources on the tenders you actually decide to bid on.