European tenders and TED
Above the European thresholds, a Belgian contract is also a European tender. It appears on TED and opens to bidders from across the Union — in both directions.
Where the Belgian market becomes European
Belgian public contracts and European tenders are not separate worlds. As soon as a contract exceeds the European thresholds it must be published on TED, the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union.
The same contract also stays in the Bulletin of Adjudications. What changes is reach: from that point any company in the 27 member states may bid, and you can bid on contracts in the Netherlands, France or Germany.
In practice this rarely happens. Across the EU, direct cross-border awards account for only a few percent of the total, even though the market is formally fully open.
The European publication platform
Mandatory notice format since October 2023
Member states where you can bid directly
Share of direct cross-border awards in the EU
What TED is and how it differs from national publication
TED, Tenders Electronic Daily, is the European Union's official publication channel for public procurement. Every notice above the European thresholds is gathered there, from all member states, in standardised form.
The difference from the Bulletin of Adjudications lies not in the content but in the structure. TED imposes a uniform format that makes automated processing possible — but the specifications themselves remain in the contracting authority's language, and that is the real barrier.
When a contract must be published at European level
The European thresholds are revised every two years by the Commission and vary by contract type and by the nature of the contracting authority. Works carry a considerably higher threshold than supplies and services, and central authorities a lower one than local bodies.
Below those amounts, national publication is sufficient. For Belgian SMEs that is the decisive segment: most local contracts never reach the European threshold and therefore never appear on TED.
What eForms actually change
Since October 2023 TED requires eForms, a new standardised notice format. The data is more consistent and machine-readable, with more detailed fields on lots, criteria and awards.
For you this mainly means more reliable filtering: CPV codes, place of performance and estimated value are now structured fields rather than free text. Automated monitoring is considerably more accurate than it was a few years ago.
Why Belgian companies under-use European tenders
Legal access is complete, but the practical barriers are real: the language of the specifications, the accreditations and certificates required by the country of performance, and the cost of bidding without local references.
It still pays to track European tenders systematically, especially in niche sectors with few operators. A specialisation facing ten competitors in Belgium may find none at all in a neighbouring country.
What you need to know about European tenders
Six concepts that determine whether and how you can bid on a European tender.
TED
The Supplement to the Official Journal of the EU. It gathers every notice above the European thresholds, from all member states.
European thresholds
They determine whether a contract requires European publication. They vary by contract type and are revised every two years.
eForms
The standardised notice format, mandatory on TED since October 2023. It makes data machine-readable and filtering more reliable.
ESPD (European Single Procurement Document)
A self-declaration replacing certificates during the procedure. You supply the evidence only once you are actually in contention.
Framework agreements
Many European tenders are multi-year framework agreements. Missing the notice excludes you for their entire duration.
Lots
Large contracts are often split into lots. You can bid for a single lot, which lowers the barrier to entry considerably for SMEs.
Frequently asked questions about European tenders
What is the difference between TED and the Bulletin of Adjudications?
The Bulletin of Adjudications is the Belgian channel, TED the European one. A contract above the European thresholds appears on both. Below them it stays purely national.
Can I bid on a tender in another member state?
Yes. The European directives guarantee equal access for companies from all member states. In practice you run into the language of the specifications and the accreditations required by the country of performance.
What is the ESPD and do I have to complete it?
The European Single Procurement Document is a self-declaration confirming that you meet the selection criteria and are subject to no exclusion grounds. It replaces certificates during the procedure; you provide those later.
Are European tenders always large contracts?
They exceed the European thresholds, but are often divided into lots. A single lot can fit an SME perfectly well, even when the overall contract is large.
Go further
Find out where tenders appear and which procedures exist.
Track Belgian and European tenders in one feed
GPC Gov monitors the Bulletin of Adjudications and TED together, filtered by your CPV codes and regions.
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