Frequently Asked Questions

A public procurement contract is an agreement between a contracting authority (state, municipality, public social welfare centre, inter-municipal association, etc.) and an economic operator (company, self-employed person) for the execution of works, the supply of products or the provision of services, in exchange for payment.

These contracts are governed by the Belgian law of 17 June 2016 and are based on the principles of transparency, equal treatment and proportionality.

Any economic operator — natural or legal person, private or public, Belgian or foreign — can submit a bid, provided they meet the qualitative selection criteria defined in the specifications.

These criteria cover financial capacity, technical capacity and references. SMEs have the same right to participate as large companies.

The CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) is an 8-digit European classification system that identifies the subject of a contract. For example:

• 45000000 — Construction work
• 72000000 — IT services
• 90910000 — Cleaning services

GPC Gov uses CPV codes to provide you with perfectly targeted monitoring for your industry.

The main procedures are:

• Open procedure — any operator can submit a bid
• Restricted procedure — by invitation after candidate selection
• Competitive procedure with negotiation — opportunity to negotiate
• Direct negotiated procedure with publication — below European thresholds
• Negotiated procedure without publication — for low-value contracts (< €30,000 excl. VAT)

European thresholds (updated every 2 years) determine the applicable publicity rules:

• < €30,000 excl. VAT — negotiated procedure without publication possible
• < €143,000 excl. VAT — Belgian publicity (Bulletin des Adjudications)
• ≥ €143,000 excl. VAT — European publicity mandatory (supplies/services)
• ≥ €5,538,000 excl. VAT — European threshold for works

GPC Gov covers all levels, including low-value contracts often invisible elsewhere.

Deadlines vary by procedure:

• European open procedure — minimum 35 days (22 if prior information notice published)
• Restricted procedure — 30 days for applications
• Belgian procedures — shorter deadlines, set by the contracting authority

The deadline date and time are always stated in the contract notice. With GPC Gov, you receive alerts as soon as the notice is published to maximise your preparation time.

Contracts with an estimated value below €30,000 excl. VAT can be awarded through a negotiated procedure without prior publication. The contracting authority contacts a few companies directly.

These contracts represent a considerable volume but remain invisible through the usual channels. GPC Gov is one of the few platforms to identify and list these opportunities, giving you a decisive competitive advantage.

The specifications (cahier spécial des charges) are the central document of any public contract. They describe:

• The subject of the contract and technical specifications
• Participation conditions (selection criteria)
• Award criteria and their weighting
• Administrative clauses (deadlines, penalties, payments)

It is your roadmap: read it carefully and address each requirement point by point.

Qualitative selection criteria verify the suitability of tenderers:

• Right of access — absence of exclusion grounds (tax or social debts over €3,000, bankruptcy, conviction)
• Financial capacity — turnover, financial ratios, insurance
• Technical capacity — references for similar contracts, qualified staff, equipment

NSSO and VAT certificates are generally verified automatically by the contracting authority through Télémarc.

To maximise your chances of success:

1. Read carefully the specifications and comply with all formal requirements
2. Gather selection documents (NSSO, VAT certificates, references)
3. Respond precisely to the award criteria — this is what differentiates bids
4. Submit on time via e-Tendering (no late bids are accepted)
5. Ask questions to the contracting authority via the e-Procurement forum if in doubt

e-Procurement is the Belgian federal electronic platform for managing public contracts. It includes several modules:

• e-Notification — publishing contract notices
• e-Tendering — electronic submission of bids
• e-Catalogue — electronic catalogue management
• e-Awarding — award management

Since September 2023, its use is mandatory for most procedures. Registration is free and takes about 5 minutes.

Belgian public tenders are published on several platforms:

• Bulletin des Adjudications — via e-Notification
• TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) — for European tenders
• Contracting authority websites — additional publications

GPC Gov aggregates and qualifies all these sources, including below-threshold contracts, to provide you with comprehensive and personalised monitoring in a single platform.

GPC Gov supports you at every step:

• Personalised monitoring — real-time alerts on opportunities matching your profile (CPV codes, geographic zones, contracting authorities)
• Hidden contracts — access to below-threshold contracts, a major competitive advantage
• Competitive analysis — identify who wins contracts in your sector and at what price
• Intelligent tracking — follow each contract from the first notice to the award
• AI chatbot — ask questions and get instant answers about public procurement

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