When a public contract is to be launched, the contracting authority must assess the total cost of its requirements. If this assessment exceeds the thresholds defined at the European level, specific standards will apply to the contract.
Although these thresholds are termed "European", they are in reality international. Since January 1, 1996, they have been determined based on a set of currencies in accordance with the Marrakech Agreement on Public Procurement (GPA) signed under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The European Commission reviews these thresholds every two years, taking the average daily value of the euro as a reference. It should be noted that these thresholds are always expressed excluding VAT, as stipulated in Directive 2014/24/EU and the Royal Decrees of 2017 concerning public contracts.
Here is the table of European threshold amounts:
| Type of Contracts | 2022-2023 | 2024-2025 |
| Supply and service contracts federal contracting authorities | 140,000 euros | 143,000 euros |
| Supply and service contracts other contracting authorities | 215,000 euros | 221,000 euros |
| Supply and service contracts special sectors | 431,000 euros | 443,000 euros |
| Works and concessions contracts | 5,382,000 euros | 5,538,000 euros |
Depending on the estimated amounts, various procedures can be employed by contracting authorities. For example, open and restricted procedures are universal and can be applied to any contract, regardless of its value. Other procedures, such as the competitive procedure with negotiation or the negotiated procedure without prior competition, are subject to specific conditions established by law. These latter ones are often employed when the estimated contract amount is below certain thresholds.
It is important to specify that the thresholds mentioned above do not concern social services and other specific services.
