EU Procurement Glossary
DEFINITION

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

An evaluation methodology considering all costs associated with acquiring, operating, maintaining, and disposing of a product or system over its full life. Used increasingly in IT, vehicle, and equipment procurement as part of MEAT evaluation to avoid lowest-purchase-price bias.

This term is part of the EU public procurement glossary on TenderMetric. To see how it applies in practice, browse live EU tenders or read our procurement insights.

Related Terms

TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the EU)ThresholdTurnover ThresholdUtilities Directive (2014/25/EU)
◆ Free EU Tender Intelligence
Browse live EU tenders by CPV code and country
Search Tenders →
TenderMetric — Independent EU procurement intelligence platform. Not affiliated with the EU Publications Office, the European Commission, or TED (Tenders Electronic Daily). Tender data is sourced from TED for informational purposes only; always verify procurement notices directly at ted.europa.eu before submitting a bid. Full Disclaimer  ·  Last Reviewed: April 2026  ·  Data Methodology