EU Procurement Thresholds 2026: What Contracts Must Be Published on TED

Why Thresholds Matter

EU procurement directives do not apply to every public contract — only those above defined financial thresholds. Below-threshold contracts are governed by national rules (which must still comply with fundamental EU Treaty principles of transparency and non-discrimination, but with less procedural burden). Above-threshold contracts must follow the full procedures set out in the relevant EU directive, including mandatory publication on TED Europa.

The thresholds are derived from the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) thresholds, denominated in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). The European Commission converts these into euros every two years via delegated regulation, adjusting for exchange rate movements. Revisions take effect on 1 January of the revision year — the next update is January 2028. To receive the update automatically when the new delegated regulation is published (typically October–November of the preceding year), subscribe to EUR-Lex Official Journal alerts at eur-lex.europa.eu.

One dimension suppliers consistently overlook: below-threshold procurement accounts for approximately 60% of EU public contract volume by number of contracts. The light-touch regime for social services (capped at €750K before full OJEU procedures apply) alone covers a large segment of outsourced care, education, and employment services. Suppliers focused exclusively on OJEU-published contracts are missing a substantial share of accessible market — particularly at regional and municipal level.

2026 Thresholds: Public Sector Contracts (Directive 2014/24/EU)

For contracting authorities covered by the Public Sector Directive (2014/24/EU) — primarily government ministries, agencies, local authorities, and public bodies — the 2026 thresholds are:

• Works contracts: €5,538,000
• Supplies and services — central government: €143,000
• Supplies and services — sub-central government (regional/local): €221,000
• Social and other specific services: €750,000 (the "light regime")
• Design contests: €143,000 (central government) / €221,000 (sub-central)

Note that "central government" refers to bodies listed in Annex I of Directive 2014/24/EU — essentially national ministries and equivalents. Regional and local authorities fall under "sub-central" and face higher thresholds for supplies and services.

2026 Thresholds: Utilities Sector (Directive 2014/25/EU)

The Utilities Directive (2014/25/EU) covers entities operating in the water, energy, transport, and postal services sectors. These entities face higher thresholds than public sector bodies, reflecting their more commercial nature:

• Works contracts: €5,538,000
• Supplies and services: €443,000
• Social and other specific services: €1,000,000

A key distinction is that utilities can use the negotiated procedure more freely than public sector bodies, giving them greater flexibility in how they select suppliers. Many utilities also run their own qualification systems (Article 77 of Directive 2014/25/EU) — pre-approved supplier lists that can be used for rapid procurement.

2026 Thresholds: Defence and Security (Directive 2009/81/EC)

The Defence Procurement Directive (2009/81/EC) governs contracts for military equipment, sensitive security goods, and classified contracts. Its 2026 thresholds are:

• Works contracts: €5,538,000
• Supplies and services: €443,000

However, Article 13 of Directive 2009/81/EC contains broad exemptions for contracts where publication would conflict with essential security interests. In practice, a significant portion of European defence procurement remains below TED visibility through these exemptions. See our dedicated guide to EU defence procurement for more detail.

Concessions and PPP Contracts

The Concessions Directive (2014/23/EU) applies a single threshold of €5,538,000 for both works and services concessions, regardless of the contracting authority type. Concession contracts — where the operator bears the operating risk — are increasingly used for infrastructure projects, public transport, and utilities under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) frameworks.

Below-Threshold Contracts: What Applies?

Contracts below EU thresholds are not subject to full EU procurement procedures, but they are not unregulated. Under the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), the Court of Justice of the EU has established that even below-threshold contracts of "certain cross-border interest" must comply with principles of transparency, equal treatment, and non-discrimination. What constitutes "cross-border interest" depends on factors like contract value, location near a border, and the sector involved.

In practice, most EU member states have set their own below-threshold procedures — often requiring at minimum 3 quotes for smaller contracts and domestic advertising for mid-range contracts. Suppliers targeting below-threshold contracts need to monitor national and regional portals for each country they operate in.

Threshold Aggregation Rules

Contracting authorities cannot artificially split contracts to keep them below thresholds — this is explicitly prohibited under Article 5 of Directive 2014/24/EU. The aggregation rules require that:

• The total estimated value of all lots in a framework agreement or multi-lot contract is used to determine whether the threshold is met
• Recurring contracts of the same type are aggregated over a 12-month period
• The value of options and renewals must be included in the estimated contract value

Suppliers who notice a pattern of artificially low contract values in a specific authority's procurement can challenge this through national oversight bodies.