EU procurement thresholds 2026 and 2027: when a public contract becomes a European tender

What are the EU procurement thresholds for 2026 and 2027?

The EU procurement thresholds for 2026 are € 140,000 for supplies and services bought by central government, € 216,000 for supplies and services bought by sub-central authorities, and € 5,404,000 for works, all excluding VAT. The European Commission sets them in delegated regulations. The same thresholds apply across the EU. In the Netherlands, the Public Procurement Act 2012 (Aanbestedingswet 2012) does not state the amounts itself: if the estimated value is equal to or higher than the threshold in the EU directive, part 2 of the Act applies and the buyer must run a European tender (articles 2.1 to 2.3).

The Netherlands did not set national thresholds of its own when it drafted the Public Procurement Act 2012, according to Europa decentraal, the Dutch knowledge centre on EU law for public bodies.

Which threshold applies to which contract?

• Central or sub-centralWho is buying?The lower threshold of € 140,000 applies to supplies and services bought by the State, which in the Netherlands means central government (article 2.2 of the Act). For other contracting authorities, such as municipalities and provinces, the threshold is € 216,000 (article 2.3).
• WorksConstruction and infrastructureWorks have a threshold of € 5,404,000 for every public buyer. The same amount applies to works more than 50% subsidised by a contracting authority. Services linked to such subsidised works have a threshold of € 216,000.
• Social and specific servicesHealth, education and moreServices listed in Annex XIV of Directive 2014/24/EU, such as health care, education, social services and some legal services, have a threshold of € 750,000 (article 2.6a of the Act). In the utilities sectors it is € 1,000,000.
• UtilitiesWater, energy, transport and postal servicesContracts in water and energy supply, transport and postal services fall under Directive 2014/25/EU. The threshold for supplies and services there is € 432,000.
• ConcessionsPaid through exploitationIn a concession, the supplier is not paid a fixed fee but gets the right to exploit the work or service, with the risk that comes with it. Think of running a car park. The threshold is € 5,404,000.

Why do the EU thresholds change every two years?

Because the directive requires the European Commission to revise them every two years (article 6 of Directive 2014/24/EU). The thresholds come from the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), which expresses them in special drawing rights. The Commission converts those into euros based on the average daily value of the euro, so the amounts move with the exchange rate. For 2026 and 2027 they went down slightly: the threshold for municipalities fell from € 221,000 to € 216,000.

Two amounts do not move: € 750,000 for social and other specific services, and € 1,000,000 for those services in the utilities sectors. They are fixed in the directives themselves, and the October 2025 regulations do not change them. Because the other amounts are revised every two years, check them again after 2027, for example on the PIANOo website.

How is the contract value estimated?

The buyer estimates the value, not the bidder. Still, it pays to check the sum yourself, because it decides which procedure you get. The Dutch rules are in articles 2.14 to 2.20 of the Public Procurement Act, which follow article 5 of Directive 2014/24/EU.

1. 1The total, excluding VATThe basis is the total amount excluding VAT, including options and renewals of the contract (article 2.15). This means options and renewals as set out in the tender documents. A renewal thought up afterwards is in principle a new contract, according to PIANOo, the Dutch public procurement expertise centre.
2. 2At the moment of the noticeThe estimate applies at the moment the contract notice is sent. If there is no notice, it applies when the procedure starts (article 2.15).
3. 3Term without a total priceIf a services contract gives no total price and runs for 48 months or less, the value over the whole term counts. For an indefinite or longer term, 48 times the monthly amount counts (article 2.17). Leasing, rental and hire purchase of products for an indefinite term also count at 48 times the monthly amount (article 2.20).
4. 4Framework agreements and lotsFor a framework agreement, the value of all contracts the buyer expects to place under it during its term counts (article 2.15). If the contract is divided into lots, the value of all lots together counts (article 2.18).
5. 5No splittingA buyer may not split a contract, or choose a calculation method, to stay outside the European rules (article 2.14).

A fictional example. A municipality wants a cleaning services supplier for two years, with two options to renew for one year each. The expected value is € 60,000 a year. The estimate is then four times € 60,000, so € 240,000. That is above € 216,000, so the municipality must run a European tender, even though the first contract period is only worth € 120,000.

Another fictional example. A service with no end date costs € 4,000 a month. Then 48 times € 4,000 counts, so € 192,000. For a municipality that is below the € 216,000 threshold. If a ministry buys the same service, it is above € 140,000 and becomes a European tender.

The threshold is about the whole contract, with every option and renewal. Not about the first year.

What happens below the threshold?

Below the threshold, a Dutch public buyer does not have to run a European tender. Part 1 of the Public Procurement Act applies, together with the Proportionality Guide (Gids Proportionaliteit) and the buyer’s own procurement policy. The buyer then chooses a national procedure or invites a few companies directly. How that works and how you get noticed is covered in public contracts below the threshold. For social and other specific services below € 750,000, PIANOo notes that the buyer may also choose a national procedure.

One common misunderstanding: the threshold is not a price cap. In 2023, the interim relief judge of the Zeeland-West-Brabant district court (ECLI:NL:RBZWB:2023:1154) held that a bid above the EU threshold in an invited procedure was valid. The estimate decides which procedure the buyer chooses. If it wants to exclude bids above a certain amount, it must set a price ceiling in the documents in advance.

Why does the threshold matter to you as a bidder?

Above the threshold you get more certainty: about where to find the contract, how the procedure runs, how much time you have, and what you can do if something goes wrong.

• FindablePublished on TenderNedIn the Netherlands, a contract above the threshold must be published through TenderNed, the national tender platform. TenderNed forwards the notice to TED, the European publication platform.
• ProcedureA European procedurePart 2 of the Act applies. The buyer chooses one of the European procedures, such as the open or the restricted procedure, and does not just invite a few companies. What each procedure means for your planning is covered in tender procedures explained.
• Time limitsStatutory minimum timeAbove the threshold, the minimum time limits of the Dutch Act apply. In an open procedure you have at least 45 days to submit, or 40 if bids can be submitted electronically (articles 2.71 and 2.74b).
• RemediesTwenty days after the awardAfter the award decision, a standstill period of 20 calendar days applies. During that time you can start summary proceedings (kort geding). If the period passes unused, the award decision becomes final. More in after the award decision.

If a contract above the threshold is awarded without a European notice, or without the standstill period being applied properly, a Dutch court can annul the contract. As a general rule, you must claim that within 6 months of the contract being concluded. That period becomes 30 calendar days if the buyer has published a contract award notice, or has told the bidders that the contract was concluded, with the relevant reasons. You can also first complain to the buyer’s complaints desk. The Dutch Commission of Procurement Experts (Commissie van Aanbestedingsexperts) gives non-binding advice, but since 20 November 2025 it no longer handles complaints about selection and award decisions.

What do you do with the threshold on a real contract?

1. 1Check which procedure was chosenA European notice, a national procedure or an invitation. You will find it in the notice or the invitation.
2. 2Recalculate the valueAdd up the term, options and renewals from the documents. If your sum is clearly above the threshold while the buyer runs a national procedure, raise it as a clarification question.
3. 3Plan on the right time limitsAbove the threshold you can count on the statutory minimum time limits and the standstill period. Below it, read in the documents which time limits apply.
4. 4Look for a price ceilingIf the documents set a maximum price, you know where your limit is. If they do not, the threshold is not a ceiling.

Read the threshold as a sum over the whole term. It tells you which rules apply to you.