Tender thresholds 2026: overview, rules and exceptions

When do you, as a public buyer, need to run an EU tender, and when not? Our customers ask us this a lot at Tenpu. It is rarely a theoretical question: the answer is crucial for the procedure. A wrong assessment can lead to an unlawful procedure, delays or even legal proceedings. That is why thresholds play a central role in procurement law: they form the legal line between a national approach and the obligation to tender at EU level. The amounts changed on 1 January 2026. Read on for what to look out for. Determining the value of your contract: how to avoid the most common mistakes Contracts must not be split or combined without good reason. That is not permitted. To determine the value of a contract, you need an objective, written estimate. Drawing up this estimate usually also shows whether the contract is financially feasible. There is more than one kind of estimate in the procurement process. For the threshold, what counts is the so-called “estimated value”. Its only purpose is to determine whether the tender will be an EU tender or a national one. Which costs and revenues do you include when determining the contract value? You look beyond the price on the invoice: all expected revenue for the winning bidder must be included. That covers all payments from the contracting authority to the contractor, and also, for example, commissions, bonuses, design fees, payments from third parties and any interest due. This matters especially for framework agreements: you take the maximum possible contract value, so you test correctly whether the 2026 thresholds are exceeded. Quick check: overview of thresholds 2026-2027 Every two years, the European Commission sets new thresholds for public contracts. These amounts (excluding VAT) apply from 1 January 2026 up to and including 31 December 2027. The thresholds differ per sector. If the estimated value of your contract is above the threshold, you must run an EU tender. If the value is below it, you may follow a national procedure. A quick overview per sector: Concession contracts Type of public contract Threshold (EUR, excl. VAT) Concession contracts for (public) works 5,404,000 Service concessions 5,404,000 Official publication Classic public sector Type of public contract Threshold (EUR, excl. VAT) Works 5,404,000 Supplies and services for central government 140,000 Supplies and services for sub-central government 216,000 Public contracts for social and other specific services 750,000 Design contests for central government 140,000 Design contests for sub-central government 216,000 Works subsidised more than 50% by contracting authorities 5,404,000 Services connected with works, subsidised more than 50% by contracting authorities 216,000 Official publication Utilities (special sectors) Type of public contract Threshold (EUR, excl. VAT) Works 5,404,000 Supplies and services 432,000 Contracts for social and other specific services 1,000,000 Official publication Defence Type of public contract Threshold (EUR, excl. VAT) Works 5,404,000 Supplies and services 432,000 Official publication Procurement thresholds in 2026 With the revised thresholds for 2026, careful preparation matters. Check in good time whether a contract falls above or below the applicable threshold, choose the right procurement procedure and back up your estimate properly, and you avoid ambiguity and risk later on. Record your choices and always work with the official 2026 threshold tables. That way your 2026 tender runs efficiently and is legally correct and easy to defend as well. Tenpu makes it easier to keep control of calculations and estimates. Automatic checks reduce the risk of errors. If your contract is above the threshold, it becomes an EU procedure. See how that works in Tenpu: EU tendering in Tenpu →