Bidding for public tenders in another EU country

EU public procurement is a single market: a construction SME in Austria can bid for a school in Slovenia, and a Finnish software house can bid for a German municipality. In practice only a small share of contracts are won directly by companies from another country, mostly because of language, unfamiliar platforms and paperwork. This guide shows how to get past those barriers.

Are you allowed to bid abroad?#

Yes. The procurement directives and the EU Treaty require equal treatment, non-discrimination and transparency. A buyer may not favour local suppliers or reject your bid because your company is foreign. Above the EU thresholds, tenders are published on TED in a structured eForms format, so you can find them in the same place for every country.

The EU is also party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which opens covered contracts to bidders from other GPA parties, such as Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and vice versa. The UK now has its own regime under the Procurement Act 2023, in force since 24 February 2025, and publishes on Find a Tender.

Below the EU thresholds, national rules apply, but tenders of certain cross-border interest must still respect the Treaty principles.

Where do you find foreign tenders?#

• TED for everything above the EU thresholds.

• National portals for below-threshold tenders, for example PLACSP in Spain, BOAMP in France, Hilma in Finland or TenderNed in the Netherlands.

• Search by CPV code so language doesn't matter, or use a tool that searches by meaning across languages.

Pick the right first market#

Cross-border wins are more common in specialised sectors (IT, R&D, medical and scientific equipment) and between neighbouring countries with shared languages or business ties. Good starting points:

• countries where you already have customers or a partner;

• tenders divided into lots that match your speciality;

• framework agreements, which give access to many call-offs once you're in;

• buyers that have awarded contracts to first-time or foreign suppliers before.

How do you handle the language?#

Bids are written in the language the documents accept, often only the buyer's official language.

• Machine translation is fine for reading documents and deciding whether to bid; the original language is binding.

• Ask clarification questions in the buyer's language.

• Check whether certificates need a certified (sworn) translation or whether a simple translation is enough.

Will your certificates and registrations be accepted?#

Buyers must accept equivalent evidence from other member states. Two tools help:

• The ESPD (European Single Procurement Document): a standard self-declaration you can use in every member state at the bidding stage, instead of the certificates themselves. National names include DEUC (Spain), DGUE (Italy), DUME (France) and EEE (Germany). Usually only the winner provides the evidence.

• e-Certis (European Commission): a database showing which certificate in your country corresponds to the document asked for elsewhere, for example the equivalent of a tax good-standing certificate.

Some countries also run official lists or registers of approved economic operators (Article 64 of Directive 2014/24/EU). Registration can simplify proof but generally isn't a condition for foreign bidders, unless national rules for a specific procedure say otherwise. Check the documents.

Electronic signatures and platform registration#

Bids in the EU are submitted electronically on the buyer's e-procurement platform. Two practical hurdles catch foreign bidders:

Registration#

Register your company on the platform early. Some platforms verify companies manually, ask for a national tax ID or need a local-style company identifier. Join the procedure on the platform so you receive clarifications and corrections.

Signatures#

The eIDAS Regulation defines simple, advanced and qualified electronic signatures (QES). A QES from any member state must be recognised in all others, but national practice differs:

Always follow the tender documents, which override general practice.

Do you need a local office?#

Buyers generally can't require you to have an office in their country just to bid. They can, however, set justified performance requirements, such as on-site response times or local staff during delivery. Plan how you will meet them, often through a partner.

Partner with a local company#

A local partner brings language, local knowledge and presence. You can:

• form a consortium (joint bid);

• subcontract local tasks;

• rely on the capacities of another company to meet selection criteria.

Tax, invoicing and labour rules#

• VAT: cross-border services to public bodies follow the place-of-supply rules; works and some services may require local VAT registration. Get advice before pricing.

• E-invoicing: public buyers must accept invoices in the European e-invoicing standard, and many countries require their own platforms (for example Chorus Pro in France, FACe in Spain or SdI in Italy).

• Posted workers: if your staff work on site, local rules on minimum pay, working time and collective agreements may apply.

A checklist for your first foreign bid#

1. 1

   Find and shortlist

   tenders that match your strongest references.

2. 2

   Read the documents

   with machine translation, then confirm key points in the original.

3. 3

   Check eligibility

   selection criteria, equivalent certificates via e-Certis, any registration.

4. 4

   Register on the platform

   and test the signature.

5. 5

   Decide on partners

   consortium, subcontractor or reliance on capacities.

6. 6

   Ask clarification questions

   in the buyer's language before the question deadline.

7. 7

   Write and translate

   the bid; have a native speaker review it.

8. 8

   Submit a day early

   and keep the receipt.