EU procurement thresholds 2026-2027: what changes for bidders?

Since 1 January 2026, the EU thresholds for public procurement have been slightly lower than in 2024-2025. For supplies and services procured by the Belgian federal government, the threshold drops from €143,000 to €140,000; for other contracting authorities from €221,000 to €216,000; and for works from €5,538,000 to €5,404,000. These amounts apply until 31 December 2027.

In euros, the difference is small. The consequences are not: the threshold determines which procedure the contracting authority may use, how much time you get to submit, where the contract is published, and whether a formal error in your tender can still be corrected. A €141,000 services contract awarded by the federal government was still below the EU threshold last year. Now it has to be published at European level.

The new amounts

Contract type	2024-2025	2026-2027
Supplies and services — federal government	€143,000	€140,000
Supplies and services — other contracting authorities	€221,000	€216,000
Works	€5,538,000	€5,404,000
Concessions	€5,538,000	€5,404,000
Utilities and defence — supplies and services	€443,000	€432,000
Utilities and defence — works	€5,538,000	€5,404,000

All amounts exclude VAT. They are set out in Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2025/2150, 2025/2151, 2025/2152 and 2025/2487. “Other contracting authorities” include regions, municipalities, public social welfare centres, provinces and intermunicipal bodies.

The thresholds are not going down because Europe decided so. They are expressed in special drawing rights under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and converted into euros every two years. The mechanism, and the rules for estimating a contract’s value, are explained in our knowledge base: European thresholds and estimation rules.

Three Belgian rules that move along

The EU amounts carry through into Belgian law. Three rules shift with them.

1. The negotiated procedure without prior publication. Article 90 of the Royal Decree of 18 April 2017 allows this procedure for contracts below €140,000 (federal government) or €216,000 (other contracting authorities). Before 2026, those limits were €143,000 and €221,000. Between those amounts, the contracting authority can no longer rely on the contract value alone to skip publication. The gap is modest, but part of these contracts now appears publicly instead of going to three invited suppliers.

2. Division into lots. From €140,000, the contracting authority must consider whether dividing the contract into lots is appropriate, and explain its reasons if it awards the contract as a single whole (Article 58 of the Law of 17 June 2016). For SMEs, that is a useful lever: a large contract without lots and without a justification is worth a question during the Q&A period. More in Lots and SME access.

3. Utilities. If you supply companies in water, energy, transport or postal services, or defence, the threshold for supplies and services is now €432,000 instead of €443,000.

What changes once a contract is above the threshold

A contract above the threshold follows different rules. As a bidder, these are the differences you will notice:

• European publication. The contract appears on TED in addition to the Belgian publication. Companies from other member states see it too, so expect broader competition.
• Longer deadlines. In an open procedure you have at least 35 days to submit (30 days with fully electronic submission), compared with 22 days below the threshold. Details in Open and restricted procedure.
• A mandatory standstill period. After the award decision, the contracting authority may only sign the contract after 15 days. Below the threshold, this standstill period is not mandatory. Above the threshold, an unsuccessful bidder is therefore guaranteed time to apply for suspension.
• Different rules for correcting errors. In a procedure with negotiation above the threshold, the contracting authority must in principle allow you to correct a substantial irregularity in a tender that is not final (Article 76(4) of the Royal Decree of 18 April 2017). Below the threshold, it may choose between rejecting the tender and allowing a correction (Article 76(5)). In an open procedure, without negotiation, a substantial irregularity usually ends your tender, above and below the threshold alike.

What the Council of State says: the threshold changes the rules of the game

Two recent rulings show how concrete this difference is.

A missing tender form that was not fatal. A hospital in Seraing tendered the fit-out of a dialysis unit in four lots, together estimated at just over €503,000 — below the EU threshold for works. It therefore used a negotiated procedure with prior publication. The winner of lot 3 forgot to include the tender form with its final offer. The hospital allowed it to correct this, without changing its price. The competitor challenged the award, but the Council of State dismissed the appeal: below the EU threshold and in a procedure with negotiation, the contracting authority may choose between rejecting the tender and allowing a correction (Article 76(5) of the Royal Decree of 18 April 2017). Read the summary of ruling no. 266,400 of 17 April 2026.

The lesson cuts both ways. Below the threshold, a formal error is not automatically fatal. But correction is a choice for the contracting authority, not a right of the bidder. So do not count on it, and check your final offer as carefully as your first.

An estimate that must exist on paper. bpost awarded a low-value contract without publication, but could not produce any estimate drawn up before the award. The Council of State annulled the award (ruling no. 263,217 of 7 May 2025). The estimate determines which regime applies, and it must exist before the procedure starts. Explaining it afterwards is not enough.

What should you do as a bidder?

1. Check the publication date. Contracts published from 1 January 2026 follow the new amounts. Older contracts remain subject to the 2024-2025 amounts.
2. Look at which procedure was chosen, and why. A contract just below the threshold, without publication, while you know its value is higher? For a framework agreement, the total value over the full term counts; for lots, the value of all lots together. If in doubt, ask for the estimate.
3. Plan your deadlines according to the right regime. Above the threshold you have more time, but also more competition. Below it, 22 days go by quickly.
4. Put the standstill period in your calendar. If you lose a contract above the threshold, you have 15 days. Use that time to decide whether to challenge the award.
5. Search at both levels. Contracts below the threshold are only published nationally; those above it also appear on TED. If you only look in one place, you miss part of the market.

That last point is exactly what TenderWolf was built for: Belgian, Dutch, Luxembourg and French publications, plus all European contracts above the thresholds via TED, in one overview with one search profile.

→ Create a free TenderWolf account — one country of your choice, no credit card required.

→ What else has changed in procurement law? An overview for bidders