Public procurement in the Netherlands: the 2024 figures
12,800 tenders, EUR 116 billion market value and 68% awarded to SMEs. The key TenderNed figures at a glance.
The Netherlands publishes detailed procurement statistics every year through TenderNed. This provides a sharp picture of a market that few companies fully grasp — but that is relevant to an increasing number of organisations. Below are the key figures for 2024, supplemented with trends from recent years.
A EUR 116 billion market
The total value of public procurement in the Netherlands was estimated at EUR 116.2 billion in 2023. That is a rise of nearly 9% compared to 2022 (EUR 107.4 billion) and more than 50% higher than in 2015 (EUR 76.6 billion).
This means the Dutch government spends approximately 20.9% of GDP through public procurement — well above the OECD average of 12.9%. Only the Netherlands and a few Scandinavian countries score this high.
Around 30% of that value — some EUR 34 billion — is tendered above EU thresholds. The remaining 70% falls below them.
Source: Monitor Aanbestedingen in Nederland 2021-2023, Significant/Synergy, December 2024; OECD Government at a Glance 2023
12,800 tenders in 2024
More than 12,800 tenders were started via TenderNed in 2024 — a 7.5% increase compared to 2023. The total number of publications exceeded the 25,000 mark for the first time.
Notably, the number of prior information notices and market consultations rose by 20%. This suggests contracting authorities are more frequently exploring the market before launching a formal tender.
Source: TenderNed Annual Statistics 2024
How are tenders conducted?
The open procedure remains dominant, but the landscape is shifting:
| Procedure | Share 2024 |
|---|---|
| Open procedure | 65% |
| Restricted procedure | 20% |
| Other (competitive with negotiation, competitive dialogue, innovation partnership) | 15% |
Negotiated procedures without prior publication have tripled: from 510 awarded contracts in 2018 to 1,642 in 2025.
Only 7% of all tenders are awarded on lowest price — a declining trend. The vast majority use best price-quality ratio (BPQR) as the award criterion.
Sources: TenderNed Annual Statistics 2024; TenderNed Procurement Trends
What is being procured?
The top 10 most-used CPV codes in 2024 show where the market is largest:
| # | Category | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temporary staffing and personnel services | 1,575 |
| 2 | Business services (legal, marketing, consulting) | 621 |
| 3 | IT services (consulting, software development, support) | 474 |
| 4 | Construction work | 342 |
| 5 | Agriculture and forestry services | 259 |
| 6 | Architecture and engineering services | 257 |
| 7 | Software and information systems | 254 |
| 8 | Landscaping and green maintenance | 208 |
| 9 | Computer equipment | 180 |
| 10 | Engineering services (specific) | 149 |
More than half of personnel services (CPV 79620000) are procured through a dynamic purchasing system (DPS).
Source: TenderNed — Top 10 most-used CPV codes 2024
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Who is procuring?
Municipalities are by far the largest contracting authorities — and their share is growing:
- Municipalities: 42% of all tenders (was 37-39% in 2022-2023)
- Public institutions: 31% (down from 36-38%)
- Central government and special sector companies: strongest percentage growth
- Water boards and provinces: roughly stable
Municipalities and public institutions combined account for more than 70% of all announced contracts.
Source: TenderNed Annual Statistics 2024
Competition: fewer bidders per tender
The average number of bids per open procedure has been declining for years:
| Year | Average number of bidders |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 4.2 |
| 2019 | 3.7 |
| 2021 | 3.8 |
| 2022 | 3.3 |
| 2023 | 3.6 |
| 2024 (H1) | 3.4 |
For works, the percentage of tenders with only one bid has risen from 4% (2017) to more than 10% (2024).
In restricted procedures, the average is higher: around 8.7 applications per selection.
Source: TenderNed — Number of tenders with 2 to 5 bids
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SMEs: a level playing field
A common concern is that public contracts mainly go to large companies. TenderNed’s figures tell a different story:
- 68% of awarded contracts go to SMEs
- In 41% of tenders, only SMEs submit bids
- In head-to-head competition between SMEs and large enterprises, SMEs win 47% of the time versus 34% for large enterprises
- At municipal level, SMEs account for 80% of awarded contracts
TenderNed’s conclusion: SMEs have the same chance of winning a tender as large enterprises, when controlling for bid frequency.
Source: TenderNed — SMEs and large enterprises have the same chance
The Netherlands in European perspective
How does the Netherlands compare to the rest of Europe?
| Indicator | Netherlands | Belgium | EU average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public procurement as % of GDP | 20.9% | 15.2% | 12.9% (OECD) |
| Single-bidder rate | 24% | 22% | 28% |
| Award on lowest price | 14% | 27% | 54% |
| Awarded to SMEs | 45% | 87% | 71% |
| Decision time (days) | 61 | 91 | 74 |
| Procedures with lots | 16% | 34% | 32% |
The Netherlands scores well on decision speed (61 days vs. 74 EU average) and low use of lowest price as criterion (14% vs. 54% EU average). The SME figure of 45% on the EU Scoreboard appears to clash with TenderNed’s own figure of 68% — the difference is due to methodology: the Scoreboard only measures above-threshold contracts via TED data.
Sources: EU Single Market Scoreboard — Netherlands; EU Single Market Scoreboard — Belgium; OECD Government at a Glance 2023
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What does this mean for your organisation?
The Dutch procurement market is growing, but competition per procedure is declining. Municipalities are becoming more important as contracting authorities. Quality weighs more heavily than price. And SMEs have — contrary to popular belief — a fair chance.
For companies considering entering public procurement, or looking to improve their hit rate, the first step is simple: know what is happening. TenderWolf aggregates tenders from TenderNed, e-Procurement, TED and BOAMP into a single overview — so you spend less time searching and more time writing a winning bid.
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Sources
- TenderNed — Annual Statistics 2024 (tenderned.nl)
- TenderNed — Procurement Monitor 2017-2025 (tenderned.nl)
- TenderNed — Top 10 most-used CPV codes 2024 (tenderned.nl)
- TenderNed — SMEs and large enterprises have the same chance (tenderned.nl)
- TenderNed — Number of tenders with 2 to 5 bids (tenderned.nl)
- TenderNed — Procurement Trends (tenderned.nl)
- Rijksoverheid — Monitor Aanbestedingen in Nederland 2021-2023 (rijksoverheid.nl)
- EU — Single Market Scoreboard: Public Procurement (ec.europa.eu)
- OECD — Government at a Glance 2023: Netherlands (oecd.org)
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