New€115bn of defence kit, 38,238 new buses: how big Europe's other public supply markets are
Defence, buses, furniture, IT and cleaning products: official and industry market sizes set against the TED awards public buyers made in 2025.
9 min read
Blog
Notes on finding distributors
What we learn building Cresques: evidence, distribution, the rules of a first contact — and the occasional map.
Latest post 9 November 2026
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9 November 2026Europe's €173 billion medtech market: what the reports say and who wins public contracts
Medtech €173bn, medicines €302bn; public buyers are 50–70% of EU device sales, per industry data. TED shows who wins the contracts.
9 min read
9 November 2026How big is public procurement in Europe: €2.9 trillion, and the share that reaches TED
EU public buyers spent about €2.9 trillion in 2025, 15.5% of GDP. About a quarter of that value falls under the EU directives and reaches TED.
9 min read
8 November 2026German public medical contracts on TED: 7,202 awards in 12 months, most of them insurers' drug rebate deals
7,202 German medical supply awards on TED in 12 months: 73% from health insurers' drug rebate tenders, 5.2% to foreign-registered firms.
9 min read
8 November 2026Who supplies Polish hospitals: what 103,076 medical supply awards in 12 months show
Polish public buyers made 103,076 medical supply awards on TED in 12 months; 98.6% went to companies registered in Poland, often distributors.
6 min read
5 November 2026Can you send a cold B2B e-mail to a distributor in Europe? The 2026 map, country by country
Cold B2B e-mail is allowed in 14 of 30 European markets, depends on conditions in 4 and needs prior consent in 12. The rule and legal basis for each.
10 min read
5 November 2026Selling surgical instruments to European hospitals from outside the EU: what 5,451 tender awards show
98.4% of European public awards for surgical instruments went to locally registered firms. Who wins, and what a distributor needs from a non-EU maker.
8 min read
3 November 2026Where US manufacturers already win EU public contracts: what 760 awards show
548 US-registered firms won 760 EU public supply awards in three years, mostly instruments and software. Everyday goods arrive via distributors.
8 min read
3 November 2026Which European public markets buy from abroad? Foreign winners, country by country
Luxembourg, Ireland and Austria award 17% to 31% of supply contracts abroad; Spain, Poland and Romania almost none. What that means for US firms.
6 min read
2 November 2026Below the EU thresholds: what 73,000 smaller Polish supply contracts show
Poland publishes smaller public contracts in its national bulletin, the BZP. What the law requires, what a result notice holds, what a year of awards shows.
9 min read
2 November 2026From the Gulf to the EU: what UAE and Saudi manufacturers need before a distributor
CE marking, an EU responsible operator, REACH, medical device and packaging rules, customs and VAT: what a European distributor checks first.
10 min read
2 November 2026Selling in the EU from China: responsible person, CE marking and the distributor route
What EU law asks of a manufacturer in China: CE marking, an EU operator, GPSR, MDR, REACH, the IPI measure on medical device tenders, and distributors.
10 min read
2 November 2026Selling to Germany through a distributor: what award notices show a Polish manufacturer
95.2% of German public supply awards on TED went to German-registered firms. How to read the notices, find a distributor and make lawful first contact.
10 min read
2 November 2026Selling to Polish hospitals and public buyers: go direct or through a distributor?
How Polish public buyers purchase supplies, why almost every winner is a Polish-registered company, and how a German manufacturer finds and approaches one.
9 min read
29 October 2026Entering a public market through a distributor: one pattern, 34 countries
Our 34 country pages share six steps, from finding who already wins to a lawful first contact. What stays the same everywhere, and what changes at each border.
7 min read
29 October 2026Six more categories where the distributor, not the factory, wins the public contract
In lab, IT, cleaning, playground, electrical and fire safety supply, award notices usually name a dealer or installer. Who wins, which CPV, what they ask.
7 min read
29 October 2026What a public contract award tells you about a distributor
An award notice is a public record that a named company sold a category in a country. What it proves, what it only suggests, and what it leaves out.
4 min read
29 October 2026Why the value in a framework award notice is often a ceiling, not a price
On a framework award, the value shown is often the most the buyer may spend over the whole term, sometimes repeated per winner. How to tell it from a price.
7 min read
24 October 2026CE marking vs UL listing, step by step: what a US manufacturer has to do before a European distributor will stock the product
A UL listing is a third-party certificate; CE marking is your own legal declaration. The steps, documents and EU roles a distributor checks before it lists you.
9 min read
22 October 2026STEP grants, state by state: how a US manufacturer can get its first European trip or trade show partly paid for
Through the SBA's STEP grants, your state trade office can pay back part of a European trade show or sales trip, often 50–90%. Nine states compared.
9 min read
21 October 2026Distributor, subsidiary or selling online: what each route into Europe really costs a US manufacturer
A distributor needs no EU company; a subsidiary needs capital, a notary and payroll; online sales need VAT and an EU responsible person.
8 min read
21 October 2026Germany, the Netherlands, France or Poland: which EU market should a US manufacturer enter first?
No single answer: France suits public-sector categories, the Netherlands logistics, Germany size via trade fairs, Poland growth. A sourced comparison.
7 min read
21 October 2026The EU cut its tariff on US industrial goods to zero on July 1, 2026. What changed for US manufacturers, and what didn't
Regulation (EU) 2026/1455 removes EU duty on US-origin industrial goods until 2029. CE marking, VAT, origin proof and finding a distributor still apply.
8 min read
21 October 2026US Commercial Service fees in 2026: what $2,500 buys, and what else is on the table
Since July 22, 2026, a partner search costs $2,500 and a Gold Key $3,250 for every US firm. What you get, what the alternatives cost, and when to pay.
8 min read
21 October 2026Why Europe, why now: the 2026 case for US manufacturers exporting to the EU
The EU has 452 million people, one customs border and, since July 1, 2026, zero EU duty on listed US industrial goods. The case for now, and the hard parts.
8 min read
16 October 2026The first e-mail problem: why the same message is routine in France and unlawful in Germany
Cold B2B e-mail is lawful in France and the UK, needs consent in the Netherlands and is banned in Germany. The rules in brief, and why the channel comes first.
4 min read
16 October 2026Where the award evidence lives outside TED: Switzerland, Ukraine, Serbia, Türkiye (and the UK)
Five markets next to the EU publish public contract awards on their own portals. Where each record lives, what a notice shows, how to search it, and the catch.
7 min read
16 October 2026Why we named it Cresques
The Catalan Atlas of 1375 told merchants where the routes ran and who held the gold. That is the job we set ourselves — and here is how to say the name.
3 min read
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