EU procurement thresholds 2026–2027: the values that put a tender on TED
From 1 January 2026, EU rules apply to supply contracts from EUR 140,000 (central government) or EUR 216,000 (other buyers), excluding VAT.
Tomasz Kowal · Data and public procurement
Updated 8 November 2026 · 3 min read
An EU procurement threshold is the estimated contract value, excluding VAT, from which a public buyer must follow the EU procurement directives, run an EU-wide procedure and publish its notices on TED. For 2026 and 2027 the main figures are EUR 140,000 for supply and service contracts of central government authorities and EUR 216,000 for those of all other public buyers.
Putting it simply: above the threshold, the tender and its award are published on TED and anyone in the EU can see who won. Below it, national rules apply and the contract appears, if at all, on a national portal.
Where it comes from
The thresholds are written into the directives and revised by Commission delegated regulations. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152 of 22 October 2025 amended Article 4 of Directive 2014/24/EU with effect from 1 January 2026. Companion regulations did the same for utilities (2025/2150), concessions (2025/2151) and defence and security (2025/2487).
| Directive and contract type | 2024–2025 | From 1 January 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014/24/EU, supplies and services, central government (Art. 4(b)) | EUR 143,000 | EUR 140,000 |
| 2014/24/EU, supplies and services, sub-central authorities (Art. 4(c)) | EUR 221,000 | EUR 216,000 |
| 2014/24/EU, works (Art. 4(a)) | EUR 5,538,000 | EUR 5,404,000 |
| 2014/25/EU utilities, supplies and services (Art. 15(a)) | EUR 443,000 | EUR 432,000 |
| 2014/25/EU utilities, works (Art. 15(b)) | EUR 5,538,000 | EUR 5,404,000 |
| 2009/81/EC defence and security, supplies and services (Art. 8(a)) | EUR 443,000 | EUR 432,000 |
| 2009/81/EC defence and security, works (Art. 8(b)) | EUR 5,538,000 | EUR 5,404,000 |
| 2014/23/EU concessions (Art. 8(1)) | EUR 5,538,000 | EUR 5,404,000 |
Article 6 of Directive 2014/24/EU explains the mechanism. Every two years the Commission checks the euro figures against the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, whose thresholds are set in special drawing rights, using the average daily euro rate over the 24 months ending on 31 August, and rounds down to the nearest thousand euros. The slightly lower 2026 figures follow from that calculation: over the reference period, fewer euros were needed to match the same SDR amounts. For Member States outside the euro area, the Commission also publishes the equivalent values in their national currencies (Article 6(3) and (4)).
Two details matter in practice. Central government defence buyers use EUR 140,000 only for products listed in Annex III of the directive; for other products they use EUR 216,000. Social and other specific services listed in Annex XIV keep a separate threshold of EUR 750,000, which the 2026 revision did not change.
Why it matters for a manufacturer
- It decides what you can see. Award notices above the threshold are on TED in a common format, which is what makes cross-border evidence of who sells what possible. Read more in What is TED.
- Most contracts sit below it. The Commission says that "procedures above the EU thresholds account for approximately 20 % of all public procurement contracts" (Communication 2023/C 98 I/01). Roughly four in five contracts by number are therefore national only.
- The buyer type changes the line. A ministry and a municipal hospital buying the same equipment face different thresholds, so the same product can be on TED in one tender and absent in the next.
- Value includes options. The estimate is the total amount payable net of VAT, including options and renewals (Article 5(1)); for a framework agreement it is the maximum value of all contracts over its whole term (Article 5(5)), so a modest annual order on a four-year framework can cross the line.
Example
A regional hospital plans to buy patient beds for an estimated EUR 190,000 excluding VAT. As a sub-central authority it is below EUR 216,000, so national rules apply and the award does not have to appear on TED. A national ministry buying office furniture for EUR 190,000 is above EUR 140,000 and must publish on TED. If the hospital adds a two-year renewal option worth EUR 60,000, the estimate becomes EUR 250,000 and the contract moves onto TED as well.
Related terms
- What is TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)
- How to read a TED contract award notice
- Framework agreements: why the headline value is not sales
- CPV codes explained
- Below-threshold procurement: what it is and where smaller tenders are published
- Markets by country: Cresques, our own product, shows the companies winning above-threshold contracts in each country and, for Poland, below-threshold contract awards as well.
Questions
- What is the EU threshold for supply contracts in 2026?
- EUR 140,000 excluding VAT for central government authorities and EUR 216,000 for sub-central authorities such as regions, municipalities and, usually, public hospitals. Both apply from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 under Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152.
- What are the thresholds for utilities and defence?
- EUR 432,000 for supply and service contracts and EUR 5,404,000 for works, both under Directive 2014/25/EU (utilities, Regulation 2025/2150) and Directive 2009/81/EC (defence and security, Regulation 2025/2487), from 1 January 2026.
- How often do the thresholds change?
- Every two years, with effect from 1 January. The Commission recalculates them from the values in the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, which are set in special drawing rights, using the average euro rate over the 24 months ending on 31 August before the revision.
- How many contracts are above the thresholds?
- The European Commission estimates that procedures above the EU thresholds account for about 20% of all public procurement contracts by number. The other four in five follow national rules and are published, if at all, on national portals.
- Is the threshold compared with the price including VAT?
- No. The estimated value is net of VAT and covers the total amount payable, including options and renewals set out in the procurement documents (Directive 2014/24/EU, Article 5(1)).
