Single-bid rate: what one offer per lot tells a supplier about a public market
The single-bid rate is the share of public contracts or lots that got exactly one tender; a high rate signals weak competition and room for a new supplier.
Tomasz Kowal · Data and public procurement
Updated 8 November 2026 · 4 min read
The single-bid rate is the share of awarded public contracts or lots for which the buyer received exactly one tender. It is the simplest public measure of how much competition there is in a procurement market, and it is printed, lot by lot, in every EU contract award notice.
Putting it simply: when a hospital or a ministry publishes the result of a tender, it also says how many offers came in. Count the lots where that number is one, divide by all lots where the number is known, and you have the single-bid rate. A high rate means buyers often have no alternative offer to compare against.
Where it comes from
The number of tenders is a required part of every award notice. Directive 2014/24/EU, Annex V Part D, lists the "number of tenders received with respect of each award", including those from SMEs, from another Member State or a third country, and received electronically. Since the eForms standard forms of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1780, TED publishes this per lot as BT-759 "Received Submissions Count", with BT-760 "Received Submissions Type" saying what was counted (all tenders, SME tenders, tenders from other countries, electronic tenders). If you read award notices yourself, our guide on how to read a TED contract award notice shows where the field sits.
The European Commission turns these notices into the single bidder indicator of its Single Market Scoreboard: "the proportion of contracts awarded where there was just a single bidder", based on TED notices, with framework agreements and direct awards excluded. The Scoreboard rates 10% or less as green and more than 20% as red. For the 2024 reporting period it gives an EU average of 28%, using a typical mid-ranking country as the average (checked 8 November 2026).
Why it matters for a manufacturer
- It shows where buyers lack options. In a category where half the lots get one tender, a credible second supplier is welcome news to the buyer, and to the distributors who could carry it.
- It points to incumbents. A lot won without competition is often held by a local distributor with a long relationship. That company is a candidate partner, or the competitor you need to understand.
- It helps you rank countries and categories. Comparing the rate across markets for your CPV codes is a quick first filter before deeper research.
- It is a signal, not a verdict. One-tender lots can come from narrow specifications, short deadlines or service requirements that only a local company can meet. Read a sample of notices before drawing conclusions.
How it looks in our data
Cresques counts the rate from award notices in its evidence view (computed 8 November 2026). In the last 12 months, 31.0% of award rows with a known number of tenders came from lots that received exactly one tender. By buyer country, for awards since November 2023 (the share is counted on rows where the number of tenders is known):
| Buyer country | Award rows since Nov 2023 | Share of rows from one-tender lots |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | 327,314 | 59.0% |
| Greece | 14,078 | 52.1% |
| Portugal | 17,970 | 46.2% |
| Czechia | 54,857 | 42.6% |
| Bulgaria | 37,771 | 41.2% |
| Austria | 7,719 | 40.5% |
| Spain | 69,087 | 35.9% |
| Germany | 71,193 | 33.2% |
| France | 83,599 | 20.5% |
| Sweden | 20,814 | 18.1% |
| Finland | 14,636 | 16.5% |
| Iceland | 551 | 7.4% |
Two cautions. First, this is a share of award rows, not of procedures: a lot with three winning framework parties gives three rows, and we include framework agreements, which the Scoreboard leaves out. Our figures and the Scoreboard's therefore differ (Austria: 40.5% in our rows, 36% on the Scoreboard for 2024; Croatia: 20.3% against 27%), though they point the same way. Second, for Greece, Portugal, Czechia, Bulgaria and Iceland our coverage starts later, between December 2023 and February 2024, as those countries moved to eForms. How we build the evidence view from award notices is described on our methodology page.
Example
A regional hospital group tenders wound dressings in eight lots. The award notice shows one tender in five lots and two or three in the others; all five single-tender lots went to the same national distributor. For a dressing manufacturer without a presence in that country, this is a precise lead: the buyer had no alternative in most of its lots, and the distributor that won them already serves the buyer. Before approaching anyone, check the contract end dates and whether the values are real prices or framework ceilings.
Related terms
Questions
- What is the single-bid rate in public procurement?
- It is the share of awarded contracts or lots for which the buyer received exactly one tender. The European Commission tracks it as the 'single bidder' indicator in the Single Market Scoreboard, where 10% or less is rated green and more than 20% red.
- What is the EU average single-bid rate?
- The Single Market Scoreboard reports an EU average of 28% for the 2024 reporting period, based on TED notices and excluding framework agreements and direct awards. The Scoreboard uses a typical mid-ranking country as its EU average.
- Where can I see the number of tenders received for a contract?
- In the contract award notice on TED. eForms notices publish it per lot as BT-759 'Received Submissions Count', with BT-760 'Received Submissions Type' saying what was counted, for example all tenders, tenders from SMEs or tenders submitted electronically.
- Why does Cresques get a different figure from the Scoreboard?
- We count award rows, not procedures, we include framework agreements, and our periods differ. A lot with three winning framework parties gives three rows. The figures point the same way but are not interchangeable, so compare countries within one source, not across the two.
- Does a high single-bid rate mean a market is easy to enter?
- It means buyers often have no alternative offer, which leaves room for another supplier. It does not mean the lots are easy to win: tight specifications, short deadlines or local service requirements may be the reason others stay away.
