Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) is the European Union's official tender gazette. Every public authority in the member states is legally required to publish its above-threshold procurements (Directive 2014/24/EU limits) here. TED currently carries 2,000+ notices per day across 27 languages.
Why does it matter for cross-border firms?
TED is a single window: a German firm sees the Spanish notice and an Italian firm the Polish one in the same place, without touring national portals. Non-EU firms are not excluded either — under the EU's non-discrimination principle, third-country firms may take part. With a valid ESPD and, where goods or equipment are involved, an EORI, they bid directly; there is no restriction on winning the contract.
Thresholds
- Works: €5,538,000
- Central-government supplies / services: €143,000
- Other public supplies / services: €221,000
- Utilities Directive (2014/25) — water, energy, transport, postal: €443,000
Every tender above these thresholds is automatically published on TED. Below-threshold procurements require checking the relevant national platform (PLACSP, TenderNed, BOAMP, …).
Which fields matter in a TED notice?
- Buyer — contracting authority, country, NUTS region
- CPV code — 45 = construction, 71 = engineering, 50 = maintenance
- Estimated value — indicative contract size
- Deadline — bid submission cutoff (usually 30–52 days)
- Procedure — Open / Restricted / Competitive Dialogue / Negotiated
- BT-740 — 'Buyer Contracting Entity' = yes means Utilities operator (EDF, ENGIE, SNCF …)
Practical workflow
Our recommendation: scan TED daily, use CPV filters to see only your trade, and add the interesting ones to your BidIndex 'Saved' list. TED publishes raw documents in EN and the country's official language — translation is essential. When you win, a notarised translation is accepted EU-wide.
Following 3–5 relevant tenders per month on TED means 40+ bid opportunities per year. A contract every two years is enough to justify the ROI.