Knowledge base

Public procurement in plain language, with source and date for every article

For companies that do not bid yet. What public tendering is, which documents you need, how to read tender documents and what happens after the award. Every article lists its sources and the date we checked them.

The basics of public procurement

What public procurement is, which thresholds and procedures apply, where to find contracts and which rules set the terms.

What is public procurement and when must a public body tender?Who is obliged to tender, when the European rules apply and what happens below the threshold.The European thresholds for 2026 and 2027The amounts that, from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027, decide whether a public contract is tendered at European level.The European procedures: open, restricted and the other variantsHow the open and restricted procedures work, which minimum time limits the Act sets and which other procedures exist.Below the threshold: national and private proceduresHow single-source and multiple private tendering work and which rules the Proportionality Guide sets for them.Where to find tenders: TenderNed, TED and other platformsWhich platforms public bodies use to announce contracts and how to search without missing anything.The rules in plain language: the Procurement Act, the Proportionality Guide and ARW 2016What the three main rulebooks say and which rules protect you as a bidder against disproportionate requirements.Framework agreements, lots and the dynamic purchasing systemThree forms you will meet in notices, and what they mean for the volume of work and your chance to take part.

Evidence and declarations

Which declarations and documents a contracting authority may ask for, how to obtain them and how old they may be.

The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD)What you declare in the ESPD, who fills it in and when you actually have to show the supporting evidence.Applying for the Certificate of Conduct for Tenders (GVA)What the GVA from Justis is, what it costs, how long the application takes and how old it may be when you submit a tender.The Tax Administration payment-behaviour statementHow you show that you pay your taxes, how to apply for the statement and how old it may be when you submit a tender.The Chamber of Commerce extract in a tenderWhich trade register extract you need, how old it may be and what it costs in 2026.References and reference projectsWhich past contracts count as references, how far back and which limits the Proportionality Guide sets.Certificates and labels, and the right to offer equivalent evidenceWhat the law says about certificates such as ISO 9001, VCA and the CO2 Performance Ladder, and when other evidence must be accepted.Insurance: professional and general liabilityWhich insurance a contracting authority may require, how you prove it and which limits the Proportionality Guide sets.

Reading the tender documents

How to read tender documents: requirements, criteria, asking questions and what to do when a requirement is too heavy.

Exclusion grounds, suitability requirements and award criteria: the differenceThree kinds of tests in every tender: may you take part, can you do the work, and which offer is best.Knock-out criteria: why tenders are declared invalidFailing a knock-out requirement means your tender is not assessed. What the case law says and how to avoid it.Best price-quality ratio: how quality is assessedEMVI, BPKV and sub-award criteria explained: how an authority weighs quality against price and where your points are.The clarification note (nota van inlichtingen): why asking questions pays offThe question round is the official channel to the buyer. If you do not raise unclear points in time, it is hard to come back to them later.Requirements, wishes and the programme of requirementsMissing a requirement costs you the whole tender, ignoring a wish costs points. How to read a programme of requirements.Proportionality: when a requirement is too heavy and what you can doRequirements must fit the contract. The Proportionality Guide spells this out, and you can refer to it in the question round.Sustainability and social return: requirement or award criterionSustainability and social return can appear as a requirement, an award criterion or a contract condition. The difference matters.

Submitting, award and objections

From submitting digitally to the award decision, complaints, interim proceedings and the contract after award.

Submitting a tender digitally: TenderNed, eHerkenning and on timeWhat to arrange in advance to bid digitally, why the deadline is absolute and who may sign on behalf of your company.The award decision and the standstill periodAn award decision is not yet a contract. The notification is followed by a standstill period of 20 calendar days.The rejection letter: what it should contain and how to learn from a lost tenderWhat the award decision notice must at least contain, how to ask for an explanation and how to use the letter for next time.Complaints: the complaints desk and the Procurement Experts CommitteeFirst ask, then complain to the authority, then if needed the Commissie van Aanbestedingsexperts. What each step does and does not do.Interim proceedings (kort geding) against an award decisionWhen interim proceedings are relevant, which time limits apply and what the court can and can no longer assess.After the award: evidence, the contract and if the winner drops outWhat happens after the award decision: supplying evidence, final award, the contract and the chance for the runner-up.

Working together and starting small

How to take a first step into public procurement together with other companies or through smaller contracts, and which rules apply.

Bidding as a consortium: how it works and what it takesSubmitting one bid together with other companies: what the rules allow, what the ESPD requires and where the cartel prohibition starts.Relying on third parties: using another company's capacityHow you can rely on another company for experience, references or financial standing, and what the contracting authority then asks of you.Subcontracting: taking part without bidding yourselfAs a subcontractor you work on public contracts without submitting your own bid; this is how it works and what the rules say.Multiple private tenders: how municipalities invite companies and how to get noticedBelow the EU threshold, public bodies often invite three to five companies without public notice. This is how it works and how to get noticed.Market consultations and market research: having your say in advanceBefore a tender starts, a contracting authority sometimes asks the market for advice. This is how to find these consultations and use them.Keeping your first bid small: lots and regional contractsWhy a lot or a smaller regional contract is often a better first bid than a large contract, and what the law says about it.SME-friendly procurement: what the Proportionality Guide asks of contracting authoritiesThe Proportionality Guide limits requirements on references, turnover and consortia. This is how you recognise a requirement that is out of proportion.

Market and figures

Figures on the Dutch public procurement market, with source and date: how much there is, who takes part, who wins and what it costs.

How many public tenders there are in the NetherlandsIn 2025 almost 12,000 tenders started on TenderNed, mostly for services. What the figures say and what they leave out.How many competitors you face on averageAn average of 3.4 bids per open tender in the first half of 2024, against 4.2 in 2017. In works, the share with a single bid grew.How many companies ever submit a bidOf 405,520 companies with staff, 9,710 bid via TenderNed in 2017–2021, about 2.4%. Size mainly decides whether a company takes part.Who wins the contracts: SMEs or large companies68% of contracts go to SMEs. When both SMEs and large companies bid, SMEs win in 47% of cases and large companies in 34%.What a bid costs in time and moneyProviders cite 60 to 120 hours of own time per bid and €10,000 to €20,000 for bid support. Software costs €0 to over €800 per month.Why companies do not take partFew companies ever bid, while SMEs win most contracts. The threshold lies before the bid, not after it.

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How we select and compare

Sources: TenderNed (publications and documents), TED (notices and awards with winners, size and contract data), public registers of recognitions and certificates, and the company's own website.
Matching: every notice is scored on CPV codes, keywords, region, closing date and procedure; only strong matches reach a page.
Winner comparison: per segment we set side by side how many awards there were, the size of the winners, who won more than once and with which type of buyer.
Radar: from awards with an end date or duration we take the contracts that expire within twelve months, with the buyer and the current contractor. For each contract we state whether the end date is in the notice or is our estimate (award date plus duration), whether the notice allows an extension, and whether it is recurring work or a project (our own classification). We do not predict whether a contract will be tendered again.
Readiness class per tender: built from published components that you see and can dispute; we give no percentages.
What we do not know: TenderNed publishes awards, not bidders. We therefore do not know whether a company bid, only whether it won.

Every text names its source and date. Spot an error and we correct it, with the correction shown. These articles explain how public tendering works; they are not legal advice. If you are unsure about a specific tender, ask your question through the clarification round or consult a lawyer.

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