Tenders in Germany

How to find public tenders in Germany

Who buys and which rules apply

Public buyers in Germany are the Federation (Bund), the 16 states (Länder) and the municipalities, together with bodies governed by public law and their associations (GWB § 99). Companies in sectors such as water, energy and transport also buy under procurement law (GWB § 100).

From the EU thresholds, Part 4 of the Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB) applies (GWB § 106), with the Procurement Ordinance (VgV) for supplies and services, VOB/A EU for works, and separate ordinances for the utility sectors (SektVO), concessions (KonzVgV) and defence (VSVgV). Below the thresholds, budget law applies: for the Federation § 55 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO), for each state its own rules.

The Procurement Acceleration Act of 12 May 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 137) has applied since 1 July 2026. It changed the GWB, the VgV and the federal budget rules, among other things raising the federal direct award limit.

Where tenders are published

Above the thresholds, the buyer sends every notice electronically through the Datenservice Öffentlicher Einkauf to the EU Publications Office (VgV § 10a para. 5), which publishes it in TED, the online supplement to the Official Journal of the EU. Access to TED is free.

The Datenservice Öffentlicher Einkauf (oeffentlichevergabe.de) also collects national and EU-wide notices from the tender platforms of the Federation, the states and the municipalities in one place. It is freely accessible without a login.

service.bund.de lists current tenders of the Federation, the states, cities and municipalities, with filters for all 16 states. Tender documents and bids are handled on the e-tender platform the buyer names in each notice.

The procedures

Open procedure

The buyer publishes the tender and any company may submit a bid (GWB § 119 para. 3).

Restricted procedure

The buyer publishes the tender, companies first apply to take part, and the buyer invites selected applicants to bid (GWB § 119 para. 4).

Negotiated procedure

The buyer negotiates the bids with selected companies, with or without a prior call for participation. It needs a legal ground (GWB § 119 para. 5, VgV § 14).

Competitive dialogue and innovation partnership

For complex contracts and for products or services that do not yet exist, also on legal grounds only (GWB § 119 paras. 6 and 7).

Below the thresholds

For the Federation: public tender, restricted tender with a call for participation and negotiated award, plus the direct award without any procedure up to EUR 50,000 (BHO § 55). States set their own procedures and limits.

Thresholds

The estimated contract value, excluding VAT, decides which rules apply. From the EU thresholds a contract must be tendered EU-wide and appears in TED.

Since 1 July 2026 the EUR 140,000 threshold applies only to the Federal Chancellery and the federal ministries; other federal authorities use EUR 216,000 (GWB § 106 para. 2). The states set their own limits below the thresholds, and they differ, so check the rules of each state and the notice itself.

How to find tenders that fit

1. Search TED for contracts above the EU thresholds. It is free and covers every EU-wide German tender.
2. Search oeffentlichevergabe.de or service.bund.de for national notices from the Federation, the states and the municipalities.
3. Open the tender platform named in the notice for the documents, questions and submission. Many buyers use their own state or regional platform.
4. Use our free directory to see German tenders from TED, oeffentlichevergabe.de, service.bund.de and the tender platforms in one list, filtered by sector, with a summary in your language and a link to the original notice.

9,524 current German notices in our free directory. Browse them above · Numbers for every country

Questions about German public tenders

Where are public tenders in Germany published?

Tenders above the EU thresholds are published in TED (ted.europa.eu). National and EU-wide notices from the Federation, the states and the municipalities are collected on the Datenservice Öffentlicher Einkauf (oeffentlichevergabe.de) and listed on service.bund.de.

Is it free to search German tenders?

Yes. TED, oeffentlichevergabe.de and service.bund.de can all be searched without a login or fee. An account is only needed for extras such as saved searches.

From what value must a German public contract be tendered EU-wide?

In 2026 and 2027, from EUR 5,404,000 for works, EUR 140,000 for supplies and services of the federal ministries and EUR 216,000 for those of other public buyers. Values exclude VAT.

What changed with the Procurement Acceleration Act?

Since 1 July 2026, the Federation may award contracts up to EUR 50,000 directly, the EUR 140,000 threshold covers only the Chancellery and the ministries, and lots may be combined in some infrastructure projects (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 137).

How long do I have to submit a bid?

In an open procedure above the thresholds, at least 35 days from sending the notice, or 30 days when bids can be submitted electronically (VgV § 15). The deadline is always in the notice.

Is there a free way to search all German tenders in one place?

Yes. Our public directory lists 9,524 current German notices from TED, oeffentlichevergabe.de, service.bund.de and the tender platforms. It is free, needs no login, and links every notice to its original.

Sources

• Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB), § 106 thresholds, gesetze-im-internet.de
• Procurement Ordinance (VgV), § 10a publication, gesetze-im-internet.de
• Procurement Acceleration Act of 12 May 2026, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 137
• Federal Budget Code (BHO), § 55 below-threshold procedures
• EU thresholds from 1 January 2026, BAnz AT 18.12.2025 B4
• Federal Social Security Office circular on federal negotiated awards (22 July 2026)
• Federal services catalogue: Datenservice Öffentlicher Einkauf
• service.bund.de tender search
• About TED, Publications Office of the EU