Belgian tenders at your fingertips

No. Any company established in an EU or EEA member state, as well as in Switzerland, can bid for Belgian public tenders on the same basis as Belgian companies. This is guaranteed by the EU principle of non-discrimination.

In practice, the real obstacles for foreign companies are not legal but operational. Bids must be submitted in the language of the contracting authority (Dutch, French, or German depending on the region), via the Belgian electronic public procurement platform, with documents and certificates formatted according to Belgian requirements.

In Belgium, the duration of a tender procedure varies depending on the type of procedure. An open procedure generally lasts between 6 and 12 weeks (with a minimum deadline of 35 days for the submission of bids, reduced to 15 days in case of urgency), while a restricted or negotiated procedure can extend over 3 to 6 months due to pre-selection and negotiation phases.

For major public contracts subject to European rules, the full procedure, from publication in the Bulletin des Adjudications to contract award notification, can easily exceed 6 months, and may even reach one year for complex projects.

Yes. In Belgium, there are public contracts below the European thresholds (which in 2024 are €143,000 for supplies and services by central contracting authorities, €221,000 for others, and €5,538,000 for works). These so-called below-threshold contracts are governed solely by Belgian legislation (Law of June 17, 2016) and benefit from simplified procedures. For contracts below €30,000, a simple quotation is sufficient (negotiated procedure without publication). Between €30,000 and the EU thresholds, a national competitive procedure is required, but with reduced deadlines and formalities compared to European procedures.

It should be noted that, since January 1, 2026, these thresholds have been revised.

In Belgium, there is no strict legal minimum amount, but in practice the key threshold is €30,000 excluding VAT. Below this amount, the contracting authority can consult one or more suppliers informally, without any publication requirement. For amounts under €8,500, a direct purchase without competition is possible.