French tenders at your fingertips

No. Under the principles of European law and the Public Procurement Code, any economic operator established in the European Union can freely bid for a French public contract. The contracting authority cannot require the candidate to be of French nationality or to have an establishment in France at the time of submitting their offer.

However, upon award, certain contracts (notably in sensitive sectors such as defense or critical infrastructure) may impose specific execution conditions related to the location of services or regulatory authorizations.

The duration of a procedure varies depending on the type of contract and its value. For an adapted procedure (MAPA), the timeline is left to the discretion of the contracting authority, but generally ranges between 3 and 6 weeks from publication to the submission deadline. For formalized procedures (open tenders above European thresholds), minimum deadlines are set by the CCP and range between 35 and 52 days.

Including the phases of bid analysis, possible negotiation, and contract notification, the total duration of a procedure can easily reach 3 to 6 months for the most complex contracts.

Yes, and they actually constitute the vast majority of contracts awarded in France. Below the European thresholds, public buyers use the adapted procedure (MAPA), which gives them significant organizational freedom while respecting the fundamental principles of transparency and equal treatment. For contracts under €60,000 excluding VAT, the buyer can even waive any formal publicity or competitive requirements.

There is no legal minimum amount below which a public buyer cannot award a contract. However, the Public Procurement Code sets a threshold of €60,000 excluding VAT, below which no publicity or formal competition is required. This means that a buyer is free to conclude private contracts of small amounts, provided that public funds are used responsibly.