Bidding for a public tender in another EU country: what changes

EU procurement rules are built on equal treatment. A buyer in Germany cannot reject a bid because the company is Polish, and a Dutch buyer cannot make an office in the Netherlands a condition for taking part. Even so, relatively few small and mid-sized companies bid abroad, and the reasons are mostly practical rather than legal.

This guide covers what changes when you bid in another country and how to prepare for it.

Who can bid

Any economic operator established in the EU can take part in a competition published under the EU procurement directives. Under international agreements, the same broadly applies to companies from the other countries of the European Economic Area and from some other countries. You do not need to be registered in the buyer's country before you bid.

What the buyer can require is that you meet the selection criteria set in the notice: suitability to pursue the activity (for example registration in a professional or trade register in your own country, or a license where the activity is regulated), economic and financial standing, and technical and professional ability. These are the same for every bidder, wherever they come from.

Language

The buyer sets the language of the procedure in the notice, and it is usually the national language. Plan for three things:

• Reading the documents. Machine translation is good enough to decide whether to bid, but not to rely on for the details of technical specifications and contract terms.
• Writing the bid. The bid must be in the language of the procedure, unless the documents allow others. Budget for a professional translator or a native-speaking colleague to review it.
• Questions to the buyer. Clarification questions are normally asked in writing on the procurement platform, in the procedure language, before a fixed date.

Some buyers accept parts of a bid, such as CVs, certificates or technical documentation, in English. The documents say so when they do; don't assume it.

Proving you qualify

At the bidding stage, most buyers ask for a self-declaration rather than certificates: the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD). You confirm that you are not excluded (for example for unpaid taxes or certain criminal convictions) and that you meet the selection criteria. Our guide to the ESPD in plain English explains each part.

The buyer will ask for evidence later, usually only from the bidder it intends to award the contract to. For a foreign company this is where preparation pays off:

• Collect your national certificates in advance: tax and social security clearances, an extract from the company register, insurance certificates.
• Check which documents the buyer's country expects. The European Commission's e-Certis service lists which certificates are used in each country and which ones are considered equivalent.
• Allow time for certified translations if they are required.

Do you need a local presence?

Not to bid. If you bid together with other companies, the buyer cannot require your group to take a particular legal form in order to bid; it can ask for one only after the group has won, and only where that is needed to perform the contract.

Some activities do need local formalities before work starts, such as a national license for security services or recognition of professional qualifications for architects and engineers who sign off designs. The tender documents state such requirements; read them before deciding.

Partners and subcontractors

Two mechanisms make cross-border bids much more realistic:

• Relying on the capacity of other companies. You can meet financial or technical criteria with the help of another company, for example a local partner with relevant references. You must show that its resources will be available to you, and the buyer checks that the partner meets the relevant criteria and is not excluded. If you rely on a partner's references or qualified staff, that partner must carry out the part of the work they relate to.
• Consortia and subcontracting. Bidding together with a local firm gives you language skills, local knowledge and references. Subcontracting part of the work is usually allowed, though buyers may ask you to say in your bid which part you intend to subcontract and to whom.

A useful way to find partners is to look at who already wins in your sector and country. Award notices are public.

Practical details that catch people out

• E-procurement platforms. Each country, and sometimes each region, uses its own platform. Registration can take a few days, so do it as soon as you consider a tender.
• Electronic signatures. Some platforms require a qualified electronic signature. Under the EU eIDAS Regulation, a qualified signature issued in one member state is recognized as qualified in all of them, but check that yours works on the platform well before the deadline.
• Deadlines and time zones. Deadlines are set in the buyer's local time. Upload a day early; platforms can slow down near popular deadlines.
• Site visits. Some works and facility contracts require a site visit before bidding. Factor in travel.

Where to start

Choose a small number of countries where your offer is competitive and where you can handle the language. Then look at the numbers: how many open tenders there are in your sector, and how many companies win them. In our data in early October 2026, for example, there were more than 2,000 open construction tenders in Germany and close to 1,000 in engineering and architecture, and more than 200 different companies won contracts in each of these markets over the previous year.

Start with one tender that fits well, learn the platform and the document style, and build from there. The second bid in the same country is usually much faster than the first.