TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)

Definition

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Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) is the online portal for European public procurement, serving as the official publication channel for all above-threshold tender notices in the EU and EEA. Managed by the Publications Office of the European Union, TED publishes approximately 746,000 procurement notices per year, representing contract opportunities worth hundreds of billions of euros. Access is free for all users.

Key Points

Free access to all EU above-threshold procurement opportunities
Approximately 746,000 notices published annually
Searchable by CPV code, location, buyer, keywords, and more
All 24 EU official languages supported
Covers EU, EEA, Switzerland, and some third countries

What Gets Published on TED

TED is the mandatory publication channel for EU above-threshold procurements. Several types of notices appear:

Prior Information Notices (PIN): Advance notice of planned procurements, published up to 12 months before the contract notice. Contract Notices: The main procurement opportunity announcements inviting suppliers to participate. Contract Award Notices: Published within 30 days of contract award, announcing winners and contract values. Modification Notices: When contracts are substantially changed after award. Corrigenda: Corrections to previously published notices.

All notices follow standardized eForms (as of 2023), ensuring consistent structure across all member states.

Searching and Finding Opportunities

TED offers several ways to find relevant opportunities. The basic search allows keyword, CPV code, and location filtering. Advanced search adds buyer type, procedure type, contract type, and date ranges.

For systematic opportunity monitoring, create a free TED account to save searches and set up email alerts. Alerts can be configured by CPV code, location, buyer, or complex query combinations - delivered daily or weekly.

The TED API enables programmatic access for integration with internal systems or third-party tender platforms. API documentation is freely available.

Languages and Translation

Notices on TED appear in the language of the contracting authority, with mandatory fields (title, short description) translated into all 24 EU official languages through machine translation.

Full tender documents, however, are typically only available in the local language. For cross-border bidding, you may need to work with translations of detailed specifications, terms, and submission requirements.

Some contracting authorities publish parallel English versions or explicitly welcome tenders in other EU languages - check the tender documents for language requirements.

TED Platform Evolution

TED has evolved significantly since its inception. The current platform launched in 2022 with modernized search, improved accessibility, and better mobile support. The shift to eForms in 2023 standardized notice formats across all member states.

TED is part of the broader EU public procurement infrastructure that includes SIMAP (information system for public procurement), eCertis (document certificates database), and the ESPD service. Together, these tools aim to create a seamless cross-border procurement ecosystem.

Future developments include enhanced data analytics, better integration with national portals, and improved tools for SME access.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, TED is completely free. You can search, view, and download notices without any subscription. Creating an account for saved searches and alerts is also free. All public procurement data on TED is open data.

Notices are published within 5 days of receipt by the Publications Office. In practice, most appear within 48 hours. Contract notices cannot be published nationally before TED publication (or 48 hours after submission if TED hasn't published).

Only above-threshold procurements are mandatory on TED. Below-threshold contracts follow national rules and typically appear only on national portals. Some member states voluntarily publish below-threshold contracts on TED or their national portals.

Depends on the specific tender and trade agreements. EU procurement is open to GPA (WTO Agreement on Government Procurement) signatories for covered contracts. Other third-country access depends on bilateral agreements. Check individual notices for any restrictions.

TED is the EU-wide platform for above-threshold notices; national portals (like France's BOAMP, Germany's bund.de) handle national and below-threshold procurements. Above-threshold notices appear on both, but TED is the official EU publication. National portals often have additional features and below-threshold opportunities.