Below‑threshold procurement refers to public contracts whose estimated value falls below the EU-mandated financial thresholds that require formal procurement under EU-wide rules. These contracts do not require publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) via the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) portal and are instead governed by simplified national or local procedures.
However, even though they are exempt from the full EU directives, these procurements must still respect fundamental EU Treaty principles—such as transparency, equal treatment, and non-discrimination, especially where cross-border interest may exist. Because they comprise the majority of awarded contracts in the EU, these below-threshold procurements are highly significant for businesses, particularly SMEs, as they often present accessible entry points into public sector contracting without the administrative burden of above-threshold tenders.
