Guides / Below-threshold tenders: where to find them
Below-threshold tenders: where to find them
Only contracts above the EU, UK, US and Canadian thresholds have to go on TED, Find a Tender, SAM.gov or CanadaBuys. Everything smaller, which is most public spending by notice count, is published only on national, state, provincial or local sites, each with its own rules. This guide explains what below-threshold means and where to actually look for it.
Reviewed 8 Oct 2026 by the Bidstage team.
What below-threshold means
Procurement law sets a value above which a contract must follow the full EU-wide, WTO-covered or federal procedure, including publication on the central portal for that market. Below that value, each country, state or authority can use a simpler, often faster, national-only procedure with no obligation to publish centrally.
The threshold amounts differ by market, by type of contract (works, supplies, services) and by type of buyer (central government, sub-central, utilities). See our thresholds guide for the current EU, UK, US and Canadian figures.
Where below-threshold notices are actually published
| Market | Above threshold | Below threshold |
|---|---|---|
| EU member states | TED, EU-wide | National portals in the local language, for example BOAMP in France or e-Zamowienia in Poland |
| Netherlands | TED above EU threshold | TenderNed also carries Dutch national below-threshold notices |
| United Kingdom | Find a Tender (above UK thresholds) | Contracts Finder, which also lists many lower-value English opportunities |
| United States | SAM.gov, federal contracts over $25,000 | Each state, county and city runs its own procurement site |
| Canada | CanadaBuys, federal | Provincial (for example SEAO in Quebec, BC Bid in British Columbia) and municipal sites |
Bidstage ingests TED, Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, SAM.gov and CanadaBuys, so UK below-threshold notices that reach Contracts Finder are already covered. Purely national, state, provincial or municipal below-threshold sites are not yet ingested; bookmark the ones for your region directly.
Why it is worth the extra portal
- Fewer bidders see it, because it never reaches an EU-wide or federal audience.
- Procedures are usually shorter and documentation lighter, which suits a smaller team.
- It is a realistic first win for a supplier with no track record yet on larger contracts.
- Many buyers re-use suppliers from small contracts when a related above-threshold contract comes up.
A practical routine
- Use Bidstage for the above-threshold layer across TED, Find a Tender, SAM.gov and CanadaBuys, plus Contracts Finder's lower-value UK notices.
- Pick two or three national, state, provincial or municipal portals that cover where you actually operate, not every one that exists.
- Check each on a fixed day every week; below-threshold notices often run shorter deadlines than above-threshold ones.
- Track outcomes the same way for both layers, so you can see which one is actually winning you work.
Browse open tenders
By category
- Construction work (CPV 45000000) 6,699
- Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services (CPV 71000000) 4,253
- Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (CPV 33000000) 3,737
- Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services (CPV 90000000) 3,435
- Repair and maintenance services (CPV 50000000) 2,452
- Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security (CPV 79000000) 2,292
- Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation (CPV 34000000) 2,233
- IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support (CPV 72000000) 2,142
Questions
Does Bidstage show below-threshold tenders?
Bidstage covers every TED, Find a Tender, SAM.gov and CanadaBuys notice, plus Contracts Finder's lower-value UK opportunities. Purely national, state, provincial or municipal below-threshold notices (for example France's BOAMP or a US state portal) are not yet ingested and need to be checked on their own site.
Why isn't there one EU-wide site for below-threshold contracts?
EU procurement directives only require publication on TED above the thresholds. Below them, each member state sets its own transparency rules, which is why the sites and languages differ by country.
Are below-threshold contracts easier to win?
Often, because fewer suppliers see the notice and the process is simpler. The buyer still expects a compliant, well-priced response, so the same bid quality basics apply.