Basics of public procurement
Contents of this page
Before it comes to the individual procedure, a few basic concepts determine whether you are allowed to bid at all and how much effort it takes. Thresholds determine the applicable law, selection criteria determine access to the procedure and deadlines determine your schedule.
Where to start
If you are new to public procurement, read in this order: first the thresholds, because they decide which set of rules applies. Then selection criteria and evidence, because that is where the course is set for most tenders. Prequalification pays off as soon as you bid regularly, because you then no longer have to submit the same evidence again for every award procedure.
Thresholds
The EU values for 2026 and 2027 across all areas, how the contract value is estimated and why splitting a contract does not help.
Selection criteria and evidence
The three areas under Section 122 of the Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB), the cap on the required minimum turnover and what has changed with the priority given to self-declarations.
Prequalification
PQ-VOB for construction works, AVPQ for supplies and services. What the presumption of suitability brings and when the effort pays off.
Bidding consortium
Bidding together without running into competition law problems. How it differs from relying on the capacities of other entities and from subcontracting, and why changing its composition is risky.
Deadlines
Time limits for tenders and requests to participate under the Public Procurement Regulation (VgV) and the Construction Contract Procedures (VOB/A-EU), the bid validity period and the deadlines in review proceedings, which have had a harsher effect since July 2026.
Check formal points first
In the first step, formal points are usually decisive, rarely content: whether every piece of evidence is available, every declaration is signed, the deadline is safely met and the required minimum turnover is reached. These points can be checked in advance, before you invest working time in pricing.
Check whether a tender is a good fit for you
validait compares the requirements of a tender with your company profile and shows you, with source references, which ones you meet and which you do not. Three analyses per week are free.
Try for free- Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB), Part 4. gesetze-im-internet.de
- Public Procurement Regulation (VgV). gesetze-im-internet.de
- Act to Accelerate the Award of Public Contracts of 12 May 2026, Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.) 2026 I No. 137. Legal text