How to bid: European Union (external action)

Where to find notices

Portail Funding & Tenders (F&T) de la Commission européenne
External-action contract notices are published there. Under direct management the link to the electronic submission tool (eSubmission) is there, and it is the only accepted route: a bid sent by post, email or hand delivery is disregarded.
To file under direct management, each entity (and each member of a consortium) must first register in the Participant Register and obtain a 9-digit PIC.
Journal officiel de l'Union européenne et journal officiel du pays partenaire
For open tenders the notice is published in the Official Journal of the EU, the partner country's official journal, on the F&T portal and in any other appropriate media.
Presse locale du pays partenaire
The local open tender (supplies from EUR 100,000 to 300,000, works from EUR 300,000 to 5 million) is advertised in the local press with the same information as the EU notice.
Délégation de l'UE dans le pays
Under indirect management the contracting authority sends its notices to the EU Delegation for publication. It is also the local contact to find out who the contracting authority of a project is.

The buying methods

Procédure ouverte internationale (International open tender)
The procedure set for supplies and services of EUR 300,000 or more, and works of EUR 5 million or more (the restricted procedure is also possible). Any eligible operator may bid. No negotiation.[1]
Procédure restreinte (Restricted tender)
For services of EUR 300,000 or more: a call for candidates, a shortlist, then an invitation to tender sent only to shortlisted candidates. A tender from an operator that was not invited is rejected.[1]
Procédure ouverte locale (Local open tender)
For supplies from EUR 100,000 to 300,000 and works from EUR 300,000 to 5 million (no local open procedure for services). Advertised locally, but open to other eligible operators on the same terms: requiring registration in the partner country or past contracts there is not allowed.[1]
Procédure simplifiée (Simplified procedure)
Services under EUR 300,000, supplies under EUR 100,000, works under EUR 300,000. The contracting authority invites at least three candidates of its choice, without publishing the notice. You must be known to it to be invited.[1]
Offre unique (Single tender) et paiement sur facture
Up to EUR 20,000, a single tender is enough. Up to EUR 2,500, payment can be made against an invoice without prior tender acceptance. Other negotiated procedures, with no threshold, are possible when the PRAG conditions are met, for example a sole supplier.[1]
Contrats-cadres (Framework contracts)
Specific contracts are awarded under the thresholds set in each framework contract. They are not subject to the standstill period, whatever their value.[1]

Being eligible and registered

Before building a bid, check in the notice the country of establishment required, and whether your country is on the eligible-country list of the project's financing instrument.

For projects financed under the geographic programmes of the NDICI-Global Europe instrument (2021-2027), the civil society programme or the global challenges programme, participation is open to natural persons who are nationals and legal persons effectively established in an EU Member State or in an eligible country or territory. The list of eligible countries per instrument is in PRAG annex a2a1 (section 2.3.1.1).[1]
'Effectively established' means: incorporated under the law of an eligible State and with its real seat in an eligible State, that is where management and central administration or the principal place of business are. You prove it with the documents required by that country's law. This is meant to rule out letter-box companies (section 2.3.3).[1]
The nationality rule does not apply to experts employed or contracted by an eligible contractor, nor to international organisations. Experts can be of any nationality unless the financing agreement says otherwise (section 2.3.2). Consortium members and subcontractors, however, must respect the eligibility rules of the financing instrument (section 2.3.1).[1]
Origin rule: for NDICI-Global Europe or IPA III projects, supplies and materials may originate from any country. For the nuclear safety instrument and the Ukraine Facility, they must originate from a designated eligible country (section 2.3.4). Projects financed under the 2014-2020 instruments or the EDF fall under PRAG 2021.[1]
Under direct management, and under indirect management when the Commission pays the contractor, each candidate must first register in the Commission's Participant Register. It receives a 9-digit PIC. For a consortium, each member registers. If the partner country pays the contractor, no PIC is needed (section 2.6.12).[1]
PADOR and PROSPECT are tools for grants (calls for proposals), not for procurement. PADOR is the registration database for grant applicants. The Commission plans to replace them with the eGrants suite (section 6).[1]
Before award, the contracting authority checks that no candidate, consortium member, subcontractor or capacity-providing entity is recorded in the EDES exclusion database. It cannot contract with an entity recorded at the exclusion level (section 2.4.2).[1]
Above the international thresholds (EUR 300,000 for services and supplies, EUR 5 million for works), the presumed successful tenderer, its consortium members and subcontractors must supply evidence that they are in no exclusion situation. Candidates also declare beneficial ownership (section 2.4.2).[1]

Finding notices

For open tenders the notice is published in the Official Journal of the EU, the partner country's official journal, on the Funding & Tenders portal and in any other appropriate media (section 2.6.2).[1]
Under indirect management with ex ante control, the contracting authority submits the notice to the Commission for approval, then for publication. It may also publish locally, with identical information at the same time (chapters 3 to 5).[1]
The prior information notice is optional. The simplified procedure is not published: the contracting authority invites at least three candidates it chooses, after checking none is excluded in EDES or listed under EU restrictive measures (section 2.6.4).[1]

Preparing the bid

The contract is under the law of the contracting authority's country, but the procedure follows the PRAG. Before paying for a dossier or building a bid, check whether the notice is under direct management (eSubmission, PIC) or indirect management (paper filing with the local contracting authority).

Minimum periods between notice publication and the deadline: 60 days for an international open tender for supplies, 90 days for an international works tender, 30 days for a local tender for supplies, 60 days for a local works tender. For a restricted services procedure, requests to participate are due at least 30 days after publication and tenders at least 50 days after the invitation letter is sent. A shorter period is possible only by derogation (sections 4.3, 4.4, 5.3, 5.5, 3.4).[1]
Tender guarantee: optional. If the contracting authority asks for one, it is 1% to 2% of the contract value. Performance guarantee: set between 5% and 10% of the contract and released within 60 days after the final acceptance certificate (section 4.2, for supplies).[1]
The deadline must fall on a working day in the contracting authority's country (for example section 4.3.5).[1]
If the technical content is complex, an information meeting or site visit may be held at least 21 days before the deadline. The material presented is then uploaded on the F&T portal at least 8 days before the deadline (section 5.3.4).[1]
A tender contains proof of capacity (selection) and a technical and financial part (award). The PRAG forbids mixing the two: evaluating the offer must not revisit the tenderer's capacity, which can lead to the procedure being annulled (section 2.6.11).[1]
The contracting authority can forbid cross-subcontracting in the instructions to tenderers: if A is a subcontractor of B and B a subcontractor of A in the same procedure, both tenders are rejected (section 2.6.11).[1]

Submitting

Under direct management, requests to participate and tenders in open, restricted, local open (with a notice in the Official Journal) and simplified procedures are filed only through eSubmission. Any other route (post, email, hand delivery) is disregarded. The single tender is the one exception: it may be sent by email to a functional mailbox (section 2.6.12).[1]
Under indirect management, tenders are sent or hand delivered to the address in the notice. A tender guarantee, if required, must be enclosed in the original (section 2.6.12 and sections 4.3 and 5.3).[1]

Evaluation

An evaluation committee opens and evaluates tenders. The contract goes to the most economically advantageous tender under the notice's criteria. The evaluation report is not disclosed to tenderers (sections 2.9 and 4.3.9).[1]
Under indirect management with ex ante control, the Commission must be invited to the opening and evaluation and approves the result before the contract is signed (section 2.2).[1]

After award

The contracting authority notifies the winner in writing and, the same day, the unsuccessful tenderers, with the grounds. An unsuccessful tenderer that was not rejected can ask in writing for the characteristics and relative advantages of the winning tender and the winner's name. The answer is due within 15 days of the request (section 2.10.1).[1]
Standstill period: 10 calendar days if notification is electronic, 15 days otherwise, from the day after sending. The contract cannot be signed before it ends. It applies only from EUR 300,000 for supplies and services and EUR 5 million for works (section 2.10.1.1 and Article 181 of the Financial Regulation).[1]
No standstill for a single tender, a simplified procedure, a specific contract under a framework contract, a dynamic purchasing system, most negotiated procedures without publication, or below the thresholds above (section 2.10.1.1).[1]
Notification to the winner extends the validity of its tender by 60 days. The contracting authority may suspend signature if it receives relevant comments during the standstill, and then informs all tenderers within 3 working days (sections 2.9.5 and 2.10.1.1).[1]

Complaining

A complaint to the contracting authority is free and fast. It must be reasoned: asking only for a second evaluation because you disagree with the result is not a ground.

A candidate or tenderer who believes it was harmed by an error, irregularity or maladministration may file a complaint with the contracting authority. Where it is the Commission, the complaint goes to the person who took the contested decision, who aims to answer within 15 working days. If unsatisfied, you can refer to the relevant geographical director at headquarters (section 2.12.1).[1]
Against the Commission you can also complain to the European Ombudsman, within two years of learning of the facts, after exhausting administrative remedies. An Ombudsman inquiry does not stop the time limits for court action (section 2.12.2).[1]
Court action: if the Commission is the contracting authority, under the rules of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU; if it is a partner-country authority, under national law and its deadlines (section 2.12.3).[1]

Traps to know about

Under direct management, an email or hand-delivered bid is disregarded without review, even if the bid is perfect. Create your PIC well before the deadline: registration and Commission validation can take time.
Nationality counts, not the name. A local subsidiary of a group from an ineligible country is not eligible if its real seat is elsewhere. Keep clear proof of your real seat (management, central administration).
The simplified procedure is not published. To get an invitation under EUR 300,000 you need to be known to the contracting authority and the Delegation: introduce yourself with a presentation and references.
The standstill can be as short as 10 days. If you lose, ask for the reasons in writing the same day you are notified.
When a financial institution or a UN agency manages the project for the EU, its rules apply, not the PRAG. Read the guide for that organisation.

What we could not confirm

Rather than guess, we list here what no reliable source allowed us to confirm. On these points, rely on the tender file or ask the body concerned.

The PRAG was read in its 2025 edition (file 'PRAG 2025.1 Full Version', a copy hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat, which is a mirror). The Commission's official guide page could not be opened to check that no newer version exists. The PRAG has no legal force of its own: the EU Financial Regulation and case law prevail.
Not read: the list of eligible countries per instrument (PRAG annex a2a1), the grant and NGO rules (annex IV of the grant contract), and the rules for programme estimates (used by some partner countries for small contracts).
Opening an EU Login account to access eSubmission is not described in the PRAG we read. We therefore do not assert it here. See the Funding & Tenders portal help pages.
Tender validity, the exact guarantee amounts for works and services, and any preference margins are in the tender dossier, not here.

Sources

Contract procedures for European Union external action: a practical guide (PRAG 2025), copie hébergée / mirror hosted by the UfM Secretariat (European Commission, DG International Partnerships (copie hébergée par le Secrétariat de l'Union pour la Méditerranée), 2025)

Bidding to: European Union (external action)