What EU public contracts actually cost — a benchmark guide for bid writers

Most bid writers answer the pricing question with gut feel, anecdote, or a quick scan of TED. All three are unreliable. Contract values on TED are systematically inflated by framework agreement ceilings. Anecdotes reflect specific experience in specific markets. And gut feel anchors on the contracts you've won, not the ones you haven't seen.

This guide covers three sectors — construction (CPV 45), IT services (CPV 72), and engineering consultancy (CPV 71) — across seven countries, since January 2023. Every number is derived from award notices published on national portals, not just TED.

How to read this data

We present two views for each sector. Understanding the difference matters.

The full market view includes every contract above €1,000 from national portals — DECP in France, BZP in Poland, ANAC in Italy, PLACSP in Spain, BASE in Portugal, eTenders in Ireland, BKMS in Germany, plus TED. This gives you the complete picture of what public buyers actually spend, including the below-threshold contracts most tools never show.

The above-threshold view filters to contracts above €143,000 — the EU services threshold. This is the like-for-like comparison: every country's formal, above-threshold market on equal terms. If you're pricing an above-threshold tender, these are your direct benchmarks.

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Construction (CPV 45)

Construction is the most fragmented procurement sector in Europe. Contracts range from a €5,000 road repair at an Italian municipality to a €500M motorway project. The data reflects this range.

Full market

Above threshold (min €143k) — like-for-like

What this tells a bid writer: Italy's full-market median of €33k isn't a data error — ANAC captures tens of thousands of small direct awards for school maintenance, road repairs, and municipal works. Filter to above-threshold and Italy rises to €490k, almost identical to Germany. If you're pricing a formal Italian construction tender, the German benchmark is a reasonable reference point.

France stands out in the above-threshold view: 12.0 average bids per contract across 9,213 contracts. French public construction is the most competitive formal market in this dataset. Germany's full-market sweet spot (€123k–€839k) with 30,155 contracts is the most statistically robust single-country benchmark here — if you have one reference point, use Germany.

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IT Services (CPV 72)

IT services has the lowest average competition of the three sectors across every country in this dataset. It's the most accessible sector for new entrants to public procurement.

Full market

Above threshold (min €143k) — like-for-like

What this tells a bid writer: IT services is the most accessible sector in this dataset. Average bids range from 1.8 (Poland above-threshold) to 4.7 (Ireland). In most IT markets you're facing two or three competitors, not ten.

France above-threshold IT has the most competition — 8.2 average bids across 1,704 contracts. France's public sector IT market is mature and contested at formal level. Portugal deserves attention: €306k median with 2.6 average bids above threshold — a small but real market with low competition.

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Engineering Consultancy (CPV 71)

Engineering consultancy sits between construction and IT in both value and competition intensity. It's the sector where local relationships and track record matter most — which makes incumbent analysis particularly valuable before pricing.

Full market

Above threshold (min €143k) — like-for-like

What this tells a bid writer: Poland is the standout engineering market above threshold — €851k median across 1,877 contracts, higher than Germany, France, or Ireland. Poland has been a major recipient of EU structural funds, and the formal engineering market reflects this. At 4.2 average bids, competition exists but isn't overwhelming.

Portugal's 11.1 average bids above threshold is the highest competition figure in this table — but across only 80 contracts. A small market where competition is fierce when contracts do appear. Italy and France converge above threshold (€330k and €375k respectively), despite looking completely different in the full-market view.

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Three practical takeaways

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Methodology and data quality

Sources: TED (EU Official Journal), DECP (France), BZP (Poland), ANAC (Italy), PLACSP (Spain), BASE (Portugal), eTenders (Ireland), BKMS (Germany), plus Contracts Finder (UK), BOAMP (France), Doffin (Norway), Hilma (Finland).

Filters: Contracts awarded January 2023–June 2026, values €1,000–€50,000,000. The upper cap removes framework agreement ceiling values which systematically inflate TED benchmarks. Each contract is counted once per sector even where multiple CPV codes match. See our companion piece on TED data quality for detail on why national portal data is essential.