How to find public tenders in Estonia (2026)
Updated:
As of 22 October 2026: 472 open tenders in Estonia with a running deadline, 236 of them below the EU thresholds — contracts that never appear on TED. They come from 2 source portals and are recounted every morning at 07:30 Berlin time. This page explains where Estonia publishes, which sectors are tendering right now, and what a foreign bidder needs to know.
Where Estonia publishes its tenders
Above the EU thresholds, publication on TED is mandatory — 199 open tenders from Estonia are there right now. The national portals carry 273 more, including the entire below-threshold market. Reading TED alone shows you the smaller part. (Counted per procedure here; the table counts notices per portal.)
| Portal | Scope | open now | of which below threshold | Portal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riigihangete register | national | 448 | 236 | riigihanked.riik.ee |
| TED — Tenders Electronic Daily | EU-wide (above threshold) | 199 | — | ted.europa.eu |
The table counts notices per portal. The same tender is often published on several portals at once, so the sum is higher than the number of tenders above.
Which sectors are tendering in Estonia right now
The twelve largest sectors by open tenders. Each entry leads to the live list for Estonia.
| Sector | open now | of which below threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Construction work CPV 45 | 115 | 82 |
| Medical equipment & pharma CPV 33 | 85 | 14 |
| IT services CPV 72 | 38 | 10 |
| Repair & maintenance CPV 50 | 35 | 8 |
| Cleaning, environment & waste CPV 90 | 33 | 7 |
| Business services CPV 79 | 30 | 13 |
| Architecture & engineering CPV 71 | 30 | 14 |
| Petroleum & fuels CPV 09 | 22 | 2 |
| Laboratory & optical equipment CPV 38 | 20 | 4 |
| Industrial machinery CPV 42 | 20 | 17 |
| Transport equipment CPV 34 | 19 | 7 |
| Food & beverages CPV 15 | 15 | 2 |
Largest buyers in Estonia with open tenders
Each profile shows open tenders, the purchasing rhythm since 2018 and who has won there before.
- Riigi Tugiteenuste Keskus (30)
- Elektrilevi OÜ (21)
- sihtasutus Tartu Ülikooli Kliinikum (18)
- Transpordiamet (15)
- Sihtasutus Ida-Viru Keskhaigla (13)
- Enefit Industry OÜ (13)
- Aktsiaselts Ida-Tallinna Keskhaigla (11)
- Riigimetsa Majandamise Keskus (10)
- Tartu Ülikool (9)
- Tallinna Tehnikaülikool (9)
2026 thresholds: what happens above and below
Since 1 January 2026 the EU thresholds are €5,404,000 for works and €216,000 for supplies and services (net). Above them, TED publication is mandatory; below them, national law decides where a notice appears — and those procedures are just as open to foreign bidders. In Estonia, 50% of open tenders are currently below the threshold.
Deadlines, rhythm and competition in Estonia
Between publication and submission deadline, Estonia typically allows 31 days; for half of all procedures it is between 19 and 34 days (measured on 600 procedures with both dates). 1% of open tenders were published on a weekend, so reading on working days misses almost nothing. Knowing a buyer's rhythm means preparing evidence before the notice appears.
By contract type: 22% works, 38% supplies, 40% services. Structured selection criteria are available for 0% of open tenders. Where bidder counts are known, the median is 4 bids per procedure.
Bidding in Estonia as a foreign company
Any EU company may bid on any public tender in Estonia, below the thresholds included (Articles 18 and 19 of Directive 2014/24/EU). Evidence and references from your home country count in full. The documents are in the national language; we translate the titles and show the selection criteria as structured codes that mean the same thing in every language — available for 0 of the 472 open tenders. Submission itself runs through the buyer's portal, which usually requires registration.
Legal basis and sources
The statements on this page rest on the wording of EU procurement law and on our own count, recomputed daily. Both can be checked:
„Contracting authorities shall treat economic operators equally and without discrimination and shall act in a transparent and proportionate manner.“— Article 18(1) of Directive 2014/24/EU, official version
Under Article 19(1), an economic operator entitled under the law of its home Member State to provide the service may not be rejected solely because, under the law of the awarding Member State, it would have to be a particular kind of legal person.
- Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement (official English version, EUR-Lex)
- Thresholds from 1 January 2026: Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2025/2150, 2025/2151 and 2025/2152 (EUR-Lex)
- TED — Tenders Electronic Daily, Supplement to the Official Journal of the EU
- National portals: see the table above, each with a link
- Counting method, source list and known gaps: our facts page
Frequently asked questions
What government tenders are there in Estonia right now, and how many?
472 procedures with a running deadline, recounted daily at 07:30 Berlin time. 300 of them close within the next 14 days.
How do I find public tenders in Estonia, and where are they advertised?
Above the EU thresholds on TED; below them on the national portal — Riigihangete register. Friedrich & Clement reads both layers and merges them into one search.
Are all tenders from Estonia on TED?
No. 236 of the 472 open tenders are below the threshold and exist only on the national portals.
Who can apply for public tenders in Estonia? Can a foreign company?
Anyone entitled to provide the service in its home country — foreign EU companies without restriction, below the thresholds as well. Evidence from the home country is equivalent (Directive 2014/24/EU).
What do I need to bid on a tender in Estonia?
Three things: the documents are in the national language; submission runs through the buyer's portal and usually requires registration; the selection criteria are fixed EU codes — for 0 of the open tenders we show them in plain language.
What kind of tenders are most common in Estonia?
Construction work with 115 open tenders, followed by Medical equipment & pharma and IT services.
How current are these numbers?
They are recomputed nightly from 2 source portals; the most recent notice in the dataset was published on 22/10/2026.
Suggested citation: Friedrich & Clement, "How to find public tenders in Estonia", as of 22 October 2026, friedrich-clement.com.