How to find public tenders in Spain (2026)
Updated:
As of 11 September 2026: 5,547 open tenders in Spain with a running deadline, 1,946 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 CET. This page explains where Spain publishes, which sectors are tendering right now, and what a foreign bidder needs to know.
Where Spain publishes its tenders
Above the EU thresholds, publication on TED is mandatory — 2,381 open tenders from Spain are there right now. The national portals carry 3,166 more, including the entire below-threshold market. Reading TED alone shows you the smaller part.
| Portal | Scope | open now | of which below threshold | Portal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACSP — Plataforma de Contratación del Sector Público | national | 3,166 | 1,946 | contrataciondelestado.es |
| TED — Tenders Electronic Daily | EU-wide (above threshold) | 2,381 | — | ted.europa.eu |
Which sectors are tendering in Spain right now
The twelve largest sectors by open tenders. Each entry leads to the live list for Spain.
| Sector | open now | of which below threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Construction work CPV 45 | 753 | 571 |
| Architecture & engineering CPV 71 | 448 | 112 |
| Repair & maintenance CPV 50 | 427 | 118 |
| Business services CPV 79 | 378 | 105 |
| Environment & sanitation CPV 90 | 318 | 54 |
| Medical equipment & pharma CPV 33 | 294 | 47 |
| Transport equipment CPV 34 | 258 | 68 |
| IT services CPV 72 | 247 | 41 |
| Health & social work CPV 85 | 217 | 48 |
| Office & computing machinery CPV 30 | 162 | 69 |
| Furniture & furnishings CPV 39 | 129 | 56 |
| Software & IT systems CPV 48 | 118 | 26 |
Largest buyers in Spain with open tenders
Each profile shows open tenders, the purchasing rhythm since 2018 and who has won there before.
- Secretaría General de la Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (49)
- Comité Central de Compras de Navantia S.A., S.M.E. (48)
- Dirección General de Carreteras (45)
- Jefatura de Asuntos Económicos del Mando de Apoyo Logístico (39)
- Jefatura de Asuntos Económicos de la Guardia Civil (37)
- Dirección General de Renfe Ingeniería y Mantenimiento Sociedad Mercantil Estatal, S.A. (34)
- Servicio de Salud de las Illes Balears (34)
- Presidencia de la Diputación Provincial de Alicante (33)
- Director Gerente de FREMAP (30)
- Presidencia de la Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares (29)
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 Spain, 35% of open tenders are currently below the threshold.
Deadlines, rhythm and competition in Spain
Between publication and submission deadline, Spain typically allows 33 days; for half of all procedures it is between 28 and 44 days (measured on 5,083 procedures with both dates). 2% 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: 13% works, 34% supplies, 52% services. Structured selection criteria are available for 44% of open tenders. Where bidder counts are known, the median is 3 bids per procedure.
Bidding in Spain as a foreign company
Any EU company may bid on any public tender in Spain, 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 2,434 of the 5,547 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 Spain right now, and how many?
5,547 procedures with a running deadline, recounted daily at 07:30 CET. 3,246 of them close within the next 14 days.
How do I find public tenders in Spain, and where are they advertised?
Above the EU thresholds on TED; below them on the national portal — PLACSP — Plataforma de Contratación del Sector Público. Friedrich & Clement reads both layers and merges them into one search.
Are all tenders from Spain on TED?
No. 1,946 of the 5,547 open tenders are below the threshold and exist only on the national portals.
Who can apply for public tenders in Spain? 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 Spain?
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 2,434 of the open tenders we show them in plain language.
What kind of tenders are most common in Spain?
Construction work with 753 open tenders, followed by Architecture & engineering and Repair & maintenance.
How current are these numbers?
They are recomputed nightly from 2 source portals; the most recent notice in the dataset was published on 11/09/2026.
Suggested citation: Friedrich & Clement, "How to find public tenders in Spain", as of 11 September 2026, friedrich-clement.com.