Knowledge base › The basics of public procurement
Which platforms public bodies use to announce contracts and how to search without missing anything.
Checked on 15-09-2026
TenderNed is the online platform for Dutch public procurement. It contains all public notices of Dutch tenders: European contracts above the threshold and the national contracts that authorities announce publicly. You can search the notices without an account.
You can filter by description and CPV code (the codes for types of works, supplies and services), type of publication, contracting authority, place of performance, publication date, closing date and type of contract. With an interest profile you save a search and receive alerts about new or changed notices. For a tender you follow, TenderNed also reports changes such as corrigenda and new tender documents.
Not every tender runs entirely through TenderNed. TenderNed itself points out that a notice may refer to another platform, such as Negometrix or CTM; you then submit your tender on that platform. The former web address of CTM Solution now redirects to Mercell, a platform on which public bodies publish tenders and suppliers submit bids. An account is required to bid there.
European tenders from all member states appear on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), the supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, managed by the Publications Office of the EU. For a Dutch company, TED is mainly useful for following contracts in other member states.
What this means for you: start with an interest profile on TenderNed using the CPV codes and search terms of your trade and the region where you work. For every notice, check on which platform the documents and the submission are held, and create an account there well before the closing date so you do not get stuck on the last day. Private procedures appear on no platform at all; they come through your contacts with buyers.
These articles explain how public tendering works; they are not legal advice. If you are unsure about a specific tender, ask your question through the clarification round or consult a lawyer.
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