Knowledge base › Market and figures
Providers cite 60 to 120 hours of own time per bid and €10,000 to €20,000 for bid support. Software costs €0 to over €800 per month.
Checked on 15-09-2026
There is no official statistic on what a bid costs a company. The figures below come from parties that sell bid support or software themselves. They are therefore claims by those providers, not independent measurements. We consulted their pages on 15 September 2026.
Own time. Bid consultancy TenderGrowth writes that an SME should allow for 60 to 120 hours per bid, depending on complexity, and elsewhere cites 80 to 120 hours for a serious bid. That is one and a half to three full working weeks. From publication to award decision, the same firm counts three to six months.
Bid support. According to TenderGrowth, professional tender support usually costs €10,000 to €20,000 per bid. Consultancies work with an hourly rate, a fixed project price, a percentage of the contract value on award (according to TenderGrowth usually 2 to 5%) or a fixed price with a bonus when the bid wins.
Software. Prices vary, depending on what a package does. TenderTracer offers tender alerts free of charge or for €35 per month. TenderMaatje, software for analysis and writing, costs €99, €249 or €499 per month. TenderApp starts at €148 per month and rises via €498 to €848 or more. TenderServices offers a subscription with helpdesk and advice for €300 per month. TenderTracer and TenderMaatje state prices excluding VAT; TenderApp and TenderServices do not say.
What this means for you: the largest cost is your own time, not the software. Finding tenders costs little; writing a bid costs weeks of work or a consultancy. That is why it pays to decide honestly before writing whether a tender suits you, and to prepare the supporting documents you need repeatedly once and properly.
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.
Tell us what your company does; you will see straight away which open tenders fit. Free and without obligation.