EU Tenders & UK-Based Companies

UK-based companies do not have an automatic, guaranteed access to EU public procurement, as they did prior to Brexit, but they can bid in EU tenders from some specific EU institutions that procure translation and interpreting for themselves.

This general ATC guidance clarifies UK-companies eligibility to EU tenders, but does not constitute legal advice, and eligibility should be confirmed with each specific tender.

International Agreements Governing Procurement

Two international agreements cover procurement rules for translation and interpreting:

• WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
• UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)

Both agreements give UK-based companies access to certain EU procurement procedures above specific value thresholds.

Which EU Institutions Can UK-Companies Tender for?

The following EU institutions allow UK-based companies to tender under the terms of the GPA or the TCA:

• European Commission (incl. Directorate-General for Translation (DGT))[1]
• European External Action Service (EEAS)
• Council of the European Union

Even with the institutions covered above, the obligation to admit UK tenderers only applies at or above a lower value threshold. Below it, the institution need not open the tender to UK companies. The current threshold is €140,000 as of 1/1/2026, and it is reviewed every two years.

UK-companies are not eligible to tender for the EU’s Decentralised Agencies, Executive Agencies or Joint Undertakings, or any other bodies other than the Commission, EEAS and Council, unless a given institution chooses to open a tender to UK-based/non-EU tenderers voluntarily.

EU institutions that have specifically allowed for UK-based companies to tender include the following:

• European Central Bank

EU institutions which do not currently accept tenders from UK-based companies include, among others, the European Parliament and the following Decentralised Agencies:

• Language services: CdT (Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union)[2]
• Justice and home affairs: Europol, Eurojust, Frontex (European Border and Coast Guard Agency), EUAA (EU Agency for Asylum, formerly EASO), eu-LISA, CEPOL, FRA (Fundamental Rights Agency), EIGE (Gender Equality), EUDA (EU Drugs Agency, formerly EMCDDA)
• Finance and single market: EBA, EIOPA, ESMA (the three financial supervisory authorities), SRB (Single Resolution Board), ECHA (Chemicals), EUIPO (Intellectual Property), CPVO (Plant Variety)

Where to Find EU Tenders & Other Routes

You can find EU tenders in the European Commission’s EU Funding & Tenders Portal and on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily).

If you are looking to tender for a specific EU institution, check the tender specifications carefully for information about who can tender, and/or ask via the Q&A as soon as possible, before you put in much work, about UK-based companies’ eligibility to tender, to ensure that your tender will be accepted.

Even in situations where UK-based companies are not eligible to tender, there are other routes to EU work:

• Establishing and tendering through a subsidiary in the EU
• Sub-contracting to a tenderer based in the EU

National and Regional Tenders for EU Member States

The above guidance covers procurement by the EU institutions themselves. National and regional public bodies across the EU member states run their own tenders, most of which should be published on the online public portal for European public procurement notices TED (Tenders Electronic Daily).

UK-based companies can access these tenders under the GPA and TCA, but eligibility will depend on the member state’s own coverage and thresholds rather than on the EU institution list above. Be sure you check each notice’s eligibility terms.

[1] E.g. DGT TRAD23, see section 16

[2] E.g. CDT/2026/OP/0003