Notice Text in Procurement Law 2026

Notice text in procurement law: content and structure of the official text used to publish tenders on TED and national portals.

Definition: The notice text is the formally structured content of a procurement notice that contains all mandatory information required by law about the contract, the contracting authority, the procedural modalities and the conditions of participation, and is published in a standardised form.

Last updated: January 2026 · Legal basis: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1780, §§ 37 ff. VgV, § 45 BVergG 2018

What is the notice text?

The notice text is the heart of every public tender: it is the first and often only source of information for potential bidders and determines who can and wants to participate in the procedure.

Every EU-wide notice must be drawn up on the basis of the eForms standard forms, which have been mandatory since October 2023. These forms structure the text into defined fields and sections that are machine-readable and uniform across the EU. For national notices below the EU thresholds, simplified national requirements apply.

Structure and Mandatory Components

A complete notice text is divided into several mandatory sections, each of which must contain specific information.

Section I: Contracting Authority

Name, address, contact details of the contracting authority
Type of contracting authority (public contracting authority, sector contracting authority)
Main activity

Section II: Subject Matter of the Contract

Designation of the contract
Main CPV code and supplementary codes if applicable
Type of contract (supply, works or service contract)
Brief description of the contract
Total value (after conclusion of the procedure) or estimated total value
Information on lots

Section III: Legal, Economic, Financial and Technical Information

Required evidence and declarations regarding suitability
Suitability criteria (eligibility, economic and financial standing, technical and professional ability)
Conditions for the performance of the contract

Section IV: Procedure

Type of procedure
Award criteria and their weighting
Deadlines (submission of tenders or applications)
Language(s) of the tenders

Section VI: Further Information

Information on the renewal of the contract
Information on EU funds
Body responsible for review procedures
Date of dispatch of the notice

eForms and Digital Standardisation

The introduction of eForms has fundamentally modernised the preparation and publication of notice texts.

eForms are machine-readable XML-based forms that enable EU-wide analysis and comparability of procurement data. Contracting authorities usually generate notices via eSender systems or specialised procurement platforms that support eForms and transmit them automatically to the TED system.

A correctly completed notice text is a prerequisite for acceptance by the TED system. Defective or incomplete notices are rejected or must be corrected.

FAQ

What is the difference between the notice text and the procurement documents? The notice text is the public summary information about the procedure. The procurement documents (specifications, contractual terms, form templates) are the detailed documents that bidders need to prepare their tenders and that are usually provided separately.

For how long must a notice text be archived? Contracting authorities are required to retain procurement documents including the notice for at least five years after the conclusion of the contract (Art. 84 Directive 2014/24/EU, § 8 VgV).

Can the notice text be amended after publication? Yes, by publishing a corrigendum. Substantial amendments usually require an extension of the tender deadline.

Last updated: January 2026 All information provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in procurement law.