1. The new minimum deadlines
According to institutional sources the minimum deadlines for submitting tenders in the simplified procedure extend as follows. The change takes effect with the reform.
| Type of contract | Until 31.08.2026 | From 01.09.2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplies or services contract | 10 days | 15 days | + 5 days |
| Construction works contract | 15 days | 25 days | + 10 days |
These are minimum deadlines, not fixed ones, and an authority may always allow more time. The construction deadline extends by ten days, which is around two thirds of the current period.
2. Why they extend in a reform meant to speed things up
The logic is consistent, even if it looks contradictory at first. A lighter procedure needs more time.
Simplified thresholds rise, for construction works from €60,000 to €100,000, and a simplified procedure may be run up to the international threshold. This means larger and more complex procurements enter the simplified procedure than before.
The existing short deadline was calibrated for smaller procurements. Preparing a tender for a larger one takes longer, and the deadline is adjusted to the new content.
In the wording of institutional sources, businesses are given more time to prepare tenders in the simplified procedure, which is the direct aim of the change. The extension is therefore not an exception to the reform but its necessary consequence: if the scope of a procedure widens, its deadline must widen with it.
3. What ten days mean in construction
Preparing a construction tender consists of three parts, two of which do not depend on the tenderer. They are measuring quantities and requesting prices.
| Part | Depends on | Time requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Requesting quotations from subcontractors | third parties | the most time consuming |
| Checking material prices with suppliers | third parties | waiting for answers |
| Checking quantities and applying prices | the tenderer itself | plannable |
The first two depend on others, and it is these that suffer under a short deadline. In 15 days a construction firm often manages to ask, but not to receive answers. In 25 days the chain is realistic: asking, waiting, clarifying and applying prices fit one after another.
This improves the quality of tenders for both sides. The tenderer submits a price resting on answers received rather than on assumptions; the authority receives a tender that holds.
4. What it does to the authority's timetable
Three consequences that do not point the same way. The simplified procedure lengthens by ten days for construction works. That is a direct cost in time.
The overall effect is nevertheless shortening, because many procurements move from a heavier procedure into the simplified one, where the whole procedure is shorter. Ten days are added, but many more days disappear elsewhere.
The new minimum must be built into planning, particularly where a procurement was scheduled against the old deadline. The practical advice for an authority: what was planned in August at 15 days must be planned in September at 25.
5. Why a longer deadline serves the authority too
Two reasons that a timetable focused view often misses. They concern subcontractors and suppliers.
More time means more tenders, because a short deadline excludes those who cannot manage it. A smaller firm without a dedicated tendering team drops out more often at 15 days.
More time means better considered tenders, which reduces the risk of later disputes and variations. That serves the authority's own interest.
A hurriedly prepared tender that turns out to be too low is not a win for the authority. This ties the question of deadlines directly to abnormally low tenders: a short deadline produces exactly the tenders that a separate procedure then exists to check.
In summary, and four practical rules
Minimum tender deadlines in the simplified procedure extend on 1 September 2026: for construction works from 15 days to 25, for supplies and services from 10 days to 15. The reason is that the reform brings larger procurements into the simplified procedure, and the existing deadline was calibrated for smaller ones.
Four rules: plan the construction procurement timetable against the new minimum from September. Use the additional time to collect subcontractor answers, which is the bottleneck on tender quality. Do not read the minimum as the optimum, since an authority may allow more. Bear in mind that a longer deadline improves competition, which is the authority's interest too.
This article serves professional orientation at the date of checking. It does not replace the Public Procurement Act or information published by the Ministry of Finance.