1. When a simplified procedure is permitted
The rule changes on 1 September 2026, and the change is large. The simplified threshold rises considerably.
| Period | Simplified permitted where the estimated value | Construction works range |
|---|---|---|
| Until 31.08.2026 | falls between the simplified and public procurement thresholds | €60,000 to €150,000 |
| From 01.09.2026 | is below the international threshold | €100,000 to €5,404,000 |
The lower limit remains: below the simplified threshold no procurement procedure is required at all, although the authority must still observe the general principles. The authority then follows its own internal rules.
For construction works this means the simplified procedure covers a very wide range of values from September, because the international threshold for construction works is high. The practical consequence is that most construction procurements that are not very large will in future be run as simplified procedures.
2. What is lighter in it
Three things distinguish the simplified procedure from heavier ones. They are flexibility, deadlines and paperwork.
Procedural rules are less detailed, which gives the authority more organisational freedom. The principles of the law still apply.
The publication duty is narrower, since the notice does not go to the Official Journal of the European Union. Publication in the national register remains.
Some obligations do not apply, including certain checks. Which ones is set out in the law.
That freedom is nevertheless bounded by the general principles, including transparency and equal treatment, which apply in the simplified procedure too. It is a lighter procedure, not a rule free one, and a breach of the general principles is challengeable here as well.
3. What changes in September
Two changes work together. The field of the simplified procedure widens, because the public procurement threshold is abolished.
The minimum tender submission deadline for construction works extends from 15 days to 25.
These two belong together: more procurements in the simplified procedure, but more time for the tenderer. Without the deadline extension the widening would be bad news for tenderers, because larger procurements would fall under a short deadline, and a tender for €2,000,000 of construction work is not prepared in 15 days.
| What changes | Who it favours |
|---|---|
| Field widens to €5,404,000 | the authority |
| Deadline 15 → 25 days | the tenderer |
4. What a lighter procedure does not mean
Three things do not change in the simplified procedure, and the first matters most to tenderers. It concerns compliance of the tender.
Contract terms do not become lighter. The same work is governed by the same contract.
Technical requirements do not change. The specification must be just as precise.
The tenderer's liability is not reduced. A submitted tender binds in the same way.
The first point is frequently misread. A simpler procedure means a simpler route to the contract, not a simpler contract. A thinner document pack does not mean the allocation of risk is more favourable to the tenderer; it means only that fewer things are written down, and what is not written down gets settled in dispute.
5. What an authority should do anyway
Three things are not required but are sensible. Draft a proper technical specification, because its absence produces tenders that cannot be compared. This is decisive in construction: a vague specification brings either a dispute or expensive additional work.
Allow more time than the minimum where the procurement is complex. 25 days is a floor, not a recommendation.
Set clear award criteria, even where the procedure is lighter.
A simplified procedure does not mean simplified preparation, and this is the most common misunderstanding. In a simplified procedure the authority's freedom is greater, which means the quality of the outcome depends on the authority more, not less.
In summary, and four practical rules
A simplified procedure is permitted from 1 September 2026 where the estimated value is below the international threshold, that is up to €5,404,000 for construction works. Procedural rules are less detailed and the publication duty narrower, but the general principles, contract terms, technical requirements and the tenderer's liability all remain the same.
Four rules: check which rule applies, depending on the date the procedure was launched. Bear in mind that most construction procurements are in the simplified procedure from September. Do not read a lighter procedure as a lighter contract. Draft the technical specification just as carefully, whatever the type of procedure.
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.