1. An overview by five themes
| Theme | What changes | Who it affects most |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold system | three tiers replaced by two, domestic public procurement threshold abolished | contracting authority |
| Threshold values | simplified thresholds roughly double | both |
| Deadlines | construction tender deadline in the simplified procedure 15 → 25 days | tenderer |
| Construction specific requirements | several burdensome requirements removed, low tender check threshold rises | both |
| Framework agreements and mini competitions | exclusion checks become partly optional | contracting authority |
The first two themes are structural and affect all procurements. The third and fourth are specific to construction works. The fifth is narrower but matters to authorities that place repeated orders under framework agreements.
2. What becomes simpler
Four concrete reliefs, all of which reduce administrative burden. The substantive requirements remain.
One threshold tier fewer. A three tier system is replaced by a two tier one. This narrows the choice of procedure types and the risk of error that goes with it, because the intermediate band, where a choice had to be made between the full and the simplified procedure, disappears.
Higher simplified thresholds. For construction works from €60,000 to €100,000, for supplies and services from €30,000 to €50,000, and for defence, security and utilities sector construction works from €300,000 to €500,000. More procurements therefore fall under simpler rules.
Exclusion checks at mini competitions become mandatory only where the estimated value of the mini competition exceeds the international threshold. Since the international threshold for construction works is €5,404,000, this means in practice that the great majority of mini competitions fall outside the mandatory check.
Several burdensome requirements are removed from construction procurement, including the duty to request evidence of subcontractors' average wages. This fourth point affects construction firms most directly, because collecting that evidence ran through subcontractors with whom the authority has no contractual relationship.
3. What improves for construction firms
One change runs against the rest of the reform, and it is the most tangible one for a construction firm. It concerns a new voluntary option.
In the simplified procedure for construction works the minimum tender submission deadline extends from 15 days to 25. Ten additional days is significant when preparing a construction tender.
The rest of the reform aims to speed procedures up, so extending a deadline looks contradictory at first. The reason follows directly from the other changes: simpler rules bring more and larger procurements into the simplified procedure, and the existing 15 days would be too short for them.
Preparing a construction tender does not depend mainly on how fast the tenderer works but on answers from subcontractors and suppliers, which arrive at their own pace. Extending the deadline acknowledges that.
| Type of procurement | Until 31.08.2026 | From 01.09.2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Simplified procedure, construction works, tender submission | 15 days | 25 days |
4. A new voluntary option for contracting authorities
The amendments create a new, voluntary option for authorities to run what is termed a full reverse procedure in order to identify the most economically advantageous tender. The authority decides whether to use it.
Voluntary means the authority decides whether to use it. No authority is obliged to change its existing practice.
Its practical content and the way it comes to be used will become clear after entry into force. A professional assessment before the first applications would be premature, and this article therefore limits itself to noting that the option exists.
5. What to do before September
Three things are live right now, in August and early September. They concern the transition.
An authority should consider whether to launch a procurement before or after 1 September. This is a real decision, not a formality: the same project falls under two different regimes depending on when the procedure is launched. Launching earlier means a lower threshold and a shorter deadline; launching later means a higher threshold and a longer deadline.
A tenderer should know that from September there is more time in construction procurement, and plan resources accordingly. Ten additional days changes how many procurements it is realistic to enter at once.
Both should watch for publication of the consolidated text, because summaries do not replace the law. That applies to this article as well.
6. What the reform leaves untouched
Two lines are unaffected, and knowing this prevents a false assumption. They are the international threshold and the exemptions.
Procurements above the international threshold. Their rules derive from European Union directives and cannot be changed domestically. For construction works this means procurements from €5,404,000 upwards.
The international threshold itself. It changes on its own two year cycle, independently of Estonian legislation, and it already changed on 1 January 2026.
The amendments are therefore aimed at the area where Estonia can shape its own rules. The reform affects most construction procurements, but not the largest.
In summary
The amendments to the Public Procurement Act take effect on 1 September 2026 and affect roughly 49 % of all public procurements. For construction procurement four things matter most: the simplified threshold rises from €60,000 to €100,000, the domestic public procurement threshold of €150,000 is abolished, the minimum tender deadline extends from 15 days to 25, and the duty to request evidence of subcontractors' average wages is removed.
The practical conclusion for August fits in one sentence: the date a procedure is launched is now a substantive decision, not a calendar question. That date must be recorded in the file.
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.