1. Four differences and their values
| Difference | Construction works | Supplies and services |
|---|---|---|
| Simplified threshold | €60,000 until 31.08.2026, €100,000 from 01.09.2026 | €30,000, rising to €50,000 |
| International threshold | €5,404,000 from 01.01.2026 | substantially lower, varies by authority |
| Tender deadline, simplified procedure | 15 days, 25 days from 01.09.2026 | shorter |
| Abnormally low tender check | separately regulated, threshold €150,000 → €500,000 | general rule |
| Subcontractor obligations | separately regulated | no equivalent |
The difference in thresholds is one of order of magnitude: the international threshold for construction works is many times that for supplies and services. A separate provision also governs how the estimated value of a construction contract is determined, covered in the thresholds branch.
2. Why construction works are treated separately
Three reasons, all practical rather than legal. Values are larger, so the cost of an error is larger. The same procedural error costs many times more in a €2,000,000 construction procurement than in a €40,000 service contract, and the legislator has answered that with higher thresholds and additional checks.
Preparing a tender depends on third parties. A construction tenderer does not build a price alone: it collects prices from subcontractors and suppliers, whose response time is outside its control. That is what justifies longer deadlines.
The work is performed over a long period and conditions may change, unlike a one off supply. Material prices, weather and design refinements act over months or years.
The third reason also explains why subcontractors are separately regulated: a construction project usually involves many firms with whom the authority has no direct contractual relationship, but whose quality of work and terms of engagement affect the result. The chain is long in construction.
3. What changes in September
Three changes affect construction works, two directly and one indirectly. The indirect one concerns documents.
Several burdensome requirements are removed from construction procurement, including the duty to request evidence of subcontractors' average wages. This reduces administrative burden on both sides, since the evidence had to be collected through subcontractors.
The monetary threshold for the abnormally low tender check and for subcontractor obligations rises from €150,000 to €500,000. This is not burden reduction in the same sense: it raises the level at which the check applies at all.
The third change is indirect: most construction procurements move into the simplified procedure, where some obligations do not apply. The regime is lighter there.
| Change | Character | Who gains |
|---|---|---|
| Wage evidence requirement removed | burden reduction | both |
| Check threshold €150,000 → €500,000 | narrowing of scope | the authority in time, nobody in substance |
| Most procurements move to simplified | indirect consequence | both, formally |
4. What it means for the contracting authority
Three consequences, of which the third matters most. It concerns documentation.
Fewer documents to collect and check, which frees resource for other parts of the procedure, above all the technical specification. The substantive checks remain.
The duty to check begins at a higher value. In practice this means that in medium sized construction procurements, say at €250,000, the abnormally low tender check is no longer performed unless the authority decides to perform it.
Responsibility for the quality of the solution nevertheless remains with the authority, even where no check is required. The absence of a check does not make an abnormally low tender good for the authority: its consequences, claims for additional work and the risk of abandonment, remain exactly the same.
An authority may run the check even where it is not mandatory, and for a more complex or larger procurement that is sensible. The reform gives the authority a choice, not a release from the risk.
5. What it means for the tenderer
Three consequences, the last of which recurs throughout this guide. It concerns documentation.
Fewer documents to submit, particularly on subcontractors, which shortens the formal part of preparing a tender.
More time to prepare the tender, thanks to the extension from 15 days to 25, which is significant in construction since subcontractor prices arrive at their own pace. Ten additional days change the schedule.
The same liability for performance of the contract, which does not change because the procedure was simplified. A simpler procedure does not mean a simpler contract, and contract terms must be read as carefully as before, however short the document pack.
In summary
Construction works are treated separately in four ways at once: higher thresholds, longer deadlines, additional checks and subcontractor obligations. The reason is practical rather than legal: values are larger, the tender depends on third parties, and the work runs for a long time.
On 1 September 2026 several burdensome requirements are removed, including the request for evidence of subcontractors' average wages, and the abnormally low tender check threshold rises from €150,000 to €500,000. The latter is a choice for the authority, not a release: the disappearance of the duty to check does not change the risk, only the duty to look for it.
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.