How to bid on public tenders in Denmark

Danish tenders above the EU thresholds are published on TED, the EU’s tender journal. The national portal udbud.dk, run by the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen, KFST), lists all Danish tenders, including EU tenders, and offers a free tender alert. EU tenders are no longer created on udbud.dk itself.

Below the EU thresholds, contracts for goods and services worth at least DKK 100,000 with a clear cross-border interest (klar grænseoverskridende interesse) must be advertised on udbud.dk.

In procedures above the EU thresholds, all communication must be electronic, and authorities usually run them in an e-tendering system (udbudssystem) where you register to download documents, ask questions and upload your bid.

The main law is the Public Procurement Act (udbudsloven), while works below the EU threshold are still covered by the Tender Act (tilbudsloven). KFST issues guidance and the Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for Udbud) handles complaints.

Contract type (from 1 January 2026)	DKK	EUR
Works	40,313,840	5,404,000
Supplies and services, central government	1,044,400	140,000
Supplies and services, regions, municipalities and other bodies	1,611,360	216,000
Utilities, supplies and services	3,222,720	432,000
Social and other specific services	5,595,000	750,000

Under the Tender Act, works from DKK 3 million up to the EU threshold generally go to public or restricted tender (licitation), and works from DKK 300,000 to 3 million can be bought by inviting two or three bids (underhåndsbud). KFST publishes the official DKK thresholds.

On 7 October 2026 the government introduced bill L 11, which would repeal the Tender Act and make labour clauses mandatory for more works contracts. An almost identical bill lapsed in spring 2026, so the dates below are still proposals.

• From 1 January 2027, all contracting authorities other than state bodies, such as regions and municipalities, would have to include labour clauses (arbejdsklausuler) in works contracts above the EU threshold.
• From 1 July 2027, the Tender Act would be repealed. Works below the EU threshold with clear cross-border interest would have to be advertised, and works of at least DKK 5 million without such interest would require at least three bids or an advert on udbud.dk.
• The automatic exclusion of bidders based in EU-listed tax havens would be removed from the day after the law is published.

State authorities already have to use labour clauses in works and services contracts under a 2024 circular implementing ILO Convention No. 94, whatever the contract size.

The tender conditions (udbudsbetingelser) set the accepted language for each procedure, and Danish is normally required unless the documents say otherwise.

Above the EU thresholds, you submit the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) as preliminary evidence that you are not excluded and meet the minimum requirements.

Before the award, the preferred bidder must prove its ESPD answers. Register extracts or certificates from your home country are accepted, and a sworn or solemn declaration can replace them if your country does not issue them.

A foreign company that sends staff to Denmark must register the service in the Register of Foreign Service Providers (RUT) no later than the day work starts. Missing the registration deadline can lead to a fine of DKK 10,000, and the Danish client must notify the Working Environment Authority (Arbejdstilsynet) within three days of the start of work if it has not received proof of registration.

Posted workers are covered by the Posting of Workers Act (udstationeringsloven). Where a contract has a labour clause, pay and conditions for your staff and subcontractors must be no less favourable than the relevant Danish collective agreement.

Danish authorities may not require Danish materials or Danish workers, as KFST treats such terms as direct discrimination.

The most important deadline is the standstill period, which is at least 10 calendar days after the award decision is sent electronically (15 days by letter). A complaint filed within standstill automatically stops the contract from being signed until the Complaints Board for Public Procurement decides, within 30 days, whether the suspension should continue. You must also tell the contracting authority in writing when you file.

• Not prequalified: complain within 20 calendar days.
• Most other EU-level decisions: within 45 calendar days after the contract award notice on TED, and within 6 months for framework agreements.
• Fee: DKK 20,000 for EU-level tenders and DKK 10,000 for Tender Act or cross-border cases below the thresholds. The fee is repaid if you win, and the complaint must be written in Danish.

Bids that miss a minimum requirement are non-compliant (ukonditionsmæssigt), and giving seriously false information or failing to provide supporting documents is a mandatory exclusion ground.