What is the OJEU threshold?
The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) is the online journal where all public sector contracts are held if they are worth a certain value. It is a requirement for organisations to publish these contracts in the OJEU. OJEU procurement rules are put in place for all OJEU contracts to allow for fair and transparent procurement which encourages healthy competition amongst suppliers.
The new value OJEU thresholds for contract opportunities to be published in the OJEU came into force at the end of 2019. Public sector buyers and suppliers must be aware of the changes.
The new thresholds apply to all contracting authorities, as defined by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, including all central government departments, their Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies, Executive Agencies and the wider public sector.
Read more about OJEU thresholds below or download your free EU Procurement thresholds 2020-21 guide now.
The Public Contracts Regulations
The European Public Contracts Directive is transposed into UK law by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2015. It governs the procurement activities of public sector bodies including government departments, local authorities and NHS Trusts.
Note: Changes from the 2018-19 thresholds are indicated in red below.
Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015
| Supplies and Service Contracts | Works Contracts | Social and other specific services | |
| Central Government* | ┬г122,976|тВм139,000 | ┬г4,733,252|тВм5,350,000 | ┬г663,540|тВм750,000 |
| Other public sector contracting authorities | ┬г189,330|тВм214,000 | ┬г4,733,252|тВм5,350,000 | ┬г663,540|тВм750,000 |
| Small Lots | ┬г70,778|тВм80,000 | ┬г884,720|тВм1,000,000 | N/A |
The Defence & Security Public Contracts Regulations * and Entities listed in Schedule 1 PCR 2015 & PCR(S) 2015.
The Defence & Security Regulations 2011 currently apply to entities operating in the fields of defence and security. The specialised nature of the market means that specific thresholds have been created for this sector.
| Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (2011) | ||
| Supplies, Services and Design Contracts | Works Contracts | |
| All Sectors | ┬г378,660|тВм428,000 | ┬г4,733,252 |тВм5,350,000 |
The Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 and Utilities Contracts Regulations (Scotland) 2016 apply to certain utility companies operating in the energy, water, and transport sectors.
| Supplies, Services and Design Contracts | Works Contracts | Social and Other Specific Services | |
| All Sectors | ┬г378,660|тВм428,000 | ┬г4,733,252|тВм5,350,000 | ┬г663,540|тВм750,000 |
The Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 and Concession Contracts Regulations (Scotland) 2016 govern contracts under which a contracting authority or utility outsources works or services to a company which has the right to commercially exploit the works or services to recoup its investment and make a return.
| Concessions Contracts Regulations 2016 Concessions Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2016 | ||
| Services or works Contracts | Social and other specific services | |
| All Sectors | ┬г4,733,252|тВм5,350,000 | ┬г4,733,252|тВм5,350,000 |
OJEU timescales
Each procurement procedure in the OJEU has a varying tender process. Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 both have minimum timescales that apply to potential suppliers. These OJEU timescales specify the number of calendar days required between a notice being sent to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for publication and the deadline for submission of responses.
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