How to Request for a Tender in Denmark (2026), Step-by-step Guide for Suppliers

Understanding how to request for a tender in Denmark has become more consequential in 2026 than at any point in the past decade. The Danish public procurement landscape, governed by the Danish Public Procurement Act (Udbudsloven) and underpinned by EU Directive 2014/24/EU, now operates under revised EU financial thresholds that took effect on 1 January 2026, widening the pool of contracts subject to full procedural rules. At the same time, the Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for Udbud) has intensified its scrutiny of abnormally low tenders, making it essential for suppliers to not only submit competitive bids but also to document their pricing with defensible evidence.

This guide walks supplier bid teams through every stage of the process, from locating opportunities on udbud. dk to preparing MEAT-compliant responses and handling an abnormally low price query, so that your next Danish tender submission is both commercially sharp and legally sound.

1. Overview of Denmark’s Public Procurement System and 2026 Thresholds

Denmark’s procurement rules apply to all government ministries, municipalities, regions and public-law bodies purchasing goods, services or works above the applicable EU thresholds. The primary statute is the Danish Public Procurement Act (Udbudsloven, consolidated on Retsinformation), which transposes EU Directive 2014/24/EU into Danish law. The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen, KFST) oversees policy and publishes guidance, while the Complaints Board, housed within Nævnenes Hus, adjudicates procurement disputes.

1.1 Procurement Legal Sources and Portals

Suppliers operating under procurement rules in Denmark should bookmark three core resources:

• udbud.dk. The mandatory electronic platform where all contract notices above threshold are published. Suppliers register, search for opportunities by CPV code or keyword, and submit bids electronically through this portal.
• Business in Denmark (virk.dk). The government’s business portal, which provides English-language guidance on public procurement basics, registration requirements and supplier obligations.
• KFST (en.kfst.dk). The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority publishes enforcement updates, procurement best-practice guides and threshold notices.

1.2 The 7 Stages of Tendering

Whether a contracting authority uses the open tender Denmark procedure or the restricted procedure Denmark model, the lifecycle follows seven recognisable stages:

1. Need identification and market engagement, the authority defines its requirements (sometimes preceded by a market consultation).
2. Notice publication, the contract notice appears on udbud.dk and, for above-threshold contracts, in the Official Journal of the EU (TED).
3. Supplier response period, suppliers download documents, ask clarification questions and prepare bids (or, in restricted procedures, submit pre-qualification applications).
4. Selection and shortlisting, the authority assesses suitability (exclusion grounds, financial standing, technical capacity).
5. Evaluation and scoring, compliant tenders are scored against published award criteria (MEAT or lowest price).
6. Award decision and standstill, the authority announces the intended award and observes a mandatory standstill period before signing the contract.
7. Contract execution, the contract is signed, and a contract award notice is published on udbud.dk.

The public procurement thresholds 2026 Denmark apply from 1 January 2026. For central government entities, the goods and services threshold is set at EUR 143,000; for sub-central authorities (municipalities and regions) it is EUR 221,000; and the works threshold stands at EUR 5,538,000. Contracts below these values may still be subject to lighter national rules under the Udbudsloven.

2. Where to Find Tenders: udbud.dk Notices and Notice Requirements

Every supplier journey in Danish procurement begins at udbud.dk. All contracting authorities covered by the Udbudsloven must publish their notices electronically on this platform, and submissions are handled entirely through its e-tendering module. Understanding udbud.dk notice requirements is therefore a non-negotiable first step.

2.1 Reading an udbud.dk Contract Notice, Fields to Prioritise

When a new notice appears, bid teams should read these fields first:

• CPV codes. Confirm the notice matches your capabilities, authorities sometimes use secondary CPV codes that signal scope items not obvious from the title.
• Award criteria and weightings. Determine immediately whether the contract is scored on MEAT vs lowest price Denmark rules. If MEAT, check whether sub-criteria and scoring models are published in full or referenced in annexes.
• Deadline for receipt of tenders (or requests to participate). Note the exact date and time, udbud.dk enforces hard cut-offs and late submissions are automatically rejected.
• Qualification requirements. Look for turnover thresholds, insurance minimums, reference project requirements and mandatory certifications.
• Variants and options. Check whether alternative solutions are accepted, if the notice does not explicitly permit variants, they will be rejected.
• Language requirements. Many notices require Danish-language submissions, though English is accepted in certain sectors. Verify this before committing resources.

2.2 Common Notice Pitfalls

Industry observers report that suppliers most frequently stumble on missing annexes (check the document list against the notice text), ambiguous scoring criteria that appear clear on first reading but conflict with the tender specification, and qualification requirements that reference standards without specifying acceptable equivalents. If anything is unclear, use the portal’s clarification function, every question and answer is shared with all participants, preserving equal treatment.

3. How to Request for a Tender, Step-by-Step for Suppliers (Open vs Restricted)

This section is the practical core of the guide. Whether you are responding to an open tender Denmark notice or navigating the restricted procedure Denmark model, the following steps explain how to request for a tender, from the initial bid/no-bid decision through to final submission.

3.1 Step 0, Decision to Bid (Commercial and Compliance Tests)

Before investing in a bid, run two parallel assessments:

• Commercial test. Can you deliver the scope profitably at a competitive price? Estimate your cost base, identify key risks (subcontractor availability, material price volatility, currency exposure) and benchmark against likely market pricing.
• Compliance test. Do you meet every mandatory selection criterion? Review exclusion grounds (criminal convictions, tax arrears, serious professional misconduct) and confirm your financial standing and technical references align with the published requirements.

If either test raises a red flag that cannot be resolved before the deadline, the disciplined decision is often to decline and focus resources elsewhere.

3.2 Step 1, Signalling Interest and Submitting an Expression of Interest (EoI)

In an open procedure, there is no separate EoI step, you download the full tender documents from udbud.dk, prepare your response and submit before the deadline. Access is automatic upon registration.

In a restricted procedure, the authority publishes a contract notice inviting requests to participate. Suppliers must submit a formal application (the EoI or request to participate) within the stated deadline. This application is your pre-qualification bid and typically includes:

• A completed European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), the self-declaration form used across the EU.
• Evidence of financial standing (audited accounts, bank statements or insurance certificates).
• Technical references demonstrating comparable past performance.
• Organisational details, including any consortium partners or key subcontractors.

Sample EoI cover language: “[Company name] hereby submits its request to participate in [Contract title / reference number] published on udbud.dk on [date]. Enclosed please find our completed ESPD, audited financial statements for [years], and [number] reference projects as detailed in Annex [X]. We confirm our intent to submit a tender if invited to the next stage and welcome any queries regarding this application.”

3.3 Step 2, Pre-Qualification (Restricted Procedure): Documents and Scoring

The restricted procedure Denmark model adds a selection gate before the invitation to tender. After the deadline for requests to participate, the authority evaluates all applications and shortlists a minimum of five candidates (or fewer, if an insufficient number of qualified candidates apply). Selection criteria must have been published in the contract notice and typically cover:

• Economic and financial standing, minimum annual turnover, liquidity ratios or professional indemnity insurance levels.
• Technical and professional ability, number and scope of comparable contracts delivered, qualifications of key personnel, equipment or facility certifications.

Only shortlisted candidates receive the full tender documents and an invitation to submit a final bid. If you are not shortlisted, the authority must notify you and provide a brief explanation of why you were excluded.

3.4 Step 3, Preparing the Technical and Financial Bid (MEAT Focus)

This is where most tenders are won or lost. Procurement rules Denmark require that evaluation criteria be transparent, objectively assessable and linked to the subject matter of the contract. For MEAT-scored tenders, your response should:

• Map your narrative to sub-criteria. If the notice lists “Quality of methodology, 40%, Key personnel experience, 30%, Price, 30%”, structure your response with three clearly labelled sections that mirror those weightings.
• Provide scoring evidence. Include measurable KPIs (e.g., “average response time of 2 hours across 12 comparable contracts”), named individuals with CVs, and concrete method statements that show how you will deliver each quality element.
• Price realistically. A competitive price that falls significantly below the market average may trigger an abnormally low tender investigation, see Section 5 below for detailed guidance.

For tenders evaluated on lowest price only, focus relentlessly on compliance. Ensure every mandatory requirement is addressed, every form is completed in full and every certificate is current. A missing document can mean automatic disqualification, regardless of price.

3.5 Step 4, Submission on udbud.dk and Portal Requirements

All bids are submitted electronically through udbud.dk. Observe these practical rules:

• File formats. Follow the format requirements stated in the tender documents (typically PDF for narrative documents, Excel for pricing schedules). Name files clearly and use the annexing structure specified in the notice.
• E-signature. Some notices require a qualified electronic signature on certain documents. Confirm whether this applies and ensure your signing authority has the necessary digital certificate.
• Upload timing. Do not leave submission to the final hour. Portal congestion near deadlines is common, and the system will not accept a submission received even one second after the cut-off.
• Confirmation receipt. After uploading, verify that you have received an electronic confirmation of submission from the portal. Save this receipt, it is your proof of timely filing.

4. MEAT Scoring vs Lowest Price, How Award Criteria Work in Denmark

Danish procurement law permits two principal award models: the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) and the lowest price. The choice must be stated in the contract notice, and the authority must publish all criteria and their relative weightings before tenders are submitted. Understanding the distinction between MEAT vs lowest price Denmark is critical for suppliers deciding how to allocate bid resources.

4.1 Building a Scoring Narrative: Technical Evidence and KPIs

For MEAT-scored tenders, the winning bid is rarely the one with the most words, it is the one that delivers the clearest proof of capability against each sub-criterion. Structure each section of your technical response with a brief statement of your approach, followed by verifiable evidence: named team members with relevant qualifications, quantified outcomes from past projects and a methodology that explains how you will achieve the promised results, not merely what you promise.

4.2 Price Realism vs Competitiveness, How to Justify Your Pricing

Suppliers often face a tension between pricing low enough to score well on the price criterion and pricing high enough to avoid triggering an abnormally low tender investigation. The practical guidance is to build your price from a transparent cost model, direct labour costs, materials, subcontractor quotes, overheads and margin, and to retain that model in your files. If your price sits significantly below the mean of submitted bids, the contracting authority may be required to ask you to explain it. Having a documented cost model ready before that request arrives will save considerable time and stress.

5. Abnormally Low Tenders in Denmark, Detection, Explanation Requests and How Suppliers Should Respond

Abnormally low tenders Denmark rules have received renewed attention from the Complaints Board in recent years. Under the Udbudsloven and EU Directive 2014/24/EU (Article 69), contracting authorities have a duty to request an explanation from any tenderer whose price or costs appear to be abnormally low in relation to the goods, services or works offered. The Court of Justice of the European Union has reinforced this obligation, confirming that authorities may not simply reject a low bid without first giving the supplier an opportunity to justify its pricing.

5.1 How Authorities Detect ALTs (Red Flags)

Contracting authorities typically flag a tender as potentially abnormally low when:

• The price deviates significantly from the average. A common benchmark is a bid priced more than 20–25 % below the mean of all submitted tenders, though there is no fixed statutory percentage.
• The cost structure appears internally inconsistent. For example, the proposed hourly rates do not plausibly cover the labour costs for the team members named in the technical bid.
• Market intelligence suggests implausibility. Where the authority has recent comparable contract data, a price that falls well below historical benchmarks will attract scrutiny.

5.2 How to Draft a Robust Explanation (Evidence Checklist)

If you receive an explanation request, treat it as a formal submission, not a casual email. The following evidence checklist represents the standard a well-prepared supplier should meet:

• Itemised cost breakdown. Show direct costs, indirect costs, overheads and margin line by line. The more granular, the better.
• Subcontractor quotes. If your price relies on favourable subcontractor rates, attach binding quotes or framework agreement extracts (redacting commercially sensitive names if necessary, but providing enough detail for verification).
• Methodology efficiencies. Explain any innovative processes, proprietary technology or economies of scale that justify a lower cost base than competitors.
• Compliance with labour and environmental law. Confirm that your price accounts for applicable minimum wage rules, collective agreements, health and safety obligations and environmental compliance costs. Authorities are specifically required to consider whether a low price results from non-compliance with these obligations.
• State aid declaration. If your organisation has received state aid, disclose it. An inability to demonstrate that the tender price is economically sustainable without unlawful state aid is a ground for rejection.

5.3 If the Authority Disagrees, Next Steps and Likely Outcomes

If your explanation is deemed insufficient, the authority may reject your tender. In practice, the likely practical effect depends on the quality of the documentation you provided. Weak or vague explanations, such as a blanket assertion that “our costs are lower due to experience”, will almost always be rejected. Well-documented cost models supported by third-party evidence stand a substantially better chance of surviving scrutiny.

If you believe the authority has wrongfully rejected your bid (or, conversely, has failed to investigate a competitor’s abnormally low price), you may file a complaint with the Complaints Board. Early indications suggest that the Board is applying an increasingly rigorous standard to both suppliers’ explanations and authorities’ investigation duties.

6. Practical Checklists and Templates

6.1 Checklist: Pre-Submission Compliance Check

Use this checklist before clicking “submit” on udbud.dk:

• All mandatory forms completed and signed (including ESPD).
• Every qualification requirement addressed with documentary evidence.
• Technical response structured to mirror published sub-criteria.
• Pricing schedule completed in the required format (no empty cells, no formula errors).
• File naming conventions match tender document instructions.
• All annexes referenced in your bid are attached.
• Language requirements met (Danish or English as specified).
• E-signature applied where required.
• Submission uploaded with sufficient time buffer before the deadline.
• Portal confirmation receipt saved.

6.2 Templates

Tender submission cover email: “We hereby submit our tender for [Contract title / reference] in accordance with the requirements set out in the tender documents published on udbud.dk. Our submission comprises [number] documents as listed in the attached index. We confirm that the information provided is accurate and complete, and that our tender is valid for the period stated in the notice. We remain available for any clarifications the contracting authority may require.”

ALP explanation letter (opening paragraph template): “Thank you for your letter of [date] requesting an explanation of our pricing for [Contract title / reference]. We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate that our tender price is commercially sustainable and fully accounts for applicable labour, environmental and compliance costs. Please find below an itemised breakdown of our cost structure, supported by the enclosed evidence.”

Note: These templates are provided for general guidance only and do not constitute legal advice. Suppliers should seek professional advice tailored to the specific tender and jurisdiction.

7. What to Do If Things Go Wrong, Complaints Board and Challenge Routes in Denmark

The Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for Udbud), administered by Nævnenes Hus, is the primary forum for challenging procurement decisions in Denmark. Common grounds for complaint include breaches of the Public Procurement Act, scoring errors, failure to investigate an abnormally low tender, and improper modification of published criteria during evaluation.

7.1 How to File a Complaint and What Evidence to Gather

Suppliers considering a complaint should act quickly. The standstill period, the window between the award decision notification and contract signature, is the critical moment. A complaint filed during standstill may result in an automatic suspension of the contract award, giving the Board time to assess the merits.

Key practical steps:

• Preserve all correspondence. Save every communication from the authority, including the award decision letter, the scoring breakdown (if provided) and any clarification responses.
• Identify the specific breach. Frame your complaint around a concrete provision of the Udbudsloven or EU Directive, not a general sense of unfairness.
• Instruct a procurement lawyer early. The Board’s procedural rules are strict, and legal representation significantly improves prospects. For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide on how to challenge a public tender in Denmark.

If the Board finds a breach, it may annul the award decision, order a re-evaluation or declare the contract ineffective. In some cases, the authority may also face an obligation to pay damages to the aggrieved supplier.

Conclusion

Knowing how to request for a tender in Denmark is no longer a matter of simply downloading documents and submitting a price. The 2026 threshold updates, combined with increasing enforcement activity around abnormally low tenders, mean that every stage, from the initial bid decision through to post-award challenges, demands careful preparation and documented justification. Suppliers who invest in structured, evidence-backed responses, who map their bids precisely to published MEAT criteria and who retain transparent cost models will consistently outperform those who treat procurement as a form-filling exercise.

For bid teams navigating complex procurement rules Denmark imposes, the checklists and templates in this guide provide a reliable starting framework, though the most consequential decisions, particularly around pricing strategy and dispute escalation, benefit from tailored professional advice.

Sources

1. udbud.dk, Danish Public Procurement Portal
2. Business in Denmark (Virk), Public Procurement Guidance
3. Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen (Danish Competition and Consumer Authority)
4. Klagenævnet for Udbud / Nævnenes Hus, Complaints Board Annual Report
5. EUR-Lex, CJEU Case C-101/22 (Abnormally Low Tenders)
6. Bird & Bird, Denmark Public Procurement: Minimum Requirements
7. Keystone Procurement, Responding to an Abnormally Low Tender
8. Retsinformation, Danish Consolidated Legislation Portal (Udbudsloven)