Anyone looking to compete for public contracts in Belgium will inevitably encounter the e-Procurement platform. This is the central digital environment — managed by the Federal Public Service Policy and Support (FPS BOSA) — where authorities publish their contracts, companies submit their tenders, and the entire procurement process runs digitally. The platform is free of charge, both for authorities and for businesses.
In this article we explain which modules the platform contains, how to register, and how to get the most out of the search functions.
The modules of e-Procurement
The platform consists of several modules, each with a specific role in the procurement process.
Notificación electrónica
e-Notification is the official publication platform for public contracts in Belgium. Since 1 January 2011, all notices — both Belgian and European — have been published here. Since 1 December 2017, all new contracts above €30,000 (excl. VAT) are available exclusively through this platform.
What you can do as a contractor via e-Notification:
- Search all published tenders in the Public Tender Bulletin.
- Create search profiles based on CPV codes, regions, contract type or other criteria.
- Receive daily email notifications with contracts matching your search profile.
- Consult the full notice, specifications and all associated documents.
Licitación electrónica
e-Tendering is the module that allows you as a contractor to submit your tender electronically. Since 2017, electronic submission via e-Tendering (or an equivalent platform) has been the standard for contracts above €30,000.
The core functions:
- Submit tenders digitally with attachments, up to the submission deadline.
- Follow the opening session (for open procedures).
- Exchange messages and questions with the contracting authority via the platform.
Important: e-Tendering guarantees that tenders are stored encrypted until the moment of opening. No party — not even the contracting authority — can open your tender prematurely.
Mercado libre
The Free Market is a specific module for contracts that fall below the publication threshold — typically the negotiated procedure without prior publication. Instead of a public notice, the contracting authority invites companies directly via the platform.
As a contractor, you can increase your visibility in the Free Market by creating a business card in your account. Contracting authorities can search these business cards when they want to invite companies for a contract below the publication threshold. A fully completed business card — with the correct CPV codes and activity description — increases the chance of being invited.
Catálogo electrónico
e-Catalogue is the module for managing catalogues and orders within framework agreements. As a supplier who has won a framework agreement, you use e-Catalogue to upload your product catalogue and manage orders.
This module is mainly relevant for suppliers who already hold a framework agreement. For searching and tendering for new contracts, e-Notification and e-Tendering are your primary tools.
Creating your account
Registering on the e-Procurement platform takes only a few minutes. The process consists of three steps:
Step 1 — Personal account. Create a personal account on publicprocurement.be. Your email address automatically becomes your username.
Step 2 — Add your company. Link your company to your personal account. You can link multiple companies to a single account — useful if you work for different entities.
Step 3 — Complete your business card. Fill in your company details, activities and CPV codes. This business card is visible to contracting authorities and determines your discoverability in the Free Market.
A single registration gives you access to all modules: e-Notification, e-Tendering, e-Catalogue and Free Market. You do not need to register separately for each application.
Search profiles: stay informed daily
The search profiles in e-Notification are one of the platform’s most powerful features. After logging in, you can create one or more profiles based on:
- CPV codes — the European classification of products, services and works.
- Region — federal, Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels, or specific provinces and municipalities.
- Procedure type — open, restricted, negotiated, etc.
- Threshold amount — filter by estimated value.
If you activate messaging, e-Notification sends you a daily email with all new publications matching your criteria. This way you never miss a relevant contract.
Limitations: the search profiles in e-Notification are relatively basic compared to specialised monitoring tools. You can filter by CPV codes and region, but not by specific keywords in specifications, not by historical data, and not by analysis of contracting authorities. For those who systematically compete for public contracts, a tool like TenderWolf is a valuable complement — you search deeper, analyse more broadly, and get alerted faster.
Supporting tools
In addition to the four core modules, the e-Procurement ecosystem offers several supplementary tools:
Telemarc. A free web interface giving contracting authorities access to authentic sources: the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE), the NSSO database, VAT data and the database of contractor accreditations. Via Telemarc, a contracting authority can retrieve certain certificates itself, so the tenderer does not need to submit them.
eCertis. A European database that lists per member state which certificates and attestations are requested in procurement procedures. Useful when tendering for contracts in other EU countries and wanting to know which local documents are required.
ESPD. The European Single Procurement Document — the standardised self-declaration form for contracts above the European thresholds. The e-Procurement platform offers an integrated tool to complete and submit the ESPD digitally.
Practical tips
Keep your business card up to date. If your activities, CPV codes or contact details change, update them immediately. Contracting authorities search the Free Market based on this information.
Submit well in advance. The platform closes strictly at the time stated in the notice. Upload problems at the last minute are not a valid reason for a late submission.
Save your ESPD in XML. You can reuse the ESPD for subsequent tenders. The XML format makes this straightforward.
Use the helpdesk. For technical problems with the platform, you can contact the federal e-Procurement helpdesk, available on working days from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 13:15 to 16:30 via [email protected] or 02 740 80 00.