How to Bid for a Tender in Denmark: Udbud.dk, ESPD, TED & Submission Rules

Last reviewed June 5, 2026

If you are asking how do you bid for a tender in Denmark, the short answer is a five-stage cycle: locate the contract notice on udbud.dk or TED, study the procurement rules and required qualifications, complete the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), prepare your commercial and technical response, and submit everything electronically through the contracting authority’s chosen portal before the stated deadline. Denmark’s procurement rules Denmark follow the EU Public Procurement Directives, but the national portal, udbud.dk, and specific Danish requirements around language, digital signatures and documentation add layers that catch first-time bidders off guard. This guide walks suppliers, bid teams and SME owners through every stage, with practical checklists and common pitfalls drawn from Danish procurement practice.

How Do You Bid for a Tender? The Quick 5-Step Process

Before diving into the detail, here is the core workflow that every supplier bidding in Denmark should follow:

1. Find the opportunity. Search udbud.dk for national contract notices and TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) for EU-threshold tenders. Set up alerts matching your CPV codes and industry sector.
2. Assess fit and eligibility. Read the contract notice Denmark carefully, check the procurement route (open, restricted, competitive dialogue), language requirements, selection criteria Denmark and mandatory exclusion grounds.
3. Complete the ESPD / pre-qualification. Fill in the ESPD Denmark form via the contracting authority’s e-procurement system, declaring your company’s status against exclusion grounds and selection criteria.
4. Prepare your bid documents. Draft the technical proposal, pricing schedule, supporting evidence (CVs, references, financial statements, certificates) and any mandatory declarations.
5. Submit electronically and follow up. Upload all files through the designated portal (usually udbud.dk), respect envelope rules and file-format requirements, and confirm receipt before the deadline expires.

Each of these steps is explored in full below.

Danish Procurement Framework & Portals: udbud.dk, TED and Thresholds

Denmark’s public procurement regime is governed by the Danish Public Procurement Act (Udbudsloven), which transposes the EU Public Procurement Directives (Directive 2014/24/EU for public-sector contracting authorities and Directive 2014/25/EU for utilities) into national law. The consolidated text of the Act is published on retsinformation.dk, Denmark’s official legal-information portal. The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen, KFST) oversees enforcement and publishes guidance in both Danish and English via en.kfst.dk.

Key portals for finding tenders

Two platforms are essential for any supplier wondering how to bid for a tender in Denmark:

• udbud.dk, Denmark’s national electronic procurement portal. All Danish contracting authorities are required to publish contract notices here. Suppliers use the portal to search for opportunities, download tender documents, ask clarification questions, and submit bids electronically.
• TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), the EU-wide publication platform at ted.europa.eu. When a Danish contract’s estimated value meets or exceeds the applicable EU threshold, the contracting authority must also publish the notice on TED using the standardised eForms format. TED Denmark listings carry the same deadlines and conditions as the national notice.

EU thresholds and when TED applies

The European Commission sets financial thresholds that determine whether a procurement must be advertised EU-wide via TED. These thresholds are revised every two years and published in the Official Journal of the EU (available on eur-lex.europa.eu). Contracts below the thresholds follow national rules and are published on udbud.dk only. Contracts at or above the thresholds must appear on both TED and udbud.dk, with stricter minimum time limits for the submission of tenders and a mandatory standstill period before contract signature.

For practical guidance on doing business with Danish public authorities, including registration requirements and the Danish CVR (Central Business Register) number, Business in Denmark (businessindenmark.dk) provides a useful starting point.

Finding Tenders: How to Use udbud.dk and TED

Knowing where to look is the first practical hurdle. Below is a step-by-step walkthrough for locating relevant contract notice Denmark opportunities.

Step 1, Create an account or profile

On udbud.dk, suppliers can browse published notices without an account. However, to download full tender documents, submit questions to the contracting authority, or upload a bid, you will typically need to register on the specific e-procurement system linked from the notice (for example, Ethics, EU-Supply or Mercell). Follow the registration link in the contract notice and complete your company profile, including your CVR number if you are a Danish-registered entity.

Step 2, Search and filter

Use the search function on udbud.dk to filter by CPV code (Common Procurement Vocabulary), contract type (supplies, services or works), contracting authority, and publication date. On TED, the advanced search allows filtering by country (Denmark), CPV codes, contract type, and deadline status. Set up email alerts on both portals so you are notified the moment a relevant contract notice Denmark is published.

Step 3, Read the notice and download documents

Each contract notice contains critical information: the procurement procedure type, estimated contract value (sometimes indicated as a range), selection criteria Denmark, award criteria Denmark, the submission deadline, and instructions on how to obtain the full tender pack. Download all attachments, these typically include the tender conditions, draft contract, ESPD template, pricing schedules and technical specifications. Pay close attention to any annexes listing mandatory forms, declarations and evidence requirements.

Pre-Qualification & ESPD: How to Complete ESPD/eForms in Denmark

The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is a standardised self-declaration form that has replaced the old paper-based qualification evidence at the initial bidding stage. Getting the ESPD Denmark right is one of the most important steps for any supplier, as errors here can result in automatic exclusion.

When is ESPD required?

Under the Danish Public Procurement Act, contracting authorities must accept the ESPD as preliminary evidence that a supplier meets the exclusion and selection criteria. In practice, the ESPD is required for virtually all EU-threshold tenders and most national tenders above certain value levels. The contracting authority specifies in the contract notice whether an ESPD must be submitted and provides a pre-filled ESPD request file (in XML or eForms format) that suppliers complete and return.

For restricted procedures and competitive dialogue, the pre-qualification Denmark stage is handled through the ESPD. Only candidates who pass this screening are invited to submit a full tender.

Step-by-step: complete an ESPD

1. Download the ESPD request file. This XML or eForms file is attached to the tender documents. It is pre-populated by the contracting authority with the specific exclusion and selection criteria that apply to the tender.
2. Open the file in the ESPD service. The European Commission provides an online ESPD service (available via commission.europa.eu) where you can import the request file. Some Danish e-procurement platforms have integrated ESPD editors.
3. Declare company identification. Enter your company name, registration number (CVR in Denmark), VAT number, address, contact details and, if applicable, details of any reliance on subcontractors or other entities whose capacity you are relying on.
4. Respond to exclusion grounds. Confirm whether your organisation has been convicted of any of the mandatory exclusion offences (fraud, corruption, money laundering, terrorism, child labour, non-payment of taxes or social-security contributions). Declare any voluntary (discretionary) exclusion grounds, such as past professional misconduct or insolvency.
5. Address selection criteria. Provide the information requested on economic and financial standing (e.g., annual turnover, financial ratios), technical and professional ability (e.g., similar contracts performed in the last three to five years, key personnel qualifications) and any quality-management or environmental-management certifications.
6. Export and upload. Save the completed ESPD in the required format (XML or PDF, as specified) and upload it alongside your tender documents on the e-procurement portal.

Common ESPD pitfalls in Denmark

• Using a blank ESPD instead of the authority’s request file. If you complete a generic ESPD rather than the pre-filled request file, the system may reject your response or the contracting authority may consider it non-compliant.
• Omitting subcontractor declarations. If you rely on the capacity of subcontractors to meet selection criteria Denmark, you must submit a separate ESPD for each subcontractor. Missing this is a frequent cause of disqualification.
• Incorrect or outdated CVR / VAT information. Ensure your company registration details match the records in the Danish Central Business Register (Virk).
• Failing to update after a consortium change. If your bidding consortium changes composition after pre-qualification Denmark, the ESPD must be updated and re-submitted in accordance with the contracting authority’s instructions.
• Ignoring eForms formatting requirements. As the EU transitions to eForms, the format and structure of the ESPD may differ from older XML templates. Always check whether the contracting authority specifies eForms compliance.

Preparing the Bid: Commercial, Technical and Evidence Packages

Once the ESPD is in order, the next challenge is producing a bid package that scores well against the award criteria Denmark. Danish tenders typically require three categories of documentation.

Technical response

The technical proposal is where you demonstrate that your solution meets the contracting authority’s specifications. Depending on the tender, this may include:

• A detailed methodology or delivery plan addressing each requirement in the technical specification.
• CVs of key personnel, showing qualifications and relevant project experience.
• Case studies or reference projects of similar scope completed within the timeframe specified (usually three to five years).
• Quality-management documentation and any required ISO or equivalent certifications.
• Proposed KPIs and service-level commitments.

Pricing and commercial response

The pricing schedule is typically provided as a template by the contracting authority, complete it exactly as instructed. Attempting to modify the pricing template or add assumptions outside permitted fields is a common reason bids are rejected. Include all mandatory cost elements (unit prices, hourly rates, travel, materials), and make sure totals are calculated correctly. If the tender uses a total-cost-of-ownership model, follow the evaluation formula precisely.

Supporting evidence and certifications

• Audited financial statements for the number of years specified (commonly two or three).
• Professional-liability or project-specific insurance certificates.
• Tax and social-security compliance certificates (in Denmark, these can be obtained from the Danish Tax Agency / Skattestyrelsen).
• Environmental and occupational-safety certifications where required.
• Signed declarations on conflicts of interest, data processing (GDPR) and compliance with ILO conventions, as specified in the tender documents.

Subcontracting and MEAT considerations

Many Danish tenders use the “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” (MEAT) approach, which evaluates bids on a combination of price and quality. If you plan to subcontract part of the delivery, ensure the subcontractor’s qualifications, certifications and ESPD are included. The contracting authority may require you to identify subcontractors at the tender stage and to demonstrate that they meet the relevant selection criteria Denmark.

Submission Rules and Common Compliance Pitfalls on udbud.dk

Understanding exactly how to submit is critical. A technically excellent bid is worthless if it arrives late, in the wrong format, or missing a required signature.

Accepted file formats and envelope rules

Danish contracting authorities specify accepted file formats in the tender conditions, PDF is almost universal, but some authorities also accept Excel for pricing schedules and XML for the ESPD. Many e-procurement platforms use a digital “envelope” system: you upload documents into designated envelopes (for example, one envelope for qualification/ESPD, one for the technical proposal, one for pricing). Uploading a document into the wrong envelope can lead to disqualification, as the contracting authority may not be permitted to open it at the correct evaluation stage.

Deadlines and time zones

All deadlines are stated in Central European Time (CET/CEST). The portal timestamps your submission at the moment the upload is confirmed, not when you begin the upload. Industry observers consistently report that last-minute uploads are the single biggest source of failed submissions: large file sizes, slow connections, and portal congestion near deadlines have all caused bids to arrive seconds too late. The recommended practice is to complete the upload at least 24 hours before the deadline.

Late submissions are almost always rejected. Danish contracting authorities have very limited discretion to accept a late bid, and the Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for Udbud) has consistently upheld rejections of late tenders.

How to request clarifications

If any part of the tender documentation is unclear, submit a written question through the e-procurement portal. There is usually a deadline for clarification questions, stated in the contract notice (often seven to ten days before the submission deadline). The contracting authority publishes anonymised answers to all bidders via the portal. Monitor the portal regularly for addenda and updated documents, a revised specification issued after your initial review may change your pricing or technical approach.

Evaluation, Award Criteria, Standstill and Contracting

After submission, understanding the evaluation process helps you manage expectations and prepare for the next steps.

Selection criteria

Selection criteria Denmark are the minimum requirements a bidder must satisfy to be considered. These are assessed on a pass/fail basis and are drawn from the ESPD declarations and supporting evidence. Typical selection criteria include minimum annual turnover, relevant experience (reference contracts), professional qualifications of key staff, and valid insurance coverage. Failing any mandatory selection criterion results in exclusion before the award-stage evaluation begins.

Award criteria

Award criteria Denmark determine which compliant bid wins the contract. The two main approaches are:

• Lowest price, the contract is awarded to the compliant bid with the lowest total price. This approach is less common for complex services but still used for standardised supplies.
• MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender), the contracting authority evaluates bids against weighted sub-criteria (e.g., quality 60 %, price 40 %). Sub-criteria are stated in the contract notice or tender documents. Each sub-criterion has a defined scoring methodology, and bidders should tailor their response to maximise points under each heading.

Standstill period and next steps

After the contracting authority makes its award decision, it must notify all bidders and observe a mandatory standstill period before signing the contract. For EU-threshold tenders, the standstill period allows unsuccessful bidders to challenge the decision before the Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for Udbud). During the standstill period, the contracting authority cannot finalise the contract. If you believe the award decision is flawed, for instance, because the winning bid did not meet the selection criteria or the evaluation was conducted incorrectly, you can file a complaint during this window.

How Do You Bid for a Tender? Checklist and Timeline

Use the checklist below to track your progress from the moment you find a contract notice Denmark through to contract signature.

• Week 1, Notice published. Download all tender documents, read the contract notice in full, identify the procurement route, language requirements and deadlines.
• Week 1–2, Assess and decide. Evaluate your eligibility against selection criteria Denmark and exclusion grounds. Confirm your bid/no-bid decision.
• Week 2–3, ESPD and pre-qualification. Complete the ESPD Denmark using the contracting authority’s request file. If pre-qualification Denmark applies, submit the ESPD by the pre-qualification deadline.
• Week 2–4, Prepare bid. Draft the technical proposal, complete the pricing schedule (using the authority’s template exactly), gather supporting evidence and certifications, and obtain internal approvals.
• Week 3–4, Clarifications. Submit any clarification questions before the stated deadline. Monitor the portal for answers and addenda.
• At least 24 hours before deadline, Submit. Upload all documents into the correct digital envelopes on udbud.dk. Verify file formats, check digital signatures, and confirm portal receipt.
• Post-submission, Evaluation and award. Await the contracting authority’s evaluation. Be prepared to provide original certificates or documents upon request (the contracting authority may ask the winning bidder to substantiate ESPD declarations).
• Standstill period, Review award decision. If notified of non-selection, review the award decision letter and consider whether grounds exist for a complaint.

Procurement routes at a glance

Conclusion

Bidding for a Danish public tender is a structured, rules-driven process, but one that rewards preparation and attention to detail. At its core, every supplier asking how do you bid for a tender needs to master five things: finding opportunities on udbud. dk and TED, completing the ESPD Denmark accurately, assembling a responsive bid package that addresses the award criteria Denmark, submitting electronically in full compliance with portal rules, and understanding the evaluation and standstill process that follows. Getting any one of these wrong can result in disqualification regardless of the quality of your underlying offer. By following the step-by-step guidance and checklists in this article, suppliers can approach Danish procurement with confidence and avoid the most common pitfalls.

For complex or high-value tenders, engaging a public procurement lawyer in Denmark is a prudent investment that can safeguard your bid from procedural errors and strengthen your competitive position.

Sources

1. udbud.dk, Danish Public Procurement Portal
2. TED, Tenders Electronic Daily (EU)
3. Retsinformation.dk, Danish Consolidated Legislation
4. Business in Denmark (Virk)
5. Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (KFST), English Overview
6. European Commission, ESPD / eForms Guidance
7. EUR-Lex, EU Thresholds and Directives