By Vlad Nadymov Updated 4 min read
Data as of
BOAMP is where French public buyers publish their tenders. Ministries, regions, departments, communes, hospitals and public bodies send their notices to the Bulletin officiel des annonces des marchés publics, and anyone can read them free on boamp.fr. This guide explains how to search BOAMP, where to bid, which thresholds apply after the 2026 changes, and what a candidature needs.
What BOAMP is
The Direction de l’information légale et administrative (DILA) publishes BOAMP, as it publishes the Journal officiel. BOAMP publishes:
- tender notices (avis de marché) for adapted and formal procedures;
- award notices (avis d’attribution), with the winner and often the value;
- corrections (avis rectificatifs) and concession notices.
Above the EU thresholds, the buyer also sends the notice to the JOUE, which the EU publishes on TED. BOAMP data is open: the DILA publishes it on boamp-datadila.opendatasoft.com with an API.
Where you bid: profils d’acheteur and PLACE
BOAMP is a bulletin, so you do not bid there. The notice links the buyer’s profil d’acheteur, the platform with the tender documents (the DCE) and the bid upload.
- Open the link in the notice.
- Create an account on that profil d’acheteur.
- Download the DCE and read the règlement de la consultation.
- Upload the candidature and the offer before the deadline.
Central government buys on PLACE (Plateforme des achats de l’État). Local authorities use regional and commercial platforms, so one company often has accounts on several platforms.
French procurement thresholds in 2026
| Value excl. VAT | Rule |
|---|---|
| Below EUR 60,000 (supplies, services), below EUR 100,000 (works) | Award without publicity or competition is possible |
| EUR 60,000 to 89,999 | Adapted procedure (MAPA); the buyer chooses the publicity |
| EUR 90,000 to the EU threshold | MAPA; notice in BOAMP or a legal-notice journal |
| From EUR 140,000 (central government), EUR 216,000 (other buyers), EUR 432,000 (utilities) for supplies and services | Formal procedure; notice in BOAMP and the JOUE |
| From EUR 5,404,000 (works) | Formal procedure; notice in BOAMP and the JOUE |
Below the exemption thresholds the buyer must still choose a relevant offer, use public money well, and not award to the same supplier every time when several can meet the need.
Two special thresholds also apply. Since 1 July 2026, innovative contracts up to EUR 140,000 can be awarded directly under the loi SVE. Until 31 December 2026, works to install heat pumps or to connect buildings to district heating are exempt up to EUR 140,000 under Décret n° 2026-792.
Requirements for government contractors in France (2026)
What a company needs to register, bid and sign a public contract in France. Checked on against the sources at the end of this section.
| Procurement law | Code de la commande publique (CCP), with Décret n° 2025-1383 and Décret n° 2025-1386 of 29 December 2025, and Loi n° 2026-403 of 26 May 2026 on the simplification of economic life (loi SVE) |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Direction des affaires juridiques (DAJ) of the Ministry of the Economy |
| E-procurement portal | BOAMP (notices) and the buyers’ profils d’acheteur, such as PLACE for central government (www.boamp.fr) |
| Supplier registration | No registration is needed to read BOAMP. To download the tender documents (DCE) and bid, create an account on the buyer’s profil d’acheteur, for example PLACE for central government. |
| Foreign companies | EU and EEA suppliers bid on equal terms. Suppliers from countries covered by the WTO GPA or an EU trade agreement have equal access within that scope. A French SIRET number is not needed to bid. |
| Bid security | French public buyers do not usually ask for a bid bond. |
| Performance security | A retention guarantee (retenue de garantie) of up to 5% of the initial contract amount, which the supplier can replace with a first-demand guarantee or a personal surety. |
| Domestic preference | No general preference for French suppliers. Buyers can reserve some contracts, for example for sheltered workshops or social integration structures. |
| Language | French |
| Digital signature | Bids go through the profil d’acheteur. The buyer can require an electronic signature of the contract under the eIDAS regulation. |
| Thresholds | From 1 April 2026, buyers can award supplies and services below EUR 60,000 excl. VAT without publicity or competition. The limit for works is EUR 100,000. From EUR 90,000 the notice must go to BOAMP or a legal-notice journal; formal procedures and the JOUE start at the EU thresholds. |
| Complaints | Référé précontractuel before the administrative court before signature; référé contractuel and the Tarn-et-Garonne appeal after signature. |
Documents to prepare before you bid in France
- Candidature: DC1 and DC2 forms or the ESPD (DUME)
- Sworn statements on the exclusion grounds
- Tax and social security certificates, from the winner before signature
- Proof of the economic, financial and technical capacity that the consultation asks for
- Offer: the acte d’engagement, the price schedule and the technical memorandum
What changed in 2025 and 2026
Since 1 January 2026, the minimum turnover that a buyer can require is 1.5 times the contract value instead of 2 times. Since 1 July 2026, innovative contracts up to EUR 140,000 can be awarded directly under the loi SVE. On 19 October 2026 the Conseil d’État upheld the EUR 60,000 and EUR 100,000 thresholds.
Sources: Service-public: thresholds for publicity of public contracts (checked 21 August 2026); Service-public: new thresholds and simplification (decrees of 29 December 2025); FNTP: what changes on 1 January 2026; Loi n° 2026-403 du 26 mai 2026 (Légifrance); BOAMP.
The candidature: DC1, DC2 or DUME
For the candidature you use either the DC1 (letter of application) and DC2 (candidate declaration) forms of the Ministry of the Economy, or the DUME, the French name of the European Single Procurement Document. The winner then gives the tax and social security certificates. A foreign company does not need a SIRET number to bid.
Since 1 January 2026, a buyer can ask for a minimum turnover of at most 1.5 times the contract value, down from two times. If the chosen bidder cannot perform because of force majeure, the buyer can now award the contract to the next bidder in the ranking.
Guarantees, advances and payment
- French buyers do not usually ask for a bid bond.
- A retention guarantee (retenue de garantie) can be up to 5% of the initial amount, or a first-demand guarantee instead.
- An advance (avance) is due on most contracts above EUR 50,000 with a term of more than two months.
- Suppliers send their invoices to public buyers through Chorus Pro.
French public procurement in numbers
The charts use the BOAMP award notices that Sell to State indexes. In our data, Mairie de Gonesse published the most award notices since November 2025: 694. Ville de Paris, Bordeaux Métropole, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur and Toulouse Métropole follow. The count is per notice, so a buyer that publishes one notice per lot ranks higher.
Of the companies that won a contract in the period, 73% won exactly one. French public procurement has a long tail of small and local suppliers.
What changed in 2026
- 1 January 2026: new EU thresholds and the decrees of 29 December 2025 (turnover cap of 1.5 times, award to the next bidder).
- 1 April 2026: the exemption threshold for supplies and services rose from EUR 40,000 to EUR 60,000; the EUR 100,000 threshold for works became permanent.
- 1 July 2026: the loi SVE of 26 May 2026 raised the threshold for innovative contracts to EUR 140,000.
- 16 August 2026: a temporary EUR 140,000 exemption for heat pump and district heating works started, until 31 December 2026.
- 19 October 2026: the Conseil d’État upheld the EUR 60,000 and EUR 100,000 thresholds.
Service-public also states that from 1 January 2027 buyers will be able to award works contracts without publicity up to EUR 140,000.
Track French tenders with Sell to State
BOAMP publishes in French, and the bids sit on dozens of platforms. Sell to State indexes BOAMP award notices with the buyer, the winner and the value, so you can search them in English and save the searches you need. Search France tenders, or read the guides for TED, Belgium, Luxembourg and Morocco.
