Public procurement: mastering the threshold concept

The rules for advertising and awarding public contracts vary according to the size of the contract. The idea is that the degree of constraint imposed on the public purchaser should be proportional to the economic stakes involved. Hence the introduction of thresholds.

• Below these thresholds, public purchasers are not bound by any regulatory constraints, although they are required to respect the fundamental principles of public procurement.

• Above these thresholds, it is also obliged to comply with the rules applicable to formalized procedures set out in the French Public Procurement Code.

The purpose of this sheet is to help you understand the concept of threshold and identify the different thresholds that apply.