Why TenderWatch Exists

· TenderWatch Team

Why TenderWatch Exists

Every year, EU member states spend an estimated 14% of their GDP on public procurement — goods, services, and construction works purchased by governments and public institutions. That is roughly 2 trillion euros annually. Every contract above certain thresholds must be published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), the official EU procurement journal.

The result is one of the largest open datasets in the world: over 7.4 million procurement notices, 2.3 million organizations, and 6.2 million contract awards — spanning more than two decades.

The problem

TED publishes the data. But accessing it meaningfully is another story.

  • The raw data is buried in XML files across three different format eras (plain text, TED Schema XML, eForms)
  • There is no simple way to see trends over time or compare countries
  • Finding out which organizations dominate a particular sector requires significant technical effort
  • Journalists, researchers, and citizens who want to hold public spending accountable face a steep barrier to entry

The data is technically open, but practically closed.

What TenderWatch does differently

TenderWatch aggregates and presents this data in a way that anyone can understand — no technical skills required.

  • Country overviews show how procurement activity varies across the EU
  • Sector analysis by CPV category reveals where public money flows
  • Top buyers and suppliers make visible who the major players are
  • Trend charts show how procurement patterns evolve over the years

All data is updated weekly from the official TED source. No registration, no paywall, no tracking.

Who is this for?

  • Journalists investigating public spending
  • Researchers studying procurement markets
  • Civil society organizations monitoring government transparency
  • Businesses seeking to understand public procurement markets
  • Citizens who simply want to know how their tax money is spent

Transparency as a public good

We believe that public money should be publicly visible. TenderWatch is our contribution to making EU procurement data accessible to everyone — not just those with the technical resources to parse XML archives.

The data belongs to the public. We just make it easier to see.

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