Winning public architecture work in Europe
Where to find tenders and design competitions, how to build the team, and how to prepare a submission that wins.
Topic: cross-border bidding · all articles
Bidding abroad: how to find and choose a local partner for a public tender
When an architecture practice bidding in another EU country needs a local partner and when it does not, how to find one through award notices, competition results and chamber registers, how to check it, and what to agree before you submit.
Architecture tenders in Portugal: where to find them and how they work
Portugal commissions thousands of small public design contracts, and since 1 October 2026 most of them can be bought by invitation. This guide explains the revised Código dos Contratos Públicos, the concurso de conceção, where notices and bids live, Ordem dos Arquitectos registration, fees and the post-PRR pipeline.
Architecture tenders in Germany: VgV procedures, competitions and how a foreign firm bids
Germany is Europe's largest market for public design commissions and one of the hardest to read from outside. This guide explains the VgV negotiated procedure, the RPW competition, the 2026 thresholds and direct-award limits, the HOAI fee framework, the title and registration rules, and how a foreign practice prepares a credible application.
Architecture tenders in the United Kingdom: how they work and how a European firm bids
The UK rewrote its procurement law in 2025. This guide explains how architects are appointed by UK public clients today: procedures, thresholds, frameworks, RIBA competitions, the title rules for foreign architects, and the practical steps a European practice takes to bid.