Hungarian Public Procurement Thresholds 2026

In 2026 the Hungarian national thresholds for classical contracting authorities are HUF 20 million for goods and services, HUF 60 million for works. For utility contracting authorities the thresholds are HUF 50 million for goods and services, HUF 100 million for works. EU thresholds are much higher, but the multiple varies sharply by procurement category. Roughly three to four times for goods and services, and twenty to thirty-five times for works. They also differ by contracting authority type. All values are net, excluding VAT.

Light-touch is the less-formalised EU procedural regime for social and other specific services. It allows more flexible procedural rules, but the core procurement principles (equal treatment, transparency, equal opportunity) still apply in full. The threshold values are in the table above, and the historical changes are in the "What changed" table.

Procurement thresholds must always be assessed based on net amounts, excluding VAT. This applies even if the contracting authority is not entitled to deduct VAT. Using gross amounts may lead to incorrect threshold determination.

EU-level thresholds are likewise defined in net amounts in euros (EUR). If the estimated value is determined in Hungarian forints, a consistently applied exchange rate must be used for comparison. Typically the official MNB rate or the exchange rate published by the European Commission is applied at the time of planning the procurement.

For indefinite-term contracts, the estimated value must be projected over 48 months. The monthly or annual fee must be multiplied by four years, and this amount must be compared against the procurement threshold.

If the estimated net value exceeds the applicable procurement threshold, a formal public procurement procedure is mandatory. This means the contract may only be concluded as the result of a procedure conducted in accordance with the Public Procurement Act. The minimum tender deadlines that follow from each regime can be checked with our procurement deadline calculator.

When assessing the threshold, the current order amount alone is not decisive. The following must be taken into account:

• the total value of the contract over its entire duration,
• options and extension possibilities,
• the maximum callable quantity or framework amount,
• as well as the aggregation of identical or similar procurements if they were foreseeable.

TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) is the official database of public procurement notices of the European Union. It ensures that economic operators across the EU market have equal access to procurement opportunities.

Publication on TED is mandatory when the estimated net value of the procurement reaches or exceeds the EU threshold. This obligation covers:

• the contract notice initiating the procedure,
• the publication of the procedure's results,
• as well as certain contract modifications.