Direct answers · Public procurement in Portugal, measured

What share of public contracts in Portugal are direct awards (ajuste direto)?

Direct awards (ajuste direto) were 42.0% of Portugal's public contracts from January to August 2026: 72,291 of the 171,806 contracts reported to Portal BASE, the national register, in TRINTA's count.

By value they weigh far less, 15.9% of the money, €2.3bn, because large contracts go to competition and direct awards cluster in the small ones. The share varies widely by buyer, and TRINTA publishes it for each of the 568 public bodies with at least 50 contracts in the period.

The pages behind this answer
01Ajuste direto, buyer by buyer (in Portuguese)02Portugal's barometer (in Portuguese)03Public procurement statistics, register by register04Direct award limits under Portugal's 2026 code
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