Single-bid tenders in Portugal
41.3% of the 7,093 lots Portugal awarded through the EU Official Journal (TED) from January to July 2026 received one tender and no other, above the European 35.9%. The median lot drew 2. 5 countries leave more undisputed. Portugal's own register, the Portal BASE, reads 13.8% for its open tenders, because it also carries the contracts below the EU thresholds, which the Official Journal does not, and those are more contested.
Data: TED, the EU Official Journal, harvested
By CPV division in Portugal
The 27 divisions carrying at least 30 Portugal lots, computed on that country's lots alone.
| CPV | Division | Single bid | Lots |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Health and social work services | 82.5% | 103 |
| 48 | Software package and information systems | 76.4% | 119 |
| 38 | Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) | 57.5% | 200 |
| 35 | Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment | 56.0% | 107 |
| 33 | Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products | 54.0% | 2,171 |
| 34 | Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation | 43.7% | 336 |
| 50 | Repair and maintenance services | 43.5% | 294 |
| 09 | Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy | 42.8% | 140 |
| 42 | Industrial machinery | 39.4% | 319 |
| 30 | Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages | 37.5% | 272 |
| 66 | Financial and insurance services | 37.5% | 104 |
| 32 | Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment | 36.1% | 72 |
| 55 | Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services | 35.5% | 45 |
| 79 | Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security | 30.1% | 222 |
| 39 | Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products | 27.0% | 425 |
| 24 | Chemical products | 25.8% | 31 |
| 72 | IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support | 25.6% | 246 |
| 80 | Education and training services | 25.0% | 32 |
| 31 | Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting | 24.6% | 65 |
| 71 | Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services | 22.9% | 122 |
| 90 | Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services | 20.9% | 234 |
| 63 | Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services | 19.5% | 46 |
| 15 | Food, beverages, tobacco and related products | 18.6% | 134 |
| 60 | Transport services (excl. Waste transport) | 18.5% | 97 |
| 45 | Construction work | 13.5% | 200 |
| 44 | Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus) | 13.3% | 75 |
| 77 | Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services | 10.6% | 188 |
Code by code in Portugal
The 35 CPV codes carrying at least 30 Portugal lots from a notice that named exactly one code. Each opens its page in the CPV tree.
| Code | Description | Single bid | Lots |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09122110 | Liquefied propane gas | 100.0% | 34 |
| 33600000 | Pharmaceutical products | 97.4% | 235 |
| 33190000 | Miscellaneous medical devices and products | 88.1% | 278 |
| 33182000 | Cardiac support devices | 71.4% | 84 |
| 34100000 | Motor vehicles | 63.0% | 119 |
| 33696000 | Reagents and contrast media | 58.0% | 50 |
| 50112000 | Repair and maintenance services of cars | 57.5% | 40 |
| 33696500 | Laboratory reagents | 54.4% | 158 |
| 33141200 | Catheters | 53.6% | 41 |
| 33141125 | Material for surgical sutures | 52.9% | 51 |
| 33140000 | Medical consumables | 49.5% | 442 |
| 42995000 | Miscellaneous cleaning machines | 48.7% | 154 |
| 39150000 | Miscellaneous furniture and equipment | 38.4% | 65 |
| 66510000 | Insurance services | 38.3% | 60 |
| 33100000 | Medical equipments | 36.9% | 192 |
| 30200000 | Computer equipment and supplies | 34.6% | 98 |
| 42900000 | Miscellaneous general and special-purpose machinery | 28.0% | 121 |
| 79710000 | Security services | 25.6% | 74 |
| 34110000 | Passenger cars | 25.0% | 36 |
| 39100000 | Furniture | 24.6% | 77 |
| 30230000 | Computer-related equipment | 23.5% | 51 |
| 79714000 | Surveillance services | 16.1% | 31 |
| 39130000 | Office furniture | 14.7% | 95 |
| 90910000 | Cleaning services | 13.7% | 58 |
| 90911200 | Building-cleaning services | 12.9% | 54 |
| 50700000 | Repair and maintenance services of building installations | 11.6% | 43 |
| 72500000 | Computer-related services | 9.8% | 102 |
| 15800000 | Miscellaneous food products | 9.6% | 52 |
| 77310000 | Planting and maintenance services of green areas | 7.8% | 38 |
| 33192000 | Medical furniture | 7.5% | 53 |
| 33690000 | Various medicinal products | 4.2% | 212 |
| 77200000 | Forestry services | 3.8% | 77 |
| 60100000 | Road transport services | 3.3% | 30 |
| 60130000 | Special-purpose road passenger-transport services | 2.5% | 40 |
| 33196100 | Devices for the elderly | 0.0% | 82 |
How this is counted
The source is TED, the EU Official Journal, and the field is eForms BT-759, the count of submissions received, which every contract award notice must carry. Only the BT-760 total is read, never the electronic, SME or non-EEA subsets, because they overlap. The unit is the lot and not the notice: a notice can award many lots and each is a contract bid for on its own. A division or code appears only above 30 Portugal lots, and a notice counts towards a division only when all its CPV codes sit in one and towards a code only when it carries exactly one, because the CPV array does not line up with the lots. TED carries procurement above the EU thresholds, so this is the large end of the Portugal market and not the whole of it. Harvested 2026-09-08. The European table and the whole aggregate as one file carry the same numbers.
Portugal's own register, the Portal BASE, also carries the contracts below the EU thresholds, and there 13.8% of the 13,498 open tenders (concursos públicos) that published their bidders drew a single bid, January to July 2026, the months the Official Journal is read over here. Both numbers are true of their own universe: the small contracts only a national register carries are more contested. The Portuguese register, measured.
Frequently asked questions
01What share of public tenders in Portugal receives only one bid?
41.3% of the 7,093 lots Portugal awarded through the EU Official Journal between January and July 2026 received exactly one tender. The median lot drew 2 and the mean was 3.8. That is above the European 35.9% and ranks 7 of 34 countries. Counted on eForms BT-759, the submission count every contract award notice must carry. Portugal's own register, the Portal BASE, also carries the contracts below the EU thresholds, and there 13.8% of the 13,498 open tenders (concursos públicos) that published their bidders drew a single bid, January to July 2026, the months the Official Journal is read over here. Both numbers are true of their own universe: the small contracts only a national register carries are more contested.
02Which sectors get the fewest bids in Portugal?
Health and social work services: 82.5% of 103 lots. Software package and information systems: 76.4% of 119 lots. Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses): 57.5% of 200 lots. Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment: 56.0% of 107 lots. Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products: 54.0% of 2,171 lots. Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation: 43.7% of 336 lots. Repair and maintenance services: 43.5% of 294 lots. Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy: 42.8% of 140 lots. Industrial machinery: 39.4% of 319 lots. Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages: 37.5% of 272 lots.
03Which CPV codes are least contested in Portugal?
09122110 Liquefied propane gas: 100.0% of 34 lots. 33600000 Pharmaceutical products: 97.4% of 235 lots. 33190000 Miscellaneous medical devices and products: 88.1% of 278 lots. 33182000 Cardiac support devices: 71.4% of 84 lots. 34100000 Motor vehicles: 63.0% of 119 lots. 33696000 Reagents and contrast media: 58.0% of 50 lots. 50112000 Repair and maintenance services of cars: 57.5% of 40 lots. 33696500 Laboratory reagents: 54.4% of 158 lots. 33141200 Catheters: 53.6% of 41 lots. 33141125 Material for surgical sutures: 52.9% of 51 lots.
How to cite
TRINTA, "Single-bid public tenders in Portugal", TED, the EU Official Journal, harvested 8 September 2026, https://trinta.ai/single-bid-europe/portugal (accessed [date]).