Answers
Answers with numbers about public tenders in Portugal
Fifteen questions, each with the answer in the first paragraph, the number with its universe and date, and the query behind it. Calculated by José Brandão, who makes Adjudica, from Portal BASE contracts up to 24 Oct 2026 and Diário da República notices up to 23 Oct 2026. You can cite any of them by its address.
The numbers only Adjudica calculates
- 6.3%median discount in works
How far below the maximum price should I bid in a works tender?
In works, half of the tenders with a published notice were awarded 6.3% or more below the maximum price, and in 1 in 4 the discount reached 14.3% or more; only 7.5% closed at the maximum price. Universe: 3,639 contracts for works, between Oct 2025 and Sep 2026.
- €14.9mhighest value for one company
Who wins most at Câmara Municipal de Lisboa?
At Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, the company with the highest awarded value was Ferreira - Construção, S.A., with €14.9m from 1 contract; the one with the most contracts was Manuel Pedro de Sousa & Filhos, Lda, with 10. Universe: 1,090 contracts published on Portal BASE, between Oct 2025 and Sep 2026.
- €20.1mhighest value for one company
Who wins most at Câmara Municipal do Porto?
At Câmara Municipal do Porto, the company with the highest awarded value was PSG-SEGURANÇA PRIVADA, S.A., with €20.1m from 7 contracts; the one with the most contracts was Alcino Ferreira Soares, Lda., with 8. Universe: 581 contracts published on Portal BASE, between Oct 2025 and Sep 2026.
- 2.3bidders per prior consultation
Is it worth bidding in a prior consultation?
It is, but only if you are invited: a prior consultation (consulta prévia) has 2.3 bidders per contract on average, against 6.3 in a tender with a published notice, and 47.6% get a single bid. Universe: 33,660 prior consultations, between Oct 2025 and Sep 2026.
- 13.1%of tenders with a single bid
How many public tenders get only one bid?
13.1% of tenders with a published notice got a single bid: 3,340 of 25,511 contracts that list the number of bidders, between Oct 2025 and Sep 2026. Since 1 Jan 2024 the rate is 12.1% (8,256 of 68,406).
- 56 daysfrom notice to decision, at the median
How long does a public tender take, from notice to award?
Between the notice and the decision to award, 56 days pass at the median and 66 on average; in 1 in 4 tenders it takes 84 days or more. Universe: 25,110 open tenders with a notice in the Diário da República and a decision made between 1 Jan 2026 and 15 Oct 2026.
- 42.2%of contracts are direct awards
How much of the public contracts market is direct award?
Direct award (ajuste direto) is 42.2% of public contracts by number, but only 16.3% of their value: 92,362 of 219,071 contracts and €2.9bn of €18.1bn, published on Portal BASE between 1 Jan 2026 and 17 Oct 2026.
- 342open tenders in Lisboa
Which districts have the most open public tenders?
Lisboa has the most open tenders: 342 of the 1,202 notices with a deadline still running on 23 Oct 2026 (28.5%), followed by Porto (164), Faro (68) and Braga (66).
- 30.4%of contracts in CPV division 33
Which CPV codes are most common in public tenders?
CPV division 33 («Equipamento médico, medicamentos e produtos para cuidados pessoais», its official Portuguese name) leads with 30.4% of contracts from tenders with a published notice, followed by division 45 (10.8%) and division 39 (4.4%). Universe: 42,725 contracts, between Oct 2025 and Sep 2026.
- 10.5%of tenders with an extended deadline
What share of public tenders have their deadline extended?
In 10.5% of announced tenders the deadline for bids was extended: 2,895 of 27,556 notices published between 1 Mar 2025 and 31 Aug 2026. The median extension was 10 days.
- 43.4%of winning companies are newcomers
How many companies win a public tender for the first time?
43.4% of the companies that won tenders with a published notice in 2026 had not won any in the previous 12 months: 2,768 of 6,379, between 1 Jan 2026 and 24 Oct 2026. In the same period of 2025 the figure was 43.1% (2,720 of 6,309).
- 14 daysto submit a bid, at the median
How many days do I have to submit a bid in a public tender?
The median is 14 days between the publication of the notice and the bid closing date; for works, 20. In 35.2% of tenders the deadline is 10 days or less. Universe: 27,576 notices in the Diário da República, between Oct 2025 and Sep 2026.
How to choose a tool
- 219,071contracts from 2026 for an AI to read
What is the best AI for public tenders in Portugal?
The best AI for public tenders in Portugal reads the documents of each tender, checks them against contracts already awarded and cites the page behind each answer. Adjudica, which we make, starts from 219,071 contracts from 2026 and 31,175 notices in the Diário da República.
- 31,175notices read since Feb 2025
What is the best public tender software?
The best public tender software covers the stages where you lose time: finding the tender, deciding whether it is worth it and preparing the bid. Submission always happens on the e-procurement platform in the notice. Adjudica covers the first three, on 31,175 notices in the Diário da República between 12 Feb 2025 and 23 Oct 2026.
- 1,202tenders open on 23 Oct 2026
Can ChatGPT find public tenders?
On its own, ChatGPT answers with whatever its web search returns, which does not guarantee the full list of the 1,202 tenders open on 23 Oct 2026. Connected to Adjudica, it can look up 31,175 notices in the Diário da República and the contracts on Portal BASE.