All public procurement placement procedures in Belgium explained

For whom does this offer value? Bid managers and companies wishing to bid for public contracts in Belgium. In this piece you will get a clear overview of all procedures, split into one-step and two-step, with the main advantages and disadvantages for each type.

One-step procedures: anyone may bid immediately

In one-step procedures, all bidders submit complete bids at one time. There is no separate pre-selection phase.

Public Procedure

Anyone may subscribe. Often used for assignments with a broad market.

• Benefit: maximum openness; low barrier to participation.
• Disadvantage: often high competition; lower success rate with large influx.

VOPMVB (simplified negotiated procedure with prior publication).

After publication, anyone may submit a bid; the contracting authority may negotiate afterwards.

• Advantage: more flexible than public procedure; room for dialogue.
• Disadvantage: usually limited to certain thresholds or situations; check conditions well.

OPZB (negotiated procedure without prior publication).

Exception regime for legally defined cases (e.g., compelling urgency, exclusive rights, failed previous procedure, additional supplies/services/works). At least three companies are consulted whenever possible.

• Advantage: fast and flexible when the law allows.
• Disadvantage: limited access and lower transparency; often only feasible if you are already in the picture.

Two-step procedures: selection first, then bids

Here it proceeds in two stages: first candidacy and selection; then only those selected may submit (final) bids.

Non-public procedure (restricted)

After the selection phase, only the chosen candidates are allowed to bid.

• Advantage: pre-defined competition; higher success rate after selection.
• Disadvantage: extra effort to get through the selection threshold.

Competitive procedure with negotiation (MPMO).

One or more rounds of negotiation follow selection. Suitable when the need is not completely "off-the-shelf."

• Advantage: you can tailor your solution to real-world needs.
• Disadvantage: time intensive; requires capacity for multiple iterations.

Competitive dialogue

After selection, the government enters into dialogue with candidates to help define the solution; final bids follow. Ideal for complex projects (e.g. large IT or infrastructure).

• Benefit: thorough content coordination before final quotation.
• Disadvantage: heavy course in terms of time and expertise.

Innovation Partnership

For the development and purchase of a solution that does not yet exist.

• Benefit: Unique opportunity for real innovation with guaranteed purchase.
• Disadvantage: limited scope; not relevant to every business.

Variants and instruments

• Expedited deadlines: for urgent reasons, deadlines can be shortened within the same procedure (no separate procedural form).
• Tools: framework agreement, dynamic purchasing system (DAS) and electronic auction. These are techniques that you deploy within a procedure.

Advantages and disadvantages at a glance

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• 1-step (public, VOPMVB, OPZB): transparent and often faster; less room to adjust as we go; potentially a lot of competition.
• 2-step (non-public, MPMO, dialogue, innovation partnership): pre-selection (more likely to succeed after shortlisting), room for dialogue; longer lead time and higher bid burden.

Conclusion for bid managers

Choose your strategy according to the complexity and maturity of the need. Simple and common contracts often go through public or VOPMVB. For complex or innovative projects, you are more likely to end up with MPMO, competitive dialogue or innovation partnership.

Tip: Always start with the question, "How complex is the need?" The higher the complexity, the more valuable procedures with dialogue/negotiation become.

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