Austria has no mandatory national vendor-registration step to bid on public contracts. Public procurement is governed by the Federal Procurement Act 2018 (Bundesvergabegesetz 2018, BVergG 2018), which transposes EU Directives 2014/24/EU and 2014/25/EU. Contracting authorities publish tenders and evaluate bids per tender; suitability is proven per tender, principally via the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD / Einheitliche Europaeische Eigenerklaerung, EEE) as preliminary evidence, with full documentation required from the winning bidder. Above-EU-threshold procedures must be conducted fully electronically (e-tendering) and are published EU-wide on TED (Official Journal of the EU) in addition to national databases such as auftrag.at and the ANKOe Vergabeportal. ANKOe (Auftragnehmerkataster Oesterreich) operates a voluntary pre-qualification register (Liste geeigneter Unternehmen, LgU) that saves time via the once-only principle but is not required to bid. A foreign company does not need an Austrian entity; EU/EEA firms are treated equally under single-market rules.
USP / e-procurement (auftrag.at, ANKÖ Vergabeportal) and TED for above-threshold notices
Contracting authorities under the Bundesvergabegesetz 2018 (no single central buyer; framework agreements via Bundesbeschaffung GmbH, BBG)
Foreign companies eligibleNo local entity required to bid
No Austrian subsidiary, branch or local establishment is required to submit a bid. EU/EEA economic operators are treated equally to Austrian firms under EU single-market principles (non-discrimination, equal treatment, transparency). Non-EU/EEA (third-country) bidders may participate in principle, but guaranteed access exists only where an international obligation applies (e.g. the WTO Government Procurement Agreement / GPA or a bilateral EU agreement); BVergG 2018 sec. 20(2) permits contracting authorities to restrict participation by non-EU/EEA bidders where permissible under international law. Practical requirements are per-tender, not entity-formation: bids and communication are generally in German, and a qualified electronic signature / e-submission via the tender's e-procurement platform is typically needed. A foreign winner may need to demonstrate professional authorization (Gewerbeberechtigung/registration equivalence) at contract award, but this is proof, not a pre-existing local company.
Verify your status: EU/EEA firms have equal access with no local entity. Non-EU/EEA firms should confirm coverage under the WTO GPA or an EU bilateral agreement, since BVergG 2018 sec. 20(2) allows authorities to restrict non-covered third-country bidders. Determine whether the contract is above or below the EU thresholds (supplies/services EUR 140,000; social/other services EUR 750,000; works EUR 5,382,000 for the classic public sector), as above-threshold procedures are EU-wide and fully electronic.
Search published tenders. Above-EU-threshold notices are published EU-wide on TED (Official Journal of the EU) and also appear on Austrian databases. National publication media include auftrag.at (federal), the ANKOe Vergabeportal, BBG and BIG portals, and provincial/municipal databases; the USP (Unternehmensserviceportal) lists the official publication media and offers a tender search without registration.
There is no single mandatory vendor registry, but above-threshold procedures must be handled fully electronically since 18.10.2018 (e-tendering from notice through offer submission). Register a free account on the e-procurement platform named in the specific tender notice (commonly the ANKOe Vergabeportal, which is both a tender database and an e-submission portal, or the platform the contracting authority designates) so you can download documents and submit your electronic offer. A qualified electronic signature is generally required for submission.
Optional and NOT required to bid. Any company may voluntarily enter the ANKOe LgU (the only generally accessible online eligibility database under BVergG 2018 sec. 80(5)/251(5)) to store proofs of authorization, reliability and financial/technical capacity once, then reference them via an ANKOe number under the once-only principle instead of re-documenting in each tender. Annual cost contribution EUR 78.50 to EUR 336.50 (plus 10% VAT), tiered by company size.
For each tender, submit the bid electronically in German (unless the notice allows another language). Provide the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD / Einheitliche Europaeische Eigenerklaerung, EEE) per EU Regulation 2016/7 and BVergG 2018 sec. 80(2)/251(2) as preliminary self-declaration of meeting exclusion and eligibility criteria; complete the ESPD via the USP ESPD service. Austrian procedure is formalistic: follow the tender's format exactly. The winning bidder must then supply full supporting documentation (or reference a valid ANKOe LgU number).
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Create free accountNo mandatory government registration fee to bid. Optional ANKOe LgU pre-qualification costs EUR 78.50 to EUR 336.50 per year plus 10% VAT (tiered by company size). Costs for a qualified electronic signature and bid preparation are additional.
4–21 days
Bundesvergabegesetz 2018 (BVergG 2018), transposing EU Directives 2014/24/EU (classic sector) and 2014/25/EU (utilities). ESPD/EEE per EU Regulation 2016/7 and BVergG 2018 sec. 80(2) / sec. 251(2). ANKOe LgU per BVergG 2018 sec. 80(5) / sec. 251(5). Full electronic communication above threshold mandatory since 18.10.2018. (A new Public Procurement Act 2026 is under discussion/reform but BVergG 2018 is the framework in force.)
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This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-21.