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How to find Finnish public tenders (Hilma and TED)

Public buyers in Finland, such as municipalities, wellbeing services counties, state agencies and public companies, publish their procurement notices in two official places. This guide explains where to look and how to read what you find.

The two sources

Hilma – hankintailmoitukset.fi

Hilma is Finland’s national notice service for public procurement. It carries notices for contracts above the EU thresholds and also the smaller national procurements that never reach the EU journal. If you supply local or regional buyers, Hilma is where most smaller opportunities appear. Notices can be browsed on hankintailmoitukset.fi, in Finnish and, for many notices, Swedish or English.

TED – Tenders Electronic Daily

TED is the EU’s official journal for public procurement. Larger contracts, above the EU thresholds, are published here by buyers from every member state, including Finland, Sweden and Denmark (and Norway through the EEA). Finnish above-threshold notices usually appear on both Hilma and TED. You can search TED at ted.europa.eu by country, CPV code and keyword.

Search by CPV code, not only by keyword

Every notice names its subject with one or more CPV codes (Common Procurement Vocabulary), an EU classification. Codes beginning with 72 cover IT services, 48 software packages, 45 construction work and 79 business and consulting services. Searching by code finds notices whatever words the buyer used, and in whatever language. NoticeNorth groups notices by sector using the main CPV code. See, for example, IT tenders in Finland or construction tenders.

Notice types

• Contract notice (hankintailmoitus): an open call. This is the one you can still bid on.
• Prior information notice: a heads-up that a buyer plans a procurement later.
• Contract award notice (hankintapäätös or myöntöilmoitus): published after the decision. Useful for seeing who won, at what scale, and when similar contracts may return.
• Modification and correction notices: changes to a call or contract.

How to read a notice

1. Buyer and subject. Who is buying, and what exactly. Read the short description, not only the title.
2. Deadline. Date and time for tenders or requests to participate. Late tenders are not considered.
3. Procedure. Open procedure, restricted procedure, framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system each work differently. In a restricted procedure you first apply to be invited.
4. Selection criteria. The minimum requirements for suppliers, such as references, turnover or certificates.
5. Award criteria. How tenders are compared: lowest price, or price and quality with stated weights.
6. Documents. The notice links to the procurement documents, usually in the buyer’s electronic tendering system. You normally submit the tender there.
7. Contract length and value. Estimated value, term and any options to extend.

A simple routine

• Pick two or three CPV codes that match what you really supply.
• Check Hilma and TED on a fixed day each week.
• Read the deadline and selection criteria first; drop what you cannot meet.
• Keep an eye on award notices for your field to learn who buys what, and how often.

Skip the searching

NoticeNorth reads both sources and sends open calls for your country and sector in one short email, each linking to the official notice. The weekly digest is free; daily plans are on the pricing page.

Browse current tenders by sector

• IT tenders in Finland
• Construction tenders in Finland
• Cleaning and facility tenders in the Nordics
• Health and social care tenders in Finland
• Energy and utilities tenders in the Nordics
• Consulting and professional services tenders in Finland
• Transport and vehicle tenders in Finland
• Waste and environment tenders in Finland

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Procurement rules and thresholds change; always rely on the notice and the buyer’s documents.