An above-threshold contract is a public procurement whose estimated value reaches or exceeds the financial thresholds set for above-threshold contracts. It is the strictest regime: the notice is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, the longest statutory deadlines for submitting tenders apply, and the entire process runs electronically in the information system. It is precisely the length of the process that tends to be critical for a EU-funded project – from the announcement to the signing of the contract with the supplier, several months can pass, to which any review procedures brought by unsuccessful bidders must be added. In projects involving an above-threshold contract, the managing authority therefore usually carries out a review of the documentation even before the contract is signed, in order to prevent a later financial correction. The project schedule must already allow for this deadline in the application for the NFP; underestimating the time needed for procurement is among the most common reasons for requests to extend implementation.
See also: Public procurement in EU projects, Low-value contract, Financial correction.
