New thresholds for the application of the EU public procurement rules came into force on 1 January 2012.
The main changes to the thresholds are:
| Public Sector | New threshold | Previous threshold |
| Works: | ||
| Threshold for central government departments and offices, local and regional authorities and public bodies | €5,000,000 | €4,845,000 |
| Supplies and Services: | ||
| Threshold for central government departments and offices | €130,000 | €125,000 |
| Threshold for other public contracting authorities outside the utilities sector | €200,000 | €193,000 |
| Utilities | ||
| Works: | €5,000,000 | €4,845,000 |
| Supplies and Services: | €400,000 | €387,000 |
Contracts valued at the above amounts or more are subject to EU public procurement rules and must normally be advertised in the Official Journal of the EU.
Contributed by Cormac Little.
