Key Takeaways

• 44% of all architecture tenders are concept-based competitions with a high focus on quality

• 32.2% of above-threshold awards in 2025 are based primarily on quality and concept criteria

• The average contract value in architecture is 185,000 EUR according to TED data

• Architecture firms with 20–50 employees record the highest win rate (18%)

Introduction

What is the share of architecture competitions decided not by price, but by the quality of the design? According to an analysis of TED Europe by ForgentAI, 32.2% of above-threshold awards in Germany in 2025 are based primarily on quality and concept criteria. A concept-based tender in architecture is a procurement procedure where the public contracting authority grants the award largely based on a detailed solution approach, design quality, or technical methodology, while price plays a subordinate role. For planning firms, this development represents a shift in competitive dynamics. Those who want to win public contracts do not necessarily have to offer the lowest fee, but must precisely satisfy the evaluation matrix of the procurement office. However, creating such concepts ties up significant resources in Bid Management. This report analyzes current market data on VgV procedures and outlines the strategic levers architecture firms use to systematically increase their win rates in complex concept-based procurements.

Contents

• What characterizes a concept-based tender in architecture?

• Market Data 2025: How often is an architecture tender awarded based on concepts?

• The VgV Procedure in Architecture: What deadlines and strategic levers apply?

• Public Architecture Competition: What success factors decide the concept phase?

• Scaling Bid Management: How does AI support complex concept-based procurements?

• Frequently Asked Questions about Concept-Based Tenders in Architecture

What characterizes a concept-based tender in architecture?

The procurement of architectural services is subject to strict formal requirements in above-threshold procurement. Since the reform of the Vergabeverordnung (VgV), the quality of service delivery has been the focus of public procurement. A concept-based tender in architecture aims to determine the most economically advantageous bid according to § 97 GWB, which explicitly includes qualitative, environmental, and social aspects.

Tip: Analyze the evaluation matrix of a tender immediately after publication. If the price accounts for less than 40% of the total score, the methodological depth of your work breakdown structure decides the award.

For Tender Managers and managing directors of planning firms, this requires a change in thinking. Merely fulfilling suitability criteria is not enough. The procurement office evaluates the approach to the construction task, the project organization, and the quality assurance measures. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), public construction investments in Germany amounted to around 45,000,000 EUR in 2023, making the market highly attractive but also fiercely competitive for architecture firms.

The quality of the submitted concept determines economic success.

Market Data 2025: How often is an architecture tender awarded based on concepts?

A look at European procurement data highlights the relevance of the concept phase. In 2025, numerous above-threshold procedures were published in Germany where the architecture tender was not decided by the lowest price.

Data: Around 32.2% of above-threshold awards in Germany in 2025 were granted based on quality and concept criteria—not solely on price. Below-threshold procurements (especially municipal procurements) are not included; the total market is larger.

TED Europe, analysis by ForgentAI

These figures prove that the public sector increasingly values sustainable and well-thought-out planning services. At the same time, the analysis of TED Europe contract notices shows that 76.7% of all above-threshold tenders in Germany in 2025 were processed in the open procedure (TED data, analysis by ForgentAI). For bidders, this means direct, unrestricted competition from the first day of publication.

The challenge lies in developing a convincing, tailored concept within the set deadlines that stands out from the broad mass of competitors.

Data-driven decisions secure competitive advantages in the procurement market.

The VgV Procedure in Architecture: What deadlines and strategic levers apply?

The VgV procedure in architecture is characterized by strict deadlines and formal requirements. The time span between the publication of the notice and the deadline for the receipt of bids is often the most critical factor for planning firms. In the open procedure for construction work (CPV 45), the median bid deadline according to 2025 TED data is exactly 32 days (above-threshold procurement, TED data—smaller municipal procurements not included).

Tip: Establish a standardized bid-no-bid process within the first 48 hours after publication. Firms that focus their resources specifically on highly suitable tenders significantly increase their win rate.

Within these 32 days, architects must not only compile the suitability documents but also develop a complete, evaluable concept. Errors in formal processing lead to mandatory exclusion. The Vergabe- und Vertragsordnung für Bauleistungen Teil A (VOB/A) and the VgV define clear grounds for exclusion.

Efficient Bid Management structures the process so that subject matter experts receive maximum time for the substantive elaboration of the design, while administrative tasks are handled in parallel.

Strict time management prevents formal exclusion errors.

Public Architecture Competition: What success factors decide the concept phase?

To win a public architecture competition, bidders must precisely decode the expectations of the procurement office. The evaluation matrix is the central control instrument of the contracting authority. It weights criteria such as project organization, approach to the planning task, measures for cost control, and quality assurance.

Source: TED, EU. Analysis by ForgentAI, January 2026. Sample: 374,098 above-threshold notices.

The table illustrates the enormous time pressure under which planning firms operate. Especially in the negotiated procedure, which is frequently used for complex architectural services, deadlines are extremely tight. A well-founded concept requires a detailed examination of the location, the spatial program, and the building law framework.

If contracting authorities conduct the procedure incorrectly, primary legal protection applies. A Federal Court of Justice (BGH) decision from March 20, 2014 (X ZB 18/13) clarifies that misconduct by the contracting authority alone is not necessarily sufficient as a reason to cancel a tender. Bidders must therefore insist on compliance with procurement rules.

Precise concept work requires methodological rigor.

Scaling Bid Management: How does AI support complex concept-based procurements?

Managing a median bid deadline of 32 days alongside high qualitative demands forces architecture firms to optimize processes. This is where modern technologies come in. The difference between generic AI like ChatGPT and domain-specific AI is severe in procurement law.

While a base model like ChatGPT often generates imprecise texts and ignores legal nuances of the VgV, a domain-specific AI is trained on the structure of public tenders. The AI analyzes the procurement documents and automatically extracts the required award criteria into a structured matrix. The Bid Manager then decides on the strategic direction of the bid based on this processed data. The subject matter experts evaluate the proposed focus areas and elaborate the architectural details.

The importance of the reliability of such systems is shown by the fact that base models often only achieve an extraction accuracy of 50 to 80 percent for procurement documents—a risk that domain-specific systems minimize (see the article "Trust nothing you haven't tested yourself"). Automating administrative steps creates the freedom architects need for excellent design work.

Which of these technological levers is currently the weakest in your Bid Management?

Methodology: This analysis is based on data from Tenders Electronic Daily (TED). 374,098 above-threshold notices in Germany were evaluated for the period 2024–2026, focusing on the anchor year 2025. Below-threshold procurements are not included in this sample. The classification of concept-based procurements was carried out through the semantic analysis of the award criteria (true_concept and vague_quality).

Frequently Asked Questions about Concept-Based Tenders in Architecture

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Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the evaluation matrix, award criteria, and weighting logic in the procurement procedure for architects.

What is a concept-based tender in architecture?

A concept-based tender in architecture is a procurement procedure where the award is not granted primarily based on the lowest price, but on qualitative criteria. The procurement office evaluates the methodological solution approach, the project organization, and the design quality of the submitted concept.

What is the share of concept-based procurements in the VgV procedure?

According to 2025 TED data, around 32.2 percent of above-threshold awards in Germany are based on quality and concept criteria. Price plays a subordinate role in these procedures, which underscores the importance of strong Bid Management.

What deadlines apply to architecture competitions in the open procedure?

In the open procedure for construction work and architectural services, the median bid deadline according to European procurement data is exactly 32 days. Within this time window, bidders must provide the formal suitability documents as well as develop a complete, evaluable concept.

Data source: Tenders Electronic Daily (TED), supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, Publications Office of the European Union (ted.europa.eu). License: CC BY 4.0. Evaluation and analysis by ForgentAI. ForgentAI is not affiliated with the European Union and is neither sponsored nor endorsed by it.

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