Tutorial: Public Procurement

Government

Data source: Doffin, TED

Overview

Public Procurement searches across 2 data sources (Doffin, TED) in a single query. It deduplicates and normalizes results, saving you from building 2 separate integrations. This tutorial walks through all 4 tools with working code examples.

Prerequisites

Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup for a free API key (100 calls/day).
Choose your integration method: MCP protocol or REST API.

Connect via MCP

Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

MCP Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gnist-public-procurement": {
      "url": "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/",
      "headers": {
        "Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools (4)

`search_tenders`

Search for public procurement tenders across Doffin (Norway) and TED (EU/EEA). Results are deduplicated when the same tender appears on both platforms. Sorted by publication date (most recent first). Examples: search_tenders(query="software development") search_tenders(query="construction", country="NOR", cpv_code="45000000") search_tenders(query="IT consulting", published_after="2026-01-01", max_results=10)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	required	Search query — keywords, buyer name, or topic.
`max_results`	integer	optional	Maximum number of results. (default: `20`)
`country`	any	optional	ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code (e.g. NOR, DEU, FRA). Omit for all countries.
`cpv_code`	any	optional	CPV code to filter by sector (8 digits, e.g. 72000000 for IT).
`published_after`	any	optional	Only tenders published after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
`published_before`	any	optional	Only tenders published before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_tenders", "arguments": {"query": "renewable energy"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'query': 'renewable energy'},
            'name': 'search_tenders'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`get_tender`

Look up a specific procurement notice by ID across all sources. Accepts either a Doffin notice ID (e.g. '2026-105515') or a TED publication number (e.g. '555-2026'). If the tender exists on both platforms, the results are merged into a single enriched record. Examples: get_tender(notice_id="2026-105515") get_tender(notice_id="555-2026")

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`notice_id`	string	required	Notice ID — Doffin format (YYYY-NNNNNN) or TED format (NNNN-YYYY).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "get_tender", "arguments": {"notice_id": "12345"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'notice_id': '12345'}, 'name': 'get_tender'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_procurement_sources`

List all registered procurement data sources and their status. Shows which sources are available and whether they are currently enabled. Examples: list_procurement_sources()

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_procurement_sources", "arguments": {}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {}, 'name': 'list_procurement_sources'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`report_feedback`

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source. Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement. Args: feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion. feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedback`	string	required
`feedback_type`	string	optional	(default: `general`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "report_feedback", "arguments": {"feedback": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/public-procurement/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'feedback': 'example'}, 'name': 'report_feedback'}},
)
print(resp.json())

Common Patterns

Search then retrieve
Use search_tenders to find items, then get_tender to get full details. This two-step pattern is common for exploring data before drilling down.

Pagination
Several tools support limit, offset, or page parameters. Start with small limits during development, then increase for production queries.

FAQ

What data does Public Procurement provide?

Public procurement — unified search across Doffin (Norwegian) and TED (EU/EEA) tender databases. It exposes 4 tools: search_tenders, get_tender, list_procurement_sources, report_feedback.

What do I need to get started?

A Gnist API key (free tier: 100 calls/day). Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup.

What format does the Public Procurement API return?

JSON, via either MCP protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0) or REST API.

Which data sources does Public Procurement aggregate?

Doffin, TED. Results are deduplicated and normalized into a consistent format.