# What is the difference between BASE.gov.pt and PLACSP?

- Title: BASE.gov.pt vs PLACSP: what is the difference? — Sinal
- URL: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/answers/base-vs-placsp
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-10-25
- Alternate (pt-PT): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/respostas/base-vs-placsp (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/pt/respostas/base-vs-placsp.md)
- Alternate (es-ES): https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/respuestas/placsp-vs-base (markdown: https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/es/respuestas/placsp-vs-base.md)

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Portal BASE is where Portuguese public contracts are recorded: the Código dos Contratos Públicos (CCP) requires contracts awarded by direct award or prior consultation to be published on the public contracts portal before payments can be made. PLACSP is Spain's State platform for the buyer profiles of contracting bodies, regulated by the Ley de Contratos del Sector Público (LCSP). Neither replaces the EU's TED, where notices above the EU thresholds also appear.

Reviewed 25 October 2026 · Sinal team

## What each one is

BASE describes itself as the portal that centralises information on public contracts concluded in mainland Portugal and the autonomous regions, and its footer names IMPIC, the public institute for public markets, real estate and construction. The CCP requires information on the formation and execution of public contracts to be published on the public contracts portal (art. 465(1)), and publication of a contract made by direct award or prior consultation is a condition of its effectiveness for any payment (art. 127(1) and (3)).

PLACSP is provided by the Directorate-General for State Heritage of the Ministry of Finance (LCSP art. 347(1)). The buyer profile, which gathers a contracting body's documents and information, must be hosted on it for State bodies (art. 347(2)); autonomous communities may set up similar services for their own bodies and, if they do not, host profiles directly on PLACSP (art. 347(3)).

## What this means when you search

- BASE is the place to see what Portuguese buyers actually signed, including direct awards ([ajuste direto](https://sinal-pme.babete.pt/glossary/iberian-low-value-procedures)). It also lists notices published in the Diário da República.
- PLACSP hosts the buyer profiles of State bodies. Autonomous communities may run their own service and must still publish all calls and results on PLACSP (art. 347(3)), but where the two differ the regional record prevails, and local bodies may choose either one, so check both.
- Above the EU thresholds the notice is also sent to the Publications Office of the EU and published in TED (Directive 2014/24/EU arts. 49 and 51; LCSP art. 135(1)). Watching only one national portal misses part of the market.

## Where Sinal fits

Sinal reads BASE, PLACSP, TED and several regional sources, and puts each notice in the same shape, with a link back to the original record. The Coverage page lists each source and its limits.

Primary sources

- [Portal BASE (base.gov.pt) ↗](https://www.base.gov.pt/base4) — home page and footer (read 25 October 2026)
- [Código dos Contratos Públicos (Decreto-Lei 18/2008), consolidated text, Diário da República ↗](https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/2008-34455475) — art. 127(1) and (3), art. 465(1) (read 25 October 2026)
- [Plataforma de Contratación del Sector Público (PLACSP) ↗](https://contrataciondelestado.es/wps/portal/plataforma) — home page (read 25 October 2026)
- [Ley 9/2017 on public sector contracts (LCSP), consolidated text, BOE ↗](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2017-12902) — art. 347, art. 135(1) (read 25 October 2026)
- [Directive 2014/24/EU ↗](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014L0024) — arts. 49 and 51 (read 25 October 2026)

General information, not legal advice. The notice and the applicable national law decide.

Sources

- [TED ↗](https://ted.europa.eu/)
- [PLACSP ↗](https://contrataciondelestado.es/)
- [BASE PT ↗](https://www.base.gov.pt/)

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