Guide updated 11 July 2026
Competitive tendering and direct award
Not every published grant is aid you can apply for. Understanding the two award regimes saves you from chasing aid that already has a recipient.
Competitive tendering: the general regime
It is the ordinary procedure of the Ley 38/2003: the Administration publishes a call, receives applications during a period and compares them against assessment criteria. The best-scored are granted until the budget runs out.
Here your company competes on equal terms: if you meet the requirements and submit a good application, you have real chances.
Direct award: normally it is not applied for
Direct award is the exception. The law reserves it for named grants provided for in the budgets, those imposed by a norm with the rank of law and exceptional cases of public, social, economic or humanitarian interest.
A named or direct grant already has a recipient (a club, a foundation, a town council). Even if it appears published, there is no call to apply to.
What changes in your search
A good part of what is published in the gazettes and in the BDNS are direct and named awards. The figure that matters to you is the number of open competitive calls for companies like yours: it is the one we show in the open aid.
The call always states the regime. A quick clue: if there is no application deadline, it is almost always a direct award.
Keep going
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a named grant?
No: a named grant already names its beneficiary in the budgets. There is no call to apply to.
How do I know the regime of an aid?
The rules and the call itself say so. If there is competition, you will see an application deadline and assessment criteria.