OJEU stands for the Official Journal of the European Union (previously called OJEC – the Official Journal of the European Community). This is the publication in which all tenders from the public sector which are valued above a certain financial threshold according to EU legislation, must be published. The legislation covers organisations and projects that receive public money. Organisations such as Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, MOD, Central Government Departments and Educational Establishments are all covered by the legislation.

Public projects must comply with the regulations if the value of contracts is above specified thresholds. Aggregation rules apply to projects tendered in parts to prevent clients from avoiding the requirements of the regulations by simply dividing projects up into contracts that are below the threshold.

Private projects may be required to comply with the regulations if they are publicly subsidised (for example Lottery funded projects).