AimsThe main objective of the study is to develop and improve quick bacterial tests to select the best candidates for the bioaugmentation of metal-contaminated soil, coupled with phytoextraction. Methods and ResultsBacteria isolates (181) were selected from a collection originated from a Cu-contaminated sediment, on the basis of several miniaturized biochemical tests adapted to the copper contamination. Amongst them, we used a growth soil based-medium to select metal-tolerant bacteria, and their ability to grow and mobilize metals by mean of metabolites (siderophores, organic acids) was also assessed. ConclusionThe result of the bacterial selection tests showed differences in presence or absence of copper, especially for phosphate-solubilizing strains which ability decreased by 53% in the presence of copper hydroxide phosphate as compared to the standard tricalcium phosphate test. A promising Pseudomonas putida was selected from the collection. Significance and Impact of the StudyThe study underlined the importance of choosing significant selection tests regarding the nature of the metal occurring in the soil to be cleaned-up to assess the real potential of each bacterial strain for subsequent soil bioaugmentation purposes.