How do public tenders work in Hong Kong?

Law and buyers

Government procurement in Hong Kong is not set by a single statute but by the Stores and Procurement Regulations (SPR), issued under the authority of the Financial Secretary and administered by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB). The core principles are open and fair competition, value for money, transparency and equal treatment of local and foreign suppliers. Each bureau and department buys within its own limits; the Government Logistics Department (GLD) is the central procurement agent for goods and many general services. Tender boards approve larger awards: Departmental Tender Committees up to HKD 10 million, the GLD Tender Board up to HKD 60 million, the Public Works Tender Board for works up to HKD 200 million, and the Central Tender Board above those levels. Hong Kong has been a party to the WTO GPA since June 1997.[1][2][7]

Where tenders are published

Open tender notices appear in the Hong Kong SAR Government Gazette, which is mandatory for WTO GPA-covered procurement, and often also online and in the press. Tenders are run electronically through two main systems: the e-Tendering System (e-TS), used for very high-value goods and general services tenders and for works tenders under the Central and Public Works Tender Boards, and GLD's e-Tender Box (ETB), used for GLD tenders and other high-value goods and services tenders. Low-value purchases go through the e-Procurement Programme. Registering an e-TS account only takes an email address and contact details; to submit electronically you need a recognised digital certificate or the free Alternative Authentication Method. Public bodies such as the Airport Authority, Hospital Authority and MTR run their own tenders.[1][5][13]

Procedures and thresholds

Above HKD 1.35 million for goods and general services, HKD 3 million for consultancy and HKD 7 million for construction and engineering services, procurement is normally done by open competitive tender; below those levels departments use quotations. Other methods are selective tendering, open only to suppliers on approved lists; prequalified tendering, where a prequalification invitation is published in the Gazette first; and single or restricted tendering, allowed only in limited circumstances. Public works contractors must be on the Development Bureau's approved lists for works tenders. Consultancies are assessed in two envelopes, technical first and fee second, with the highest combined score normally winning. Procurements above the WTO GPA thresholds must follow the GPA's notice and time-limit rules.[1][3][12]

Documents and language

There is no national pre-registration for open tenders: any supplier, local or foreign, can download the documents and bid. Tender documents set the mandatory requirements, typically a signed offer form, price schedule, technical compliance statement and evidence of experience, and often declarations on non-collusion and integrity. Suppliers operating in Hong Kong normally provide a valid business registration certificate, for example when applying to GLD's supplier lists, which brings notices of invitations for selective tenders. Works contractors need inclusion on the approved lists of public works contractors. English and Chinese are the two official languages; follow the submission language and format set in the tender documents. Payments for procurements invited from 1 June 2025 are electronic only, by bank transfer or the Faster Payment System.[1][5][6][12]

Deadlines, award and challenges

At least three weeks are normally allowed to submit bids, and at least 40 days for WTO GPA-covered procurements; shorter periods for extreme urgency need prior approval. Late tenders are not accepted. Where price is the only factor, the fully compliant tender with the lowest price is normally recommended; otherwise the most advantageous tender under the published evaluation criteria wins. Awards are published online monthly with the supplier name and contract sum. Complaints go first to the procuring department, which should reply within 10 working days. Bid challenges about procurement covered by the WTO GPA go to the Review Body on Bid Challenges within 10 working days of knowing the grounds, extendable to 30 working days in exceptional cases.[1][3][4]

How to win a tender in Hong Kong

Hong Kong government departments usually recommend the tender that fully complies with the tender terms and specifications and has the lowest price. Where criteria other than price are set, a tender assessment panel scores tenders against a marking scheme approved by the tender board, and the tender with the best combined technical and price score wins. Under the pro-innovation procurement policy in force since 1 April 2019, the technical weighting for goods and services tenders is normally 50 to 70 percent, and a tenderer's experience may count for no more than 15 percent of the technical marks, so a strong proposal can beat a bigger incumbent. Consultancies are assessed in two envelopes, technical first and fee second. Send enquiries to the contact named in the tender notice before closing and attend any tender briefing or site visit. To know the buyer, read its procurement forecast and the monthly award lists, which name the winner and contract sum. Meet every essential requirement and answer each marking scheme item with evidence, because non-compliant tenders drop out before scoring. Late tenders and tenders sent to the wrong tender box are not considered. Unsuccessful tenderers are told the outcome and the reasons; use them for your next bid.[1][8][11]

1. Check whether the tender uses lowest compliant price or a marking scheme.
2. Tick off every essential requirement before writing the technical proposal.
3. Send enquiries to the named contact and attend any briefing.
4. Study the buyer's procurement forecast and monthly award lists.
5. Answer each marking scheme item with concrete evidence and named staff.
6. Submit well before closing and use the reasons given if you lose.

Clarification round: Tender enquiries to the contact named in the tender notice, plus tender briefings or site visits

Tips for bidders

Find out which system a tender uses, because e-TS and GLD's e-Tender Box need separate accounts, and set up a digital certificate or the alternative authentication well before the closing date. Upload early: files with macros, passwords or viruses, or submitted after the deadline, are rejected. Ask GLD to add you to its supplier lists so you are invited to selective tenders in your category. Read the evaluation method carefully: many tenders still award on lowest compliant price, so full compliance with every mandatory requirement matters more than extra features. Keep in mind that the Airport Authority, Hospital Authority, Housing Authority and MTR publish their own tenders outside the government systems.[1][5][6]

Platforms in Hong Kong

This country does not publish on TED, so there are no shares. These are the platforms from our market map, public ones first.

• Airport Authority Hong Kong – Tenders & ePROS

  Notices are visible via guest login, but downloading tender documents and submitting tenders on ePROS requires a registered supplier or contractor account.

  How it works →Website

• e-Tendering System of the HKSAR Government (e-TS)

  Three e-TS sites (works, works consultancy, non-works); register with a business email and one-time password to download documents and submit tenders.

  How it works →Website

• Government Logistics Department – Procurement & PCMS (政府物流服務署)

  Joining GLD notification lists is free but optional; open tenders are lodged electronically via the PCMS e-Tender Box or on paper.

  How it works →Website

• Hospital Authority Hong Kong – Tender Notices

  Free, optional supplier registration by emailed form puts you on HA's reference list; for public tenders follow the submission rules in each tender notice.

  How it works →Website

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. FSTB: Guide to Procurement
2. FSTB: Agreement on Government Procurement of the WTO
3. Trade and Industry Department: Agreement on Government Procurement (thresholds 2026-2027)
4. Trade and Industry Department: Review Body on Bid Challenges
5. GovHK: e-Tendering System (Non-works Tenders) FAQ
6. GLD: supplier application (supplier lists)
7. WTO e-GPA: Hong Kong, China, Annex 1 central government entities
8. LCQ17: Participation of small and medium enterprises and start-ups in government procurements (pro-innovation procurement policy, 8 May 2019)
9. LCQ13: Use of marking schemes for tender evaluation in respect of government outsourced service contracts (12 July 2017)
10. GovHK: e-Tendering System
11. Government Logistics Department
12. Development Bureau: Contractors (approved lists of public works contractors)
13. gld.gov.hk

Checked on 15 October 2026. Made by TenderRender from official sources. Not legal advice: check the notice and documents of each tender.

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