How do public tenders work in Japan?

Law and buyers

The Accounts Act (会計法) and the Cabinet Order on Budget, Auditing and Accounting (予算決算及び会計令) set the rules for national government contracts: open competitive bidding (一般競争入札) is the default, with designated and negotiated contracts as exceptions. A separate Cabinet Order adds stricter rules for contracts covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), the Japan-EU EPA and other trade agreements. Prefectures and municipalities follow the Local Autonomy Act (地方自治法) and their own regulations, with a parallel Cabinet Order for GPA-covered local contracts. There is no single central purchasing body: every ministry, agency, incorporated administrative agency and local government procures on its own account. Japan also applies voluntary measures that go beyond the GPA, such as lower thresholds for agencies and extra transparency steps for large contracts.[1][2][3][16]

Where tenders are published

GPA-covered central government tenders must be announced in the government procurement edition of the Kanpō (官報), the official gazette of the National Printing Bureau. Ministries also publish on the Government Procurement Portal (調達ポータル, p-portal.go.jp), which hosts the electronic bidding system and the application for the unified qualification. JETRO runs a free English database with summaries of GPA and EPA notices from central government, agencies, the 47 prefectures and 20 designated cities, but smaller tenders often appear only in Japanese. Local governments publish on their own websites and e-bidding systems, and construction works for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism run through its own e-bidding system. Electronic bidding requires a digital certificate accepted by the system.[3][6][11][14]

Procedures and thresholds

Three methods exist under the Accounts Act. Open competitive bidding (一般競争入札) is the norm; designated competitive bidding (指名競争入札) invites only selected qualified suppliers; and negotiated contracts (随意契約) are allowed in listed cases, including small purchases (for example up to JPY 3 million for buying goods and JPY 4 million for works by central government). The default award method is the lowest price within the confidential ceiling price (予定価格), but many contracts use the comprehensive evaluation method (総合評価落札方式), which weighs price against technical proposals. Above the GPA thresholds, the special Cabinet Order applies longer notice periods and fixed publication rules. Japan's voluntary measures extend coverage to more agencies and add briefings and comments on draft specifications for very large contracts.[1][2][3][5]

Documents and language

To bid for goods and services from central government you normally need the unified qualification for competitive bidding (全省庁統一資格), granted by ministries for a three-year period, currently fiscal 2025 to 2027 (令和7・8・9年度). Qualification ranks suppliers by size and track record and decides which tenders they may enter. Applications are made online through the procurement portal, with documents such as a certificate of registered matters, financial statements and a tax payment certificate. Construction works use a separate qualification system. Tender documents set further requirements, such as specifications, price forms and proof of performance. Bids are prepared in Japanese and priced in yen; foreign suppliers usually need a Japanese translation of corporate documents and often a representative in Japan.[9][10][11]

Deadlines, award and challenges

For GPA-covered central government tenders the notice must appear in the Kanpō at least 40 days before the bid date; this can be shortened to 10 days, for example after an advance notice or in urgency, or by five days for each electronic facility offered. For other open tenders the minimum is 10 days, or five days if urgent. The contract usually goes to the lowest bid within the ceiling price, or to the best score under comprehensive evaluation. Suppliers who believe a covered procurement breached the GPA or related rules can complain to the Government Procurement Review Board (政府調達苦情検討委員会) within 10 days of learning of the facts; the board can ask the buyer to delay contract signature. Local governments have their own complaint bodies.[2][3][7][8]

How to win a tender in Japan

Under the Accounts Act (会計法) Japanese central government contracts normally go to the lowest bid within the confidential ceiling price (予定価格), so a bid above the ceiling cannot win. The Act also allows award to the bid whose price and other conditions are most advantageous, which is the basis of the comprehensive evaluation method (総合評価落札方式): technical points for the evaluation items listed in the tender are combined with price. For public works, the Act on Promoting Quality Assurance in Public Works requires contracts that are best overall in price and quality. For GPA-covered tenders the buyer must give bidders a tender explanation document (入札説明書); it sets the deadline and form for written questions (質問書) and any briefing (入札説明会), which may be a condition for bidding. To know the buyer, search the open award data (落札実績情報) on the Government Procurement Portal, and award notices in the Kanpō, published within 72 days for covered contracts. Answer each evaluation item separately with evidence, in Japanese. Bids fail without the right unified qualification, after the deadline, or at a price so low that the buyer doubts proper performance. For covered contracts the GPA lets you ask why your bid was not chosen and what the winner's relative advantages were.[1][3][12][13][15]

1. Check whether the tender uses lowest price or comprehensive evaluation.
2. Confirm your unified qualification grade covers this tender before bidding.
3. Send written questions on the 入札説明書 before the stated deadline.
4. Study the buyer's earlier awards in the p-portal award data and Kanpō.
5. Score yourself against each listed evaluation item with concrete evidence.
6. Ask the buyer for the reasons after an unsuccessful bid.

Clarification round: Questions on the tender explanation document (入札説明書に対する質問, 質問書), plus the bidders' briefing (入札説明会)

Tips for bidders

Apply for the unified qualification well before you need it: off-cycle applications are possible, but a qualification only counts from the day it is granted and may come too late for a specific tender. Use the JETRO English database to spot GPA-covered opportunities, then always read the Japanese original, because the full conditions, briefings and question deadlines are only there. Check whether a briefing session (入札説明会) is required to bid. Plan for Japanese-language documents and pricing in yen, and consider a local partner or representative for submission and contract management. Remember that local governments keep their own registers and rules, so register separately with each prefecture or city you want to work for.[6][10][11]

Platforms in Japan

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

• Japan Government Procurement Portal & GEPS (調達ポータル・政府電子調達)

  Obtain the Unified Qualification (全省庁統一資格) first; e-bidding on GEPS requires portal user registration with an electronic certificate, while small open-counter quotes use GBizID.

  How it works →Website

• Tokyo Electronic Local Government Joint Operation (東京電子自治体共同運営)

  One shared qualification application covers participating Tokyo wards, cities and towns; qualification lasts one year eight months from your financial year-end.

  How it works →Website

• Tokyo Metropolitan e-Procurement System (東京都電子調達システム)

  Apply online for Tokyo Metropolitan bidding qualification (works or goods) using a registered electronic certificate; the same certificate is used for e-bidding.

  How it works →Website

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Accounts Act (会計法), e-Gov Law Search
2. Cabinet Order on Budget, Auditing and Accounting (予算決算及び会計令), art. 72, 74, 99
3. Cabinet Order on special procurement procedures for goods and specified services (国の物品等又は特定役務の調達手続の特例を定める政令), art. 5
4. MOFA: GPA thresholds and yen equivalents, 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028
5. JETRO: overview of government procurement (政府公共調達概要)
6. JETRO: Japanese Government Procurement database (English)
7. Cabinet Office: Government Procurement Challenge System (CHANS)
8. Cabinet Office: complaint procedures for government procurement (政府調達に関する苦情の処理手続)
9. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: unified qualification for competitive bidding (競争参加資格について)
10. Japan Patent Office: unified qualification FY2025-2027 (令和7・8・9年度)
11. Government Procurement Portal (調達ポータル)
12. Act on Promoting Quality Assurance in Public Works (公共工事の品質確保の促進に関する法律), art. 3
13. Government Procurement Portal (調達ポータル): award data (落札実績情報) and bid results
14. Kanpō (官報), National Printing Bureau
15. WTO Revised Agreement on Government Procurement, Article XVI
16. Local Autonomy Act (地方自治法), e-Gov Law Search

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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