How do public tenders work in Oman?

Law and buyers

Oman is not an EU member. Public procurement follows the Tender Law issued by Royal Decree No. 36/2008, as amended, most recently by Royal Decree No. 83/2020, which places responsibility for tenders with a Tender Board formed by the Council of Ministers. In 2025 the Secretariat General of the Tender Board became the Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority, with its own legal personality, reporting to the Council of Ministers and supporting both the Tender Board and local content policy. Smaller tenders are run by internal tender committees within ministries and government units. Some bodies, such as the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Oman Police and Petroleum Development Oman, run their own tender boards outside this system.[1][2][3][5]

Where tenders are published

The Tender Board's Esnad e-tendering portal (etendering.tenderboard.gov.om) is the main source for open government tenders, bid openings and award notices, although not every buyer publishes there. Under the Tender Law, tender notices are published in a widely read daily newspaper in both Arabic and English, and tenders above OMR 500,000 must also appear in the Official Gazette. Suppliers, contractors, consultancy firms and training institutes register with the Tender Board and are classified into grades based on capital, staff and resources; each tender is opened to a matching grade. Local tenders are limited to firms in the commercial register or another professional register set by the Board. Registration and tender documents can carry fees, which the portal and tender notices state.[1][5][6][7]

Procedures and thresholds

The Tender Law makes the public tender the default method. Alternatives are the restricted tender, the negotiated practice procedure, direct award and the design competition. Direct award with the approval of the head of the entity is allowed for small purchases up to OMR 10,000, with somewhat higher limits for cases of necessity. Large tenders are decided by the Tender Board, smaller ones by internal tender committees of the procuring entity. International tenders are used when specialised foreign capacity is needed. Ministries also need prior approval from the Ministry of Finance for issuing and awarding tenders according to the U.S. Commercial Service guide, and awards often, but not always, go to the lowest compliant bidder.[1][5]

Documents and language

Bidders usually provide a commercial registration and Tender Board registration certificate of the right grade, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry membership and the technical and financial offers asked for in the tender. Each bid must include a bid bond of at least 1% of the total bid value, valid for the bid validity period. The winner replaces it with a performance bond of 5% of the total contract value within 10 working days of notification, or 20 working days for a foreign contractor. Foreign firms that win an international tender without being registered must register within 30 working days of notification. In contracts above OMR 500,000, bidders submit a local content plan for the main contract and any subcontracts. Tenders are announced in Arabic and English; follow the bid language set in the documents.[1][4][5]

Deadlines, award and challenges

Under the Tender Law, bids are due at least 40 days after the first announcement; the Tender Board may shorten this to no less than 15 days. Bids remain valid for 90 days, and never less than 60 days. Evaluation follows the criteria in the tender documents, and in contracts above OMR 500,000 the tender states the weight of local content in the financial evaluation and any mandatory local products. Qualifying national small and medium enterprises can receive a price preference of up to 10%. The Tender Law does not set out an EU-style standstill period. Disputes over administrative decisions in a tender can be taken to the competent administrative court, so check the tender documents and seek local advice early if you want to challenge a decision.[1][4]

How to win a tender in Oman

Oman's Tender Law (Royal Decree 36/2008) says bids are compared to select the best bid under the criteria in the tender documents, and the Tender Board is not bound to accept the lowest bid. In practice many awards still go to the lowest compliant bidder, so price discipline matters. Technical and financial offers go in one envelope unless the Board decides on separate envelopes, which it often does for complex work. Local content is now a real scoring factor: under the 2023 Regulation Governing Local Content, tenders above OMR 500,000 must state mandatory local products, how local content is evaluated and its weight in the financial evaluation, and you submit a local content plan. Qualifying Omani SMEs can receive a price preference of up to 10%. Ask questions during the inquiry period shown in the e-tendering system, before the submission window. The law requires exclusion, with reasons, of bids that do not meet the conditions, lack the full bid bond, are unsigned or unstamped, are incomplete, or come from firms not registered in Oman outside international tenders. Use your Tender Board grade and past award notices on Esnad to target realistic tenders.[1][4][5][6]

1. Register and get graded with the Tender Board at the level the tender needs.
2. Use the inquiry period in Esnad; it closes before bid submission opens.
3. Build a credible local content plan with Omani suppliers, staff and subcontractors.
4. Sign, stamp and complete every document and include the full bid bond.
5. Price competitively; many awards still go to the lowest compliant bid.

Clarification round: Inquiry period in the Esnad e-tendering system

Tips for bidders

Register and get graded with the Tender Board before you target tenders, because the grade decides which tenders you can join. Work out your local presence: many bids are submitted by an Omani company or through a local branch, and an unregistered foreign winner must register, obtain commercial registration and join the Chamber of Commerce within 30 working days of award. Prepare a credible local content plan with Omani suppliers and Omani staff, as it now carries weight in the financial evaluation of larger contracts. Allow for the time needed to replace your bid bond with a 5% performance bond. Note that oil and gas, defence and police buyers use separate tender boards and supplier registers.[1][4][5]

Platforms in Oman

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

• Esnad (Oman e-Tendering)

  Register and get classified with the Tender Board (grade tied to your Chamber of Commerce certificate); registered firms buy tender documents per tender.

  Website

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Tender Law, Royal Decree No. 36/2008 (Arabic text, Qanoon.om)
2. Royal Decree No. 83/2020 amending the Tender Law (Qanoon.om)
3. Royal Decree No. 57/2025 renaming the Secretariat General of the Tender Board as the Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority (Decree.om)
4. Decree.om blog: The Tender Board issues Local Content Regulation (Official Gazette, 24 December 2023)
5. U.S. International Trade Administration, Oman Country Commercial Guide: Selling to the public sector
6. Esnad e-Tendering portal
7. Gov.om: Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority launches the Isnad platform

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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