Public tenders in the Philippines: platforms, thresholds and rules

At a glance

Law: Republic Act No. 12009 (New Government Procurement Act)
Oversight: Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB)
Central portal: Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS)

Thresholds

Small Value Procurement, national government agencies (Goods, Infrastructure Projects, Consulting Services)	≤ PHP 2 000 000
Small Value Procurement without mandatory posting of the request for quotation	≤ PHP 200 000
Small Value Procurement, barangays	≤ PHP 100 000
Mandatory pre-bid conference for an ABC (approved budget for the contract) of at least this value (competitive bidding and other competitive modes)	≥ PHP 3 000 000
Bid security: cash or cashier's/manager's check (alternative: Bid Securing Declaration), as a share of the ABC	2%
Bid security: bank draft, bank guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit, as a share of the ABC	5%
Protest fee to the Head of the Procuring Entity, ABC up to PHP 50 million (non-refundable), as a share of the ABC	0.75%

Law and buyers

Republic Act No. 12009, the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), replaced Republic Act No. 9184 and took effect on 13 August 2024; its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) took effect on 25 February 2025. The law applies to national government agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations, state universities and local government units, and aims for value for money, transparency, proportionality and sustainability. The Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) sets policy, issues guidelines and adjusts thresholds. Each procuring entity has a Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) that runs the procurement, supported by a technical working group, and the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) buys common-use supplies for the whole government. Under the Tatak Pinoy Act, preference is given to Philippine products and services.[1][2][4][5]

Where tenders are published

All procurement opportunities are published on the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), which the IRR makes the single portal for government procurement and which is managed by PS-DBM. For competitive bidding, the Invitation to Bid is posted on PhilGEPS and on the agency website for seven calendar days, and at a conspicuous place in the agency's premises. To bid, you need a PhilGEPS Certificate of Registration (Platinum Membership), obtained by uploading your eligibility documents online; it is valid for one year and must be renewed or updated. Registration is denied to anyone who misrepresents information or is blacklisted. Electronic bid submission is allowed only where the bidding documents say so; otherwise bids go in two sealed envelopes.[2][6][7]

Procedures and thresholds

The NGPA follows a fit-for-purpose approach with eleven modes: competitive bidding, limited source bidding, competitive dialogue, unsolicited offer with bid matching, direct contracting, direct acquisition, repeat order, small value procurement, negotiated procurement, direct sales, and direct procurement for science, technology and innovation. Competitive bidding is open to any eligible bidder and runs through publication, pre-bid conference, eligibility screening, bid opening, evaluation, post-qualification and award. Small Value Procurement, which needs at least three price quotations, is allowed up to PHP 2 million for national agencies, with lower ceilings for smaller local governments. A pre-bid conference is mandatory when the ABC is PHP 3 million or more. Splitting contracts to avoid competitive bidding is prohibited.[1][2]

Documents and language

There is no equivalent of the European ESPD; instead, eligibility documents are kept on PhilGEPS: SEC, DTI or CDA registration, the latest General Information Sheet with beneficial ownership, a mayor's or business permit, a BIR tax clearance, audited financial statements and, for works, a PCAB contractor licence. The first (technical) envelope contains the PhilGEPS Platinum certificate, a statement of ongoing contracts, the single largest completed contract (SLCC, usually at least 50% of the ABC), the net financial contracting capacity (NFCC) or a credit line, the bid security, technical specifications and an Omnibus Sworn Statement. The second envelope holds the financial bid. Documents are in English; foreign documents need an English translation and an apostille or consular authentication.[2][4]

Deadlines, award and challenges

After the Invitation to Bid has been posted for seven days, bids are due within a maximum of 45 calendar days for goods, 50 or 65 days for infrastructure depending on whether the ABC exceeds PHP 50 million, and 75 days for consulting services. These are maximum periods; the agency sets the actual deadline in the Invitation to Bid. A pre-bid conference must be held at least 12 days before the bid deadline. Bids above the ABC are rejected. For goods and works the BAC ranks the lowest calculated bid and then post-qualifies it to find the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid; the IRR also allows award to the Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid. From bid opening to award should take no more than 60 days. A bidder can ask the BAC to reconsider within 3 days, then protest to the head of the procuring entity within 7 days, paying a protest fee.[1][2]

How to win a tender in the Philippines

In Philippine competitive bidding for goods and works, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) usually ranks bids by price to find the Lowest Calculated Bid and then post-qualifies that bidder to confirm the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid. The IRR of RA 12009 also allows the Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid, where quality is scored first and price weighs 15 to 40 percent, with quality criteria such as approach, methodology and track record set in the bidding documents. Attend the pre-bid conference, where the BAC also explains common reasons for disqualification. Written requests for clarification must reach the BAC at least 10 calendar days before the bid deadline; answers and changes come as Bid Bulletins on PhilGEPS at least 7 days before, and securing them is your responsibility. To know the buyer, read its Annual Procurement Plan on its website and earlier award notices on PhilGEPS and PhilGEPS Open Data. Bids fail when they are late, exceed the ABC, lack the required bid security or when post-qualification documents are not submitted within 5 days. If the BAC disqualifies you, it must give the grounds in writing; use them for a request for reconsideration or your next bid.[1][2][8][9]

Check whether the bidding documents use lowest calculated or most economically advantageous evaluation.
Attend the pre-bid conference and note the common disqualification reasons.
Send written clarification requests at least 10 calendar days before the deadline.
Download every Bid Bulletin from PhilGEPS before finalising your two envelopes.
Keep post-qualification documents ready to submit within 5 calendar days.
Read the buyer's Annual Procurement Plan and earlier PhilGEPS award notices.

Clarification round: Pre-bid conference and written requests for clarification, answered by Supplemental/Bid Bulletins

How TenderRender helps you in the Philippines

TenderRender does the work behind each step above. Your team checks and refines.

1
Research the buyer
Brings together the buyer's earlier awards, policies and contracts, so your bid fits this buyer's situation in the Philippines.
2
Ask questions
Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Pre-bid conference and written requests for clarification, answered by Supplemental/Bid Bulletins.
3
Write per criterion
Drafts a first version per award criterion, in the language of the tender, with citations to your own documents.
4
Review
Scores your bid per award criterion the way an evaluator would, with concrete improvements.
5
Fill in forms
Fills in the declarations, price schedules, questionnaires and Excel annexes from your own data and earlier bids, with a source per answer.
6
Submit
Builds a checklist of everything you need to submit on Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Tender search covers the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; in the Philippines you upload the documents from Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and TenderRender works with them the same way.

Teams writing or reviewing with TenderRender won 49% of their completed tenders. How this was calculated

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Tips for bidders

Get or renew your PhilGEPS Platinum Membership early and keep every uploaded document current, because an expired document makes you ineligible. Check the ownership rules: for goods and works, bidders must generally be Filipino or at least 60% Filipino-owned, and foreign bidders qualify only under a treaty, reciprocity, unavailability of local goods or to prevent restraint of trade. Read the Approved Budget for the Contract carefully, since any bid above it is disqualified, and make sure your SLCC and NFCC meet the thresholds. Attend the pre-bid conference and follow the bid bulletins, prepare the two envelopes exactly as the bidding documents require, and diarise the short 3-day window for a request for reconsideration.[1][2][6]

Platforms in the Philippines

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

PhilGEPS
Free Red membership lets you view and download notices; to bid you need a Platinum certificate (PHP 5,000 per year) with current eligibility documents.
How it works →Website

PublicCommercial

Tender search for this country

Bidfinder
Search engine for Philippine government bids that consolidates old and new PhilGEPS data, with saved searches, email alerts and AI document summaries.

All players on the market map

Frequently asked questions

Where are public tenders in the Philippines published?

All government procurement opportunities are published on PhilGEPS (philgeps.gov.ph), the single portal for government procurement, and also on the procuring entity's website and premises.[2][6]

Do I need to register?

Yes. Bidders need a PhilGEPS Certificate of Registration (Platinum Membership), obtained by uploading eligibility documents online. It is valid for one year and must be renewed or updated.[2][6][7]

What are the thresholds?

Small Value Procurement is allowed up to PHP 2 million for national government agencies, with lower ceilings for local governments, and requests up to PHP 200,000 need not be posted. A pre-bid conference is mandatory for an Approved Budget for the Contract of PHP 3 million or more.[2]

Can foreign companies bid?

Only in specific cases. For goods, foreign bidders are eligible under a treaty, on reciprocity, when the goods are not available locally or to prevent restraint of trade; for infrastructure only under a treaty or international agreement. Otherwise bidders must be Filipino or at least 60% Filipino-owned.[1][2]

In which language do I bid?

Bids and eligibility documents are in English. Documents in another language need an English translation and must be apostilled or authenticated.[2][4]

How much time do I have to submit a bid?

The Invitation to Bid is posted for seven days, and bids are due within a maximum of 45 days for goods, 50 or 65 days for infrastructure and 75 days for consulting services after the posting ends. These are maximum periods, not minimums: the exact deadline is in each Invitation to Bid, and for an ABC of PHP 3 million or more it falls at least 12 days after the pre-bid conference.[2]

What is the Bids and Awards Committee?

Every procuring entity has a Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) that runs the procurement: it holds the pre-bid conference, opens and evaluates bids, conducts post-qualification and recommends the award to the head of the procuring entity.[1][2]