Public tenders in Slovenia: platforms, thresholds and rules

At a glance

Law: Zakon o javnem naročanju (ZJN-3)
Oversight: Ministrstvo za notranje zadeve in javno upravo, Direktorat za javno naročanje
Central portal: Portal javnih naročil

Thresholds

National threshold: supplies and services, general sector (below this, no formal procedure under ZJN-3)	€ 40.000 (excl. VAT)
National threshold: works, general sector	€ 80.000 (excl. VAT)
EU threshold: supplies and services, central government authorities	€ 140.000
EU threshold: supplies and services, sub-central authorities	€ 216.000
EU threshold: works contracts and concessions	€ 5.404.000
EU threshold: supplies and services in the utilities sectors	€ 432.000
EU threshold: social and other specific services (classic sector)	€ 750.000

Law and buyers

Public procurement in Slovenia is governed by the EU directives 2014/24/EU, 2014/25/EU and 2014/23/EU, transposed mainly by the Zakon o javnem naročanju (ZJN-3, Public Procurement Act) and, for remedies, by the Zakon o pravnem varstvu v postopkih javnega naročanja (ZPVPJN). Buyers include ministries and other state bodies, municipalities, public institutes such as hospitals and schools, and public companies in the utilities sectors. The Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration (Ministrstvo za notranje zadeve in javno upravo), through its Public Procurement Directorate (Direktorat za javno naročanje), sets policy, runs the national e-procurement system and also acts as a central purchasing body for state administration bodies. According to the ministry's statistical report, Slovenian contracting authorities awarded public contracts worth almost 11 billion euros in 2025, and the small-value procedure was the most frequently used procedure.[1][3][4][18]

Where tenders are published

All notices and procurement documents are published on the national Portal javnih naročil (enarocanje.si); contracts above EU thresholds are also published in TED. In TED data for 2025, almost all Slovenian contract notices linked to this national system, so there are hardly any commercial tender platforms in this market. Tenders are submitted through e-JN (ejn.gov.si), the state's electronic procurement system, which also offers an eESPD service, e-auctions and a link to the eRevizija portal for review requests. Browsing current contracts in e-JN does not require registration, but submitting a tender does. Slovenian companies register via SI-PASS with a digital certificate; companies established outside Slovenia complete the registration form manually and send a signed copy to the system administrator, so start this well before the deadline.[1][5][19]

Procedures and thresholds

ZJN-3 provides the EU procedures: the open procedure (odprti postopek), restricted procedure (omejeni postopek), competitive procedure with negotiation (konkurenčni postopek s pogajanji), competitive dialogue, innovation partnership and the negotiated procedure without prior publication. Below the EU thresholds, contracting authorities most often use the small-value procedure (postopek naročila male vrednosti), a simplified national procedure that is also published on the Portal javnih naročil. Since 2022 it can also be used for works up to the EU threshold. Below the national thresholds, purchases are not subject to a formal procedure, but the buyer must still respect economy, efficiency and transparency and keep records. Framework agreements, dynamic purchasing systems and e-auctions are common.[1][2][19]

Documents and language

Most procedures ask for the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), which can be completed with the eESPD tool in e-JN, followed by evidence from the selected tenderer. Typical evidence includes extracts from the criminal records for the company and its representatives, proof that tax and social security contributions are paid, and references, financial data or certificates required by the selection criteria. Since the ZJN-3B amendment, proof of no criminal record must be no older than four months at the tender deadline, or be obtained within 90 days after it. Procedures are conducted in Slovene, so the tender and supporting documents are normally submitted in Slovene unless the procurement documents allow another language. Foreign bidders can generally use equivalent documents from their home country; check the documents for translation requirements and consult e-Certis for equivalents.[1][2][6][17]

Deadlines, award and challenges

For open procedures above EU thresholds the minimum time limit follows the directive: 35 days from dispatch of the notice, which may be shortened when tenders are submitted electronically or a prior information notice was used. For small-value procedures the buyer sets the deadline in the notice, so periods are often short. Contracts are awarded to the most economically advantageous tender, which may be based on price alone or on a price-quality ratio. Remedies are handled by the Državna revizijska komisija (DKOM, National Review Commission). A review request is filed via the eRevizija portal within eight working days after receipt of the award decision, or five working days in small-value procedures. The request requires a fee, for example 2 percent of the best admissible tender value for award challenges, between 500 and 25,000 euros.[1][4][9]

How to win a tender in Slovenia

Slovenian buyers award to the economically most advantageous tender, which can be based on price or cost alone or on the best price-quality ratio, using criteria such as quality, staff experience, after-sales service and delivery terms. Because price alone is allowed, read the documents early to see whether quality points can be earned and how. Questions are asked publicly on the Portal javnih naročil, and the buyer's answers there count as changes or clarifications of the tender documents. If you asked in time but did not get an answer at least six days before the deadline (four days in some urgent or open procedures), the buyer must extend the deadline. To know the buyer, read its earlier contract award notices on the portal and its payments to suppliers in the ERAR application. A buyer must check a tender that is more than 50 percent below the average of timely tenders and more than 20 percent below the next one, if at least four were received. The award decision gives reasons for rejecting each unsuccessful tender, and after it you can inspect the selected tender, whose prices and scored data are public.[10][12][13][14]

Check whether quality criteria exist and how they score before investing in long texts.
Ask questions on the Portal javnih naročil early, well before six days pre-deadline.
Treat every portal answer as part of the documents and adjust your tender.
Look up the buyer's past awards on the portal and its payments in ERAR.
After the decision, inspect the selected tender to learn how it scored.

Clarification round: Vprašanja in odgovori na portalu javnih naročil (questions and answers on the public procurement portal)

How contracts are awarded in Slovenia

of tenders are awarded on price alone: 70%
bids per lot (median): 2
of lots receive a single bid: 44%
of winners are SMEs: 82%

Source: TED, 10,629 contract and award notices from 2025, calculated by TenderRender.

How TenderRender helps you in Slovenia

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 Slovenia.
2
Ask questions
Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Vprašanja in odgovori na portalu javnih naročil (questions and answers on the public procurement portal).
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 ESPD, 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 Portal javnih naročil and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Tender search covers the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; in Slovenia you upload the documents from Portal javnih naročil 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

Register in e-JN early, especially as a foreign company, because the manual registration and signed form take time. Monitor the Portal javnih naročil daily for small-value procedures, as deadlines can be short and these procedures are the majority below EU thresholds. Use the eESPD in e-JN and keep criminal record extracts and tax certificates up to date. Ask questions through the portal before the stated deadline; answers become part of the procurement documents. If you intend to challenge the documents, do so before the tender deadline; only when that deadline is shorter than ten working days can you still file within ten working days of publication. Budget for the review fee, which must be paid no later than the day the request is filed. The e-JN help desk (Enotni kontaktni center) can assist with technical questions.[4][5][6][19]

Platforms in Slovenia

Share of the 6,289 TED notices from 2025 whose documents sit on this platform.

e-JN95.8%
Notices appear on the Public Procurement Portal; bids are submitted only in e-JN, where you register as a bidder first (separate route for foreign firms).
How it works →Website

PublicCommercial

Frequently asked questions

Where are public tenders in Slovenia published?

All notices are published on the Portal javnih naročil (enarocanje.si), and contracts above EU thresholds also appear in TED. Tenders themselves are submitted electronically through e-JN (ejn.gov.si).[5][19]

Do I need to register to bid?

Yes, you must register in e-JN before submitting a tender. Browsing current contracts is possible without registration, and companies established outside Slovenia register by completing and sending a signed form.[5]

What are the thresholds?

ZJN-3 applies from 40,000 euros for supplies and services and 80,000 euros for works. EU procedures apply from 140,000 euros (central government) or 216,000 euros (sub-central) for supplies and services and from 5,404,000 euros for works.[2][7]

Can foreign companies take part?

Yes, companies from other EU countries and from countries with equivalent access rights can bid on the same terms and generally use equivalent documents from their home country.[1][17]

In which language must I submit my tender?

Procedures are conducted in Slovene, so tenders are normally submitted in Slovene. The procurement documents state whether another language is accepted for the tender or certain annexes.[1]

How much time do I have to prepare a tender?

Above EU thresholds the open procedure has a minimum of 35 days, which can be shortened under the directive. In small-value procedures the buyer sets the deadline, often a few weeks or less.[1][9]

How do I challenge an award decision?

File a review request via the eRevizija portal within eight working days of receiving the award decision, or five working days in small-value procedures. The National Review Commission (DKOM) decides, and a fee must be paid by the filing date.[4]