How do public tenders work in Serbia?

Law and buyers

Serbia is an EU candidate country and its Public Procurement Law (Zakon o javnim nabavkama, Official Gazette RS 91/2019, amended by 92/2023 with effect from 1 January 2024) transposes the logic of the EU procurement directives. The law applies to public contracting authorities such as ministries, the autonomous province of Vojvodina, cities and municipalities, public enterprises and other bodies governed by public law, and to sector contracting authorities in water, energy, transport and postal services. The Public Procurement Office (Kancelarija za javne nabavke) oversees the system, issues bylaws and standard forms, and reports annually to the Government. Below RSD 1 million for supplies and services and RSD 3 million for works the law does not apply, although its principles must still be respected.[1][2][4]

Where tenders are published

All contract notices, tender documents, clarifications, award decisions and contract award notices are published on the Public Procurement Portal (Portal javnih nabavki, jnportal.ujn.gov.rs). The portal is the single information system for the whole procurement cycle: bidders download documents, ask questions, submit tenders and even file review requests there. Use of the portal is free of charge for all users. Bidders must register an account; when registering, users enter basic data and upload a scanned or photographed identity document (identity card or passport), and foreign companies can use a personal identification number from their own country. As Serbia is not an EU member, notices are not published on TED, so foreign bidders need to monitor the Serbian portal directly.[1][5]

Procedures and thresholds

The law lists seven procedures: the open procedure (otvoreni postupak), the restricted procedure (restriktivni postupak), the competitive procedure with negotiation (konkurentni postupak sa pregovaranjem), the competitive dialogue (konkurentni dijalog), the negotiated procedure with prior publication (pregovarački postupak sa objavljivanjem javnog poziva), the innovation partnership (partnerstvo za inovacije) and the negotiated procedure without prior publication (pregovarački postupak bez objavljivanja javnog poziva). Public contracting authorities use the open or restricted procedure as a rule. Two value levels matter: the national thresholds from which the law applies, and the so-called European thresholds (evropski pragovi), which the Ministry of Finance converts into dinars each period and which trigger longer minimum deadlines. Framework agreements and dynamic purchasing systems are also available.[1][3]

Documents and language

With the tender a company submits a statement of fulfilment of qualitative selection criteria (izjava o ispunjenosti kriterijuma) on a standard form set by the Public Procurement Office in line with the European Single Procurement Document. In it the bidder confirms there are no exclusion grounds and that it meets the selection criteria, and names where the evidence can be obtained. Separate statements are needed for each consortium member, subcontractor or other entity whose capacity is relied upon. Only the bidder with the most economically advantageous tender is asked to provide the evidence, in uncertified copies, within at least five working days. Companies registered in the Serbian bidder register (registar ponuđača) are presumed to have no basic exclusion grounds. Tenders are submitted in Serbian unless the authority allows another language; the authority can require translation of parts of a tender.[1][4]

Deadlines, award and challenges

In the open procedure the minimum time limit for tenders is 35 days above the European thresholds and 25 days below them, 15 days for works under RSD 30 million and 10 days for supplies and services under RSD 10 million, counted from sending the notice for publication. In the restricted procedure requests to participate get at least 30 or 20 days. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender, based on price, cost (such as life-cycle cost) or price-quality ratio. Review requests (zahtev za zaštitu prava) are filed via the portal with both the authority and the Republic Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures, at the latest 10 days after the award decision is published. The contract can generally only be concluded after that period expires. The standard fee is RSD 120,000.[1][6]

How to win a tender in Serbia

Serbia's Public Procurement Law awards contracts to the most economically advantageous tender, based on price, cost such as life-cycle cost, or the best price-quality ratio, with criteria and weighting in the tender documents. Where quality counts, answer each criterion concretely. The question round has a sharp edge: under Article 97 you request additional information or clarification through the Public Procurement Portal no later than the eighth day before the deadline above the European thresholds, or the sixth day below them, and the authority publishes its answer on the portal without naming you. Defects in the documents that you did not point out this way cannot be challenged later in a review procedure, so use questions to flag unclear or restrictive requirements. To know the buyer, read its procurement plan, earlier notices, award decisions and contracts on jnportal.ujn.gov.rs. Submit the qualification statement on the official form, in Serbian unless another language is allowed, and keep evidence ready because the best bidder may get only five working days to deliver it. Bids fail when late, incomplete or abnormally low. After the award decision, Article 149 lets you inspect and copy the procurement file within two days of a written request.[1][5]

1. Check the award criterion and weighting in the tender documents.
2. Send questions on the portal by the eighth or sixth day before the deadline.
3. Flag every unclear or restrictive requirement, or lose the right to challenge it.
4. Read the buyer's plan and earlier award decisions on jnportal.ujn.gov.rs.
5. Keep qualification evidence ready to deliver within five working days.
6. Inspect the file after the award decision before the ten-day review deadline.

Clarification round: Request for additional information or clarification (zahtev za dodatne informacije ili pojašnjenja)

Tips for bidders

Create your portal account well before the deadline, because registration involves identity verification. Read the tender documents in Serbian carefully, as the Serbian version prevails in a dispute even if an English version exists. Prepare the qualification statement on the official standard form and keep your evidence ready, since you may get only five working days to produce it if you win. Challenges against the tender documents themselves must reach the authority at least three days before the tender deadline, so raise questions early. Consider partnering with a Serbian company or subcontractor for language, local certificates and on-site presence.[1][5]

Platforms in Serbia

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

• Portal javnih nabavki (Serbia)

  Serbia's Public Procurement Office runs the portal; bidders register to download documents and submit electronically. User manuals and FAQs are linked from the portal.

  How it works →Website

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Zakon o javnim nabavkama, consolidated text 91/19 and 92/23 (Kancelarija za javne nabavke)
2. Zakon o izmenama i dopunama Zakona o javnim nabavkama (Službeni glasnik RS 92/2023)
3. Dinarska vrednost evropskih pragova, applicable from 1 January 2026 (Ministry of Finance, Službeni glasnik RS 118/2025)
4. Kancelarija za javne nabavke, regulations page
5. Portal javnih nabavki
6. Republička komisija za zaštitu prava u postupcima javnih nabavki

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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