Public tenders in Singapore: platforms, thresholds and rules

At a glance

Law: Government Procurement Act 1997
Oversight: Ministry of Finance (MOF)
Central portal: GeBIZ

Thresholds

Small Value Purchase (direct purchase, verbal or written quotes)	≤ SGD 6 000
Quotation (Invitation to Quote, open or limited)	≤ SGD 90 000
Tender (Invitation to Tender: open, selective or limited), excluding GST	> SGD 90 000
Tender Lite (simplified contract conditions)	≤ SGD 1 000 000
Government Procurement Act coverage (WTO GPA and most FTAs): goods and services, contracting authorities in Part 1 of the Second Schedule (ministries and organs of state)	SDR 130 000
Government Procurement Act coverage: goods and services, contracting authorities in Part 2 of the Second Schedule (statutory boards)	SDR 400 000
Government Procurement Act coverage: construction services (Fourth Schedule), all covered contracting authorities	SDR 5 000 000
Government Procurement Act coverage for United States suppliers, Part 1 entities, goods and services (from 1 January 2026)	SGD 161 870

Law and buyers

Public procurement in Singapore rests on the Government Procurement Act 1997, which gives effect to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and Singapore's free trade agreements. The Government Procurement Regulations 2014 set the procedure for covered procurements, and the Government Procurement (Application) Order lists the covered contracting authorities and the value thresholds. Below those thresholds, agencies follow Ministry of Finance (MOF) rules that are not published as law. MOF owns procurement policy, but buying is decentralised: each ministry, organ of state and statutory board runs its own quotations and tenders. MOF describes three principles: transparency, open and fair competition, and value for money, which means bids are not judged on lowest price alone but also on quality, reliability, risk and whole-life cost.[1][2][3][4]

Where tenders are published

All public sector quotations and tenders are published on GeBIZ, the government's single e-procurement portal, which also shows award information. Anyone can browse opportunities, but to download documents and submit a response electronically you must first register as a GeBIZ Trading Partner. Companies with a Singapore UEN log in with Corppass; foreign companies need a Corppass account for foreign entities. For local suppliers, GeBIZ approves the registration immediately on submission. The first Authorised Representative account is free; each additional one costs SGD 280 a year including GST. Some supply heads also require Government Supplier Registration, which costs SGD 43.60 per application, and construction work usually requires registration with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).[5][6][7][9]

Procedures and thresholds

The method depends on the estimated value. Small Value Purchases up to SGD 6,000 can be bought directly with verbal or written quotes. Up to SGD 90,000 agencies call a quotation: an open Invitation to Quote (ITQ) on GeBIZ or a limited quotation to one or a few suppliers. Above SGD 90,000 they call a tender: an open Invitation to Tender (ITT), a selective tender after a pre-qualification round, or a limited tender to selected suppliers in justified cases. Tender Lite is a tender category up to SGD 1 million with fewer contract conditions and no security deposit. For innovative solutions that need piloting, agencies can use an Innovative Procurement Partnership. When the GPA or a free trade agreement applies, the regulations allow only open or selective tendering, with limited tendering in listed exceptions.[2][5][6]

Documents and language

Singapore has no standard declaration form like the European ESPD. Each ITQ or ITT sets its own requirements, typically a completed offer form, a price schedule, a technical or quality proposal, company credentials and references, and acceptance of the government contract conditions. Agencies may also check financial capacity, which is why some supply heads require Government Supplier Registration and construction tenders require a BCA grade. All tender documents and responses are in English. Responses are submitted electronically through GeBIZ before the closing date and time; late submissions are not possible in the system.[5][6][7]

Deadlines, award and challenges

For procurements covered by the regulations, the tender period is at least 40 days from publication of the notice. It can be shortened by 5 days each when the notice is published electronically, the documents are available electronically and tenders are accepted electronically, and to as little as 10 days in specified cases such as urgency or a prior notice of planned procurement. The contract goes to the capable supplier with the lowest price or, where price is not the only criterion, the most advantageous tender. Agencies must publish an award notice within 72 days and inform participants of the decision; on request they must explain the relative advantages of the winning bid. Suppliers can challenge a covered procurement before the Government Procurement Adjudication Tribunal.[1][2][5]

How to win a tender in Singapore

Singapore agencies evaluate bids against the evaluation criteria published in the tender documents, and MOF says these generally include both quality and price so the agency can choose the best value for money. Many tenders use a price-quality method: for public construction tenders of SGD 3 million and above under BCA workheads CW01 and CW02, quality counts for 30 to 60 percent and the highest combined score generally wins. Read the criteria and weightings in each Invitation to Tender and spend your effort where quality points are earned. Raise questions with the procuring agency named in the GeBIZ notice before closing, and attend any tender briefing or site show-round. To know the buyer, look up its earlier awards on GeBIZ, where award notices name the supplier and contract sum, and in MOF's open dataset Government Procurement via GeBIZ on data.gov.sg. Answer each criterion separately with concrete evidence, references and named staff, in English. Bids fail when they miss the GeBIZ closing time, which the system does not allow, or lack a required Government Supplier Registration or BCA grade. After award, ask the agency for feedback; for covered procurements it must explain the relative advantages of the winning tender on request.[2][5][10][12]

Check the evaluation criteria and price-quality weighting in the Invitation to Tender.
Look up the agency's earlier awards on GeBIZ and data.gov.sg.
Send questions to the procuring agency before closing and attend any briefing.
Confirm your Government Supplier Registration or BCA grade covers the tender.
Answer each criterion with concrete evidence, references and named staff.
Submit on GeBIZ well before closing and request feedback after award.

Clarification round: Tender clarifications with the procuring agency on GeBIZ, plus tender briefings or site show-rounds

How TenderRender helps you in Singapore

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 Singapore.
2
Ask questions
Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Tender clarifications with the procuring agency on GeBIZ, plus tender briefings or site show-rounds.
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 GeBIZ and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Tender search covers the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; in Singapore you upload the documents from GeBIZ 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 as a GeBIZ Trading Partner well before you need it, especially as a foreign company, because you first need a Corppass account for foreign entities. Set up GeBIZ alerts for your business areas and check whether a Government Supplier Registration or BCA grade is required for the tenders you target, since these take time to obtain. Read the evaluation criteria in every ITT: many tenders weigh quality alongside price, so a clear technical proposal matters. Smaller firms can start with quotations and Tender Lite opportunities, which have simpler contract terms. After an unsuccessful bid, ask the agency for feedback on the strengths of the winning tender.[5][6][9]

Platforms in Singapore

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

GeBIZ
Register free as a GeBIZ Trading Partner; foreign firms without a Singapore UEN need a Corppass account for foreign entities first.
How it works →Website
TenderBoard
Private Singapore e-procurement platform and tender aggregator; free Basic covers invited and public deals, paid tiers add exclusives. Government bids go via GeBIZ.
How it works →Website

PublicCommercial

Tender search for this country

BidEx
Independent GeBIZ tender alert service for Singapore SMEs with AI summaries, award history since 2021, competitor tracking and a bid tracker.
TenderBoard
eProcurement platform for sourcing, supplier evaluation and contract management, with a supplier portal listing open tenders from its buyers.
TenderWatch
Mobile app that collects tenders from GeBIZ, Changi Airport Group, SATS and Malaysia's MyProcurement in one feed, with award tracking and bookmarks.

All players on the market map

Frequently asked questions

Where are public tenders in Singapore published?

All public sector quotations and tenders are published on GeBIZ (gebiz.gov.sg), the government's e-procurement portal. Award information is also published there.[5][7]

Do I need to register?

Yes, to respond electronically you must register as a GeBIZ Trading Partner using Corppass. The first Authorised Representative account is free; extra accounts cost SGD 280 a year including GST.[6][9]

What are the thresholds?

Small Value Purchases go up to SGD 6,000, quotations up to SGD 90,000, and anything above SGD 90,000 is tendered. The Government Procurement Act applies from SDR 130,000 for goods and services of ministries and organs of state, SDR 400,000 for statutory boards and SDR 5 million for construction services.[3][5][6]

Can foreign companies bid?

Yes. MOF states that local and foreign suppliers get equal opportunity in government tenders, and foreign companies can register on GeBIZ with a Corppass account for foreign entities.[8][9]

In which language do I bid?

Tender documents and responses are in English.[6]

How much time do I have to submit a bid?

For procurements covered by the Act, the regulations set at least 40 days. That can be shortened by 5 days each for electronic publication, electronic documents and electronic submission, and to as little as 10 days in cases such as urgency, a prior notice of planned procurement or purchases of commercial goods and services. Quotations and smaller tenders often have shorter periods, stated in each notice.[2]

What is Tender Lite?

Tender Lite is a tender category for procurements up to SGD 1 million with fewer contract conditions, limited or no liquidated damages and no security deposit, meant to make it easier for smaller firms to bid.[5]