# How do public tenders work in Latvia?

Latvian public buyers, including ministries, agencies, municipalities and state companies, publish procurement notices through the Procurement Monitoring Bureau (IUB) and run almost all tenders electronically in the state Electronic Procurement System (EIS). EU-level tenders also appear on TED. Amendments in force since 9 June 2026 simplify procedures and will raise national thresholds substantially from 1 January 2028.

Checked on 15 October 2026. Made by TenderRender from official sources. Not legal advice: check the notice and documents of each tender.
Source: https://www.tenderrender.com/en-us/tender-guides/latvia

## At a glance

- Law: [Publisko iepirkumu likums (PIL)](https://likumi.lv/ta/id/287760-publisko-iepirkumu-likums)
- Oversight: [Iepirkumu uzraudzības birojs (IUB)](https://www.iub.gov.lv)
- Central portal: [Elektronisko iepirkumu sistēma (EIS)](https://www.eis.gov.lv)
- Thresholds: Supplies and services, central government authorities (EU threshold): € 140.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj/eng))
- Thresholds: Supplies and services, other contracting authorities (EU threshold): € 216.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj/eng))
- Thresholds: Works contracts (EU threshold): € 5.404.000 ([source](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj/eng))
- Thresholds: Small procurement under Article 9 PIL, supplies and services: from this value (up to € 42.000): € 10.000 ([source](https://likumi.lv/ta/id/287760-publisko-iepirkumu-likums))
- Thresholds: Small procurement under Article 9 PIL, works: from this value (up to € 170.000): € 20.000 ([source](https://likumi.lv/ta/id/287760-publisko-iepirkumu-likums))
- Thresholds: National procedures under Article 8 PIL, supplies and services: from this value: € 42.000 ([source](https://likumi.lv/ta/id/287760-publisko-iepirkumu-likums))
- Thresholds: National procedures under Article 8 PIL, works: from this value: € 170.000 ([source](https://likumi.lv/ta/id/287760-publisko-iepirkumu-likums))

## Law and buyers

Latvia implements the EU directives through Publisko iepirkumu likums (PIL, the Public Procurement Law), with a separate law for utilities (Sabiedrisko pakalpojumu sniedzēju iepirkumu likums). Contracting authorities include ministries and state agencies, municipalities, public-law bodies and state and municipal companies. Iepirkumu uzraudzības birojs (IUB, the Procurement Monitoring Bureau) under the Ministry of Finance supervises procurement, publishes notices and hears complaints. The Electronic Procurement System (EIS) is the state e-procurement platform, including an e-catalogue system used by central government. Amendments to the PIL took effect on 9 June 2026; they reduce formalities, add rules on goods from Russia and Belarus, and phase in higher national thresholds until 1 January 2028.

## Where tenders are published

Latvian procurement notices are published through the IUB publication management system, and notices above the EU thresholds are also sent to TED. Tender documents, questions and submission are handled almost entirely in EIS (eis.gov.lv), the state electronic procurement system, through its e-tendering subsystem. Searching notices is free. To download documents and submit a bid you must register as a supplier in EIS. Bids submitted outside the EIS e-tendering subsystem are typically treated as non-compliant. Foreign suppliers can register and do use EIS, but should allow time for setting up an account and electronic signature.

## Procedures and thresholds

Above the national procedure thresholds, the PIL provides atklāts konkurss (open procedure), slēgts konkurss (restricted procedure), konkursa procedūra ar sarunām (competitive procedure with negotiation), konkursa dialogs (competitive dialogue) and inovācijas partnerības procedūra (innovation partnership), plus negotiated procedures in limited cases. Lower-value contracts follow the simplified rules for small procurements (mazie iepirkumi) under Article 9, which require a published notice and at least 10 working days for bids. Below the Article 9 lower limits the law's procedures do not apply. From 1 January 2028, under the 2026 amendments, full procedures will only be needed from €140,000 for supplies and services and €1,000,000 for works, with a simplified procurement band below that.

## Documents and language

Above the EU thresholds, bidders can use the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), and EIS includes a tool for it. Buyers check Latvian bidders' tax debts and some exclusion grounds directly in state registers; under the 2026 amendments a bidder with tax debt gets five working days to pay it and submit a certificate. Foreign bidders provide equivalent home-country certificates on tax payments, criminal records and insolvency. Buyers also ask for financial data, references and certificates as set out in the procurement regulations (nolikums). The official language of procurement is Latvian; documents in other languages normally need a translation, unless the buyer allows otherwise in the tender documents.

## Deadlines, award and challenges

Minimum time limits for bids are set in Cabinet of Ministers regulations in line with the EU directives; above the EU thresholds an open procedure normally allows at least 35 days, or 30 days with electronic submission. Contracts are awarded on the most economically advantageous tender. After the award decision the contract cannot be signed during a standstill period of 10 days plus one working day when notice is sent electronically. Complaints go to the IUB complaints review committee, generally within 10 days of the award notice, and require a deposit of 0.5% of the estimated contract value, capped at €15,000 for works and €840 for supplies and services. Committee decisions can be appealed to the Administrative District Court.

## Tips for bidders

Register in EIS and set up your electronic signature well before your first bid, because nearly all submissions must go through the EIS e-tendering subsystem. Follow notices on TED and the IUB publication system, and read the nolikums (procurement regulations) carefully, as Latvian buyers apply formal requirements strictly. Plan for Latvian translations unless the documents allow another language. Be ready to declare the origin of goods: since June 2026 the PIL contains specific rules on goods and services originating in Russia and Belarus. Watch the transition to higher national thresholds in 2028, which will move many contracts into simplified procurement. Note the complaint deposit before filing.

## Platforms in Latvia

Share of the 5,811 TED notices from 2025 whose documents sit on this platform.

- EIS 98.6% (Public) — [Reģistrācijas informācija](https://www.eis.gov.lv/EIS/Publications/PublicationView.aspx?PublicationId=4&systemCode=CORE) Latvian firms can self-register online; others submit registration forms to the State Digital Development Agency, processed within three working days.

## Tender search for this country

- [Iepirkumi.lv](https://www.iepirkumi.lv): Latvian procurement portal aggregating notices from 3,000+ sources, with tender monitoring for suppliers and an e-procurement system for buyers.

## How to win a tender in Latvia

In Latvia the contract goes to the most economically advantageous tender, based on price, cost, or price or cost combined with quality criteria. Price alone is only allowed in smaller procurements or when the technical specification is detailed and other criteria do not matter, and it is not allowed at all for contracts such as design, design and build, or energy-consuming products. The procurement documents (nolikums) must list every criterion in order of importance with its values and explain how each will be applied, so build your tender around that description. If you ask for papildu informācija in time, the buyer must answer within five working days and no later than six days before the deadline, sending the answer to you and posting it with the question on its buyer profile. To know the buyer, read the contracts and amendments it must post on its buyer profile within 10 working days after they take effect, and its notices in the IUB publication system. An abnormally low tender must be explained, including average hourly rates of your staff and subcontractors. Tenderers with a conforming tender are told the characteristics and relative advantages of the selected tender.

1. Read the nolikums for each criterion's weight and scoring method before drafting.
2. Ask for papildu informācija early so the buyer must answer six days before the deadline.
3. Read the buyer's earlier contracts and amendments on its buyer profile.
4. Keep hourly rate data for staff and subcontractors ready for a low-price explanation.
5. Compare the winner's stated advantages with your tender before the next bid.

Clarification round: Papildu informācija (additional information on the procurement documents)

## How contracts are awarded in Latvia

- 49% of tenders are awarded on price alone
- 3 bids per lot (median)
- 27% of lots receive a single bid
- 89% of winners are SMEs

Source: TED, 12,090 contract and award notices from 2025, calculated by TenderRender. (https://ted.europa.eu/en/)

## Bidding in Latvia with TenderRender

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

- **Research the buyer**: Brings together the buyer's earlier awards, policies and contracts, so your bid fits this buyer's situation in Latvia.
- **Ask questions**: Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Papildu informācija (additional information on the procurement documents).
- **Write per criterion**: Drafts a first version per award criterion, in the language of the tender, with citations to your own documents.
- **Review**: Scores your bid per award criterion the way an evaluator would, with concrete improvements.
- **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.
- **Submit**: Builds a checklist of everything you need to submit on Elektronisko iepirkumu sistēma (EIS) and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Tender search covers the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; in Latvia you upload the documents from Elektronisko iepirkumu sistēma (EIS) and TenderRender works with them the same way.

Teams writing or reviewing with TenderRender won 49% of their completed tenders. https://www.tenderrender.com/en-us/customers/win-rate

All players on the market map: https://www.tenderrender.com/en-us/market-map

## Frequently asked questions

### Where are Latvian public tenders published?

Notices are published through the Procurement Monitoring Bureau (IUB) and, above the EU thresholds, on TED. Documents and bids are handled in the state Electronic Procurement System EIS (eis.gov.lv).

### Do I need to register?

Yes. To download documents and submit a bid you must register as a supplier in EIS.

### What are the thresholds in Latvia?

From 2026 the EU thresholds are €140,000 or €216,000 for supplies and services and €5,404,000 for works. Nationally, full procedures apply from €42,000 for supplies and services and €170,000 for works, with small procurements from €10,000 and €20,000; these national limits rise from 2028.

### Can foreign companies bid in Latvia?

Yes. Companies from the EU, the EEA and countries covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement can bid, using equivalent home-country documents.

### In which language must I submit my tender?

In Latvian, unless the procurement documents allow another language. Documents in a foreign language usually need a Latvian translation.

### How much time do I have to prepare a tender?

Above the EU thresholds an open procedure normally gives at least 30 days with electronic submission. Small procurements under Article 9 allow at least 10 working days.

### How much does a complaint cost?

A complaint to the IUB requires a deposit of 0.5% of the estimated contract value, capped at €15,000 for works and €840 for supplies and services. No deposit is needed for complaints about the tender documents.

## Sources

- [Publisko iepirkumu likums, Likumi.lv](https://likumi.lv/ta/id/287760-publisko-iepirkumu-likums)
- [LV portāls: Stājas spēkā izmaiņas publisko iepirkumu sistēmā (9 June 2026)](https://lvportals.lv/skaidrojumi/390826-stajas-speka-izmainas-publisko-iepirkumu-sistema-lielaka-atklatiba-mazak-birokratijas-un-no-2028-gada-augstakas-ligumcenu-robezvertibas-2026)
- [Iepirkumu uzraudzības birojs](https://www.iub.gov.lv)
- [Elektronisko iepirkumu sistēma (EIS)](https://www.eis.gov.lv)
- [Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152 (thresholds 2026-2027)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/2152/oj/eng)
- [Public Procurement Law (English translation), Sections 36, 37, 51, 53, 60](https://likumi.lv/ta/en/en/id/287760-public-procurement-law)
- [Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr. 107: Iepirkuma procedūru un metu konkursu norises kārtība](https://likumi.lv/ta/id/289086)
- [TED - EU Tenders, the Supplement to the Official Journal](https://ted.europa.eu/en/)
- [European single procurement document and eCertis](https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/public-procurement/digital-procurement/european-single-procurement-document-and-ecertis_en)