# How do public tenders work in Lebanon?

Lebanon's Public Procurement Law No. 244 of 2021 created a single framework for all public purchases, an independent Public Procurement Authority and an Objections Authority for complaints. Every procurement must be announced on the Authority's central electronic platform, normally at least 21 days before the bid deadline. Foreign companies may bid, with Arabic as the main language, a preference margin of up to 10% that may be granted for national goods and services, and, under Article 7, a certificate from the Ministry of Economy and Trade on the application of Lebanon's boycott law concerning Israel for foreign companies.

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/lebanon

## At a glance

- Law: [قانون الشراء العام رقم 244 تاريخ 2021/7/29](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf)
- Oversight: [هيئة الشراء العام](https://www.ppa.gov.lb/ar)
- Central portal: [المنصة الإلكترونية المركزية لدى هيئة الشراء العام](https://www.ppa.gov.lb/ar/tenders)
- Thresholds: Maximum preference margin that may be granted to bids with goods or services of national origin over foreign goods or services (Art. 16): 10% ([source](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf))
- Thresholds: Minimum announcement period before the bid deadline, general rule (Art. 12); 15 days in exceptional, reasoned cases: 21 days ([source](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf))
- Thresholds: Request for quotations allowed up to this estimated value (Art. 44): LBP 15,000,000,000 ([source](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf))
- Thresholds: Purchase by invoice allowed up to this estimated value (Art. 47): LBP 1,500,000,000 ([source](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf))
- Thresholds: Bid guarantee not mandatory up to this estimated value; above it, max 3% of estimated value (Art. 34): LBP 5,000,000,000 ([source](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf))
- Thresholds: Standstill period after publication of the decision accepting the winning bid (Art. 24): 10 working days ([source](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf))
- Thresholds: Deadline to seek review of an Objections Authority decision before the State Council (Art. 106): 7 working days ([source](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf))

## Law and buyers

Public Procurement Law No. 244, voted on 19 July 2021 and published on 29 July 2021, applies to all purchases of supplies, works and services by procuring entities, whether funded from the budget, the treasury, loans or unconditional grants, subject to international agreements. Its financial ceilings were updated by Decree No. 14063 in 2024. The law set up the Public Procurement Authority (Hay'at al-Shira' al-Aam, PPA), which regulates and monitors procurement, runs the central electronic platform and publishes a consolidated annual procurement plan, and the Objections Authority (Hay'at al-I'tiradat), which handles review requests and complaints. Procuring entities must publish annual procurement plans. Lebanon is not a party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.

## Where tenders are published

Article 12 requires every call for competition to be announced on the PPA's central electronic platform and on the procuring entity's own website if it has one; entities may also use other media. Article 109 makes publication on the central platform mandatory, and award decisions, exclusions and complaint notices are also posted there. Tenders can be browsed on the PPA website. Bids are submitted as stated in the tender file, by hand or by post, or electronically where the entity uses e-procurement under the law's e-procurement chapter. The PPA website provides supplier pages and forms for adding bidders to the platform; check the current requirements on ppa.gov.lb before your first tender.

## Procedures and thresholds

Under Articles 41 and 42 public procurement is conducted mainly through public tender (munaqasa umumiya). Other methods are allowed only when their conditions are met and with a reasoned decision: two-stage tender, request for quotations (up to LBP 15 billion), request for proposals for consultancy services, purchase by invoice (up to LBP 1.5 billion), direct agreement (ittifaq rida'i) in listed cases, and framework agreements. Quotation requests must invite at least three bidders and allow at least 10 days, or 5 in justified urgency. Entities must not split purchases to avoid rules. The financial ceilings can be changed by Cabinet decree on the PPA's recommendation, so check the latest version.

## Documents and language

Article 7 requires bidders to have legal capacity, be up to date with taxes and social security contributions, not be bankrupt, excluded or convicted of professional offences, corruption or money laundering, and to declare their ultimate beneficial owners. Article 7 also requires foreign companies to provide a certificate from the Ministry of Economy and Trade on the application of Lebanon's boycott law concerning Israel. Qualifications, such as technical capacity, financial resources and experience, are set proportionately in the tender file. A bid guarantee of up to 3% of the estimated value may be required above LBP 5 billion, and the winner provides a performance guarantee of up to 10% of the contract value. Arabic is the language of procurement documents; English or French may be used alongside it, with Arabic prevailing.

## Deadlines, award and challenges

The announcement must run at least 21 days before the bid deadline, reduced to 15 days only in exceptional circumstances with a reasoned decision. Bidders may ask written questions up to 10 days before the deadline, and the entity answers at least 6 days before it. Evaluation uses only the criteria in the tender file, which can be lowest price or best value, and a preference of up to 10% may be granted to goods or services of national origin. The decision accepting the winning bid is published and takes effect after a standstill period of 10 working days. Review requests and complaints go exclusively to the Objections Authority, before the bid deadline for issues with the tender terms or within the standstill period for other decisions; decisions of the Objections Authority can be challenged before the State Council (Majlis Shura al-Dawla) within 7 working days.

## Tips for bidders

Follow the PPA's central electronic platform, since every procurement has to be announced there, and check the procuring entity's own site for documents. If you are a foreign company, request the Ministry of Economy and Trade certificate required by Article 7 early, together with tax, social security and beneficial ownership declarations. Price with the possible 10% national preference in mind and consider local partners or content. Ask clarification questions well before the ten-day cut-off. Because currency and payment terms matter in Lebanon's economic situation, read how the tender file sets the contract currency. Use the ten-working-day standstill to challenge an award at the Objections Authority.

## Platforms in Lebanon

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

- Public Procurement Authority Lebanon (PPA) (Public) — [أسئلة وأجوبة – هيئة الشراء العام](https://www.ppa.gov.lb/ar/faqs) Under the Public Procurement Law, buyers must publish on the PPA's central electronic platform; how to submit is set in each tender's documents.

## How to win a tender in Lebanon

Lebanon's Public Procurement Law No. 244 of 2021 requires every tender file to state whether evaluation is on lowest price or best offer, all criteria including the price adjusted for the national preference, the weight of each criterion and how they are applied. Besides price, criteria can cover operating and maintenance costs, delivery time, functional and environmental characteristics, the work plan and the team's experience; unannounced criteria may not be used. So read the weights first and write to them, with a concrete method and named experts where quality counts. You may submit written requests for clarification up to ten days before the deadline; the buyer answers at least six days before it and sends the answer to all bidders without revealing who asked, and amendments bind all bidders. Bids fail on eligibility, exclusion grounds or an abnormally low price under Article 27. Bids are in Arabic, with English or French possible alongside, and goods or services of national origin get a 10% preference. The Public Procurement Authority publishes an annual consolidated procurement plan and all notices on its central platform. The accepted bid is published with a ten-working-day standstill, during which you can challenge it at the Objections Authority.

1. Check whether the file uses lowest price or best offer, and the weights.
2. Send requests for clarification more than ten days before the deadline.
3. Study the Authority's annual procurement plan and past awards on the central platform.
4. Price with the 10% national preference in mind and justify low prices.
5. Use the ten-working-day standstill to challenge at the Objections Authority.

Clarification round: Requests for clarification (talabat al-istidah)

## Bidding in Lebanon 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 Lebanon.
- **Ask questions**: Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Requests for clarification (talabat al-istidah).
- **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 declarations, 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 المنصة الإلكترونية المركزية لدى هيئة الشراء العام and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Tender search covers the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; in Lebanon you upload the documents from المنصة الإلكترونية المركزية لدى هيئة الشراء العام 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 public tenders in Lebanon published?

On the central electronic platform of the Public Procurement Authority (ppa.gov.lb), where publication is mandatory, and on the procuring entity's website if it has one.

### Do I need to register to bid?

The law does not set one general registration fee or register for all bidders; you must meet the participation conditions of Article 7 and any platform requirements. The PPA website has supplier pages and forms for adding bidders to the platform.

### What are the thresholds?

Under the version updated in October 2024, a request for quotations is allowed up to LBP 15 billion and purchase by invoice up to LBP 1.5 billion; above these, public tender is the rule. A bid guarantee is optional up to LBP 5 billion.

### Can foreign companies bid?

Yes, if they meet the conditions of Article 7, which for foreign companies include a Ministry of Economy and Trade certificate on the application of Lebanon's boycott law concerning Israel. Bids with goods or services of national origin can receive a preference of up to 10%.

### In which language must I bid?

Arabic is the language of procurement documents and decisions; English or French may be used alongside Arabic for correspondence and technical specifications, with Arabic prevailing.

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

At least 21 days from the announcement to the bid deadline, or 15 days in exceptional, reasoned cases. For a request for quotations, at least 10 days.

### How do I challenge a tender decision?

Submit a review request or complaint to the Objections Authority, before the bid deadline for issues with the tender terms or within the 10-working-day standstill for award decisions. Its decisions can be challenged before the State Council within 7 working days.

## Sources

- [Public Procurement Law No. 244/2021, consolidated with amendments up to Decree No. 14063 of 3 October 2024 – Public Procurement Authority (Arabic)](https://admin.ppa.gov.lb/storage/listing-pages/files/1789504552-PP%20law-updated-Oct2024.pdf)
- [Public Procurement Authority – Law 244 page](https://www.ppa.gov.lb/ar/pages/details/11)
- [Public Procurement Authority – tenders on the central electronic platform](https://www.ppa.gov.lb/ar/tenders)
- [Institut des Finances Basil Fuleihan – Public Procurement Law Guide 244/2021 (English, 2022)](https://www.institutdesfinances.gov.lb/node/2563)
- [ppa.gov.lb](https://www.ppa.gov.lb/ar)