Documents Needed to Bid on Public Tenders in the UAE

This guide is the checklist behind a bid in the United Arab Emirates: every registration, certificate and document, in the order you meet them, with who can lawfully handle each one. For how the federal, Dubai and Abu Dhabi systems work, see How to bid for government contracts in the UAE.

Before you bid

1. Your own UAE PASS. UAE PASS is the only way into the federal Digital Procurement Platform (DPP), whatever kind of supplier you are. The same identity later signs the contract electronically and opens the ICV platform.

Cost and time: free; created the same day, in about 20 minutes of your time.
Valid: ongoing.
Who does it: each person who acts for the company creates their own. It is identity-bound and can’t be delegated.
From abroad: non-residents can usually open a visitor account with a passport; confirm this when you sign up.

2. The federal Supplier Register on the DPP. Every federal tender needs it. Pick the right supplier type (Domestic, Foreign, Free Zone, Freelancer, National SME or SANAA), file the basic data, then complete qualification with your documents, certificates and bank details. Activation follows.

Cost: no fee is stated; the Ministry’s guide calls it free.
Time: the Ministry gives two figures for review, up to 30 working days and, on a newer page, one working day.
Valid: one year, renewed annually.
Who does it: your representative registers with their own UAE PASS and becomes the company’s Owner or Supplier Admin. The admin then uses “Create New Contact” for each adviser, assigns a role, and the platform emails that person their own login. The documents can be prepared for you; the role holder uploads them.

3. Emirate portals, when the buyer is there.

Dubai eSupply is the registration portal for Dubai government entities. Your company’s authorised user registers and accepts the terms on its behalf. Under Dubai Law No. 12 of 2020, UAE and GCC suppliers are the default, and foreign or free-zone firms are admitted only by exception.
The Abu Dhabi Government Procurement Gate (ADGPG) is run by the Department of Government Enablement through TAMM. Abu Dhabi licence holders register themselves with UAE PASS; anyone else asks each buying entity to register them.
Sharjah, Ajman, RAK and state companies such as ADNOC each keep their own supplier registration.

4. Company identity: trade licence and tax registration.

Trade licence: issued by the emirate’s economic department (Dubai DET, Abu Dhabi ADDED) or a free-zone authority. Its number and issuing authority are core registration data, it renews every year, and the DPP warns you when it has expired. A legal consultant or licensed business-setup agent can file it under their own account; owners sign the MoA and other identity-bound steps with UAE PASS.
FTA tax registration: your VAT TRN or corporate-tax status is recorded when you register on the DPP, and VAT-registered suppliers quote the TRN on bids and invoices. A tax agent registered with the Federal Tax Authority files under its own EmaraTax access once you appoint it.

5. The In-Country Value (ICV) certificate, for federal, ADNOC and other ICV buyers. It is scored rather than pass or fail: federal tenders treat it as a required criterion, weighted 25% above AED 5m, and a bidder without one is scored by default at 10% (mainland) or 0%. Getting it takes three things in order:

Nafis partner registration, a prerequisite since September 2025. The company registers itself.
Stand-alone audited IFRS statements from a UAE-licensed auditor, required since 1 January 2025.
The submission on the ICV platform: the auditor and a MoIAT-approved certifying body prepare the template, and you log in with your own UAE PASS and sign it.

MoIAT charges no fee; the certifying body quotes. The certificate is valid 14 months from the date the audited statements were issued, and those statements may be no more than two years old. How the score is built, and how to raise it, is in The UAE ICV certificate explained.

6. National SME status (optional, UAE companies only). The owner applies with UAE PASS, then the company registers on the DPP as a “National SME”. The application can be prepared for you. Among other benefits, it lets a federal SME give 5% retention instead of a performance bond.

With your bid

7. Technical and financial bids on the DPP. A contact holding the bid role prepares and uploads both bids under their own login. Where the role requires it, your authorised representative submits with their own UAE PASS.

8. A bid bond, if the tender asks for one. In Dubai it can reach 2% of the estimated value. Federal percentages are set by the federal procurement manual and the tender itself, so read each tender.

Issued by: your bank, on the buying entity’s template; check the wording before you file.
Cost and time: the bank’s commission; usually 2–5 business days.
Valid: as the tender sets.

9. Proof that your signatory may sign. Tenders and portals ask for a notarised power of attorney or authorisation showing that the person signing and the portal representative act for the licence owner or manager. A legal consultant drafts it in Arabic or both languages, and the owner or manager signs before a notary, in person or with a remote notary using UAE PASS. Validity is whatever the document states.

10. Experience and references. Your track record is technical evaluation evidence; you supply the references and they can be compiled into the bid for you. In federal procurement covered by the India–UAE CEPA, the buyer may not require prior UAE experience.

If you’re in line for award

On a federal award you have 10 business days to hand over the requested documents and bond, and 15 to sign the contract electronically with your own UAE PASS.

Document	Issued by	Who can get it for you	Valid for	What only you do
Performance bond	A bank licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE; federally, a bank outside the UAE also qualifies	Your bank, usually in 3–10 business days, for its commission	Contract term + 90 days (federal)	Apply to the bank
Electronic contract	The federal entity, on the DPP	Your role holder prepares the paperwork	—	Sign with your own UAE PASS
Audited stand-alone IFRS statements	A UAE-licensed auditor	The auditor, under its own licence	No more than 2 years old for ICV	Approve the statements

Federal performance bonds must be unconditional. In Dubai the bond is 10%, and none is needed for contracts up to AED 500,000.

When the tender asks for them:

ISO certificates from an accredited certification body, valid 3 years; you undergo the audit. For manufacturers, ISO 14001, 14046 or 50001, or the Abu Dhabi Green Industries Label, also earns a 1% ICV bonus.
Emiratisation compliance with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Firms with 50+ employees must raise their Emirati share by 2% a year to 10% by the end of 2026; firms with 20–49 employees in 14 sectors faced a penalty of AED 108,000 in January 2026. Emiratisation is also 15% of the ICV score. This is your own HR work: hire and pay through the Wage Protection System (WPS).

Keeping your registration current

Renew the DPP registration every year and replace any document that expires, starting with the trade licence. Expiry dates can be tracked for you, and a role holder uploads the new copies.
Check the ICV certificate before each submission. It lapses 14 months after the audited statements were issued, and recertifying on the same statements does not extend it.
Renew the trade licence annually, before the DPP flags it.

Who does what

Step	Who can do it	What only you do
UAE PASS	Nobody else	Create and use your own
Federal Supplier Register (DPP)	Documents prepared for you; contacts with roles upload	Register as Owner or Supplier Admin; approve contacts and roles
Dubai eSupply	Licence and financial documents prepared for you	Register and accept the terms as the company
ADGPG	Documents prepared for you; registration requested from each buyer if you hold no Abu Dhabi licence	Log in through TAMM with UAE PASS
Trade licence	A legal consultant or licensed business-setup agent	Sign the MoA and identity-bound steps
FTA tax registration	An FTA-registered tax agent, under its own EmaraTax access	Appoint the agent; authenticate where required
Nafis registration	Guidance only	Register the company
ICV certificate	A UAE-licensed auditor and a MoIAT-approved certifying body	Log in with UAE PASS and sign the submission
National SME status	Application prepared for you	Apply as owner
Bid preparation and upload	A bid consultant as a named DPP contact	Submit with your own UAE PASS where the role requires
Bid and performance bonds	Your bank	Apply
Signatory authorisation	A legal consultant drafts; a notary notarises	Sign before the notary
Contract signature	—	Sign electronically with your own UAE PASS

The professionals involved

Professional	Licensed or regulated by	What they do for a bidder
MoIAT-approved ICV certifying body (an audit firm)	Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, National ICV Programme	Review the ICV submission template against the audited statements and issue the certificate; advise on the score components
UAE-licensed auditor	Ministry of Economy auditors register; emirate licensing	Audit the stand-alone IFRS statements ICV has required since 1 January 2025, and the statements tenders ask for
Bank	Central Bank of the UAE	Issue bid bonds and performance bonds
Bid or tender consultant	—	Prepare technical and commercial bids and work on the DPP as a named supplier contact with an assigned role

A bid consultant only ever works as a contact your Supplier Admin has created, under the consultant’s own identity.

If your company is from abroad

You don’t need a UAE company to bid for federal tenders, but Dubai work generally needs a UAE trade licence and a competitive ICV score needs a UAE entity; who may bid where is explained in How to bid for government contracts in the UAE. For the paperwork:

Instead of a trade licence: register on the DPP as a “Foreign Supplier” with your incorporation documents, your home tax registration, the owner’s passport and bank details.
Abu Dhabi: ask each buying entity to register you on ADGPG.
ICV: the template offers international options, but only UAE spend, assets and staff count, and Nafis needs a UAE-licensed entity. New Zealand suppliers are expressly eligible under their CEPA.
Accounts: foreign audited accounts serve for federal registration; ICV still needs a UAE-licensed auditor.
Not open to you: National SME status; Emiratisation doesn’t apply without UAE staff.
Attested documents: the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention. When a tender wants attested papers, they go from a notary at home to your foreign ministry, then the UAE embassy or consulate, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You sign the originals before the notary; a document-clearing agent can carry them through the later steps. A power of attorney signed abroad follows the same chain.
Arabic translation: a legal translator licensed by the Ministry of Justice translates and stamps foreign documents when licensing, attestation or a tender requires it.
ISO and experience: home ISO certificates are accepted as tender evidence, and foreign experience counts, translated where needed.
Bonds: a bid bond usually comes through a UAE bank or is confirmed by one; a federal performance bond may come from a foreign bank.

Pitfalls

Never share your UAE PASS. Every adviser needs their own DPP contact and login.
Don’t plan on Dubai without a UAE licence unless the tender itself states an exception.
Check the CEPA exclusions before counting on treaty treatment: emirate governments, ADNOC, construction, oil and gas, medicines and ICV-programme purchases are outside it.
No UAE footprint means a near-zero ICV score, and federal tenders weight ICV at 25% above AED 5m.
Watch the 14-month ICV clock before every submission.
Read each tender for bond percentages: the federal manual that sets them is published in Arabic only.

Doing it with askTender

In the United Arab Emirates, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on the federal Digital Procurement Platform and works under their own login. You keep your own login and sign only what the law reserves to you: creating your UAE PASS, administering the company’s supplier account, signing before the notary and signing the contract. The askTender Desk prepares the registration data and documents, assembles the bid and tracks expiry dates; askTender Partners, such as an auditor, an ICV certifying body or a bid consultant, do the steps their licence or role covers.

Questions

What do I need before I can bid on a UAE federal tender?

A UAE PASS for the person who will act for the company, and an active entry on the federal Supplier Register on the Ministry of Finance’s Digital Procurement Platform. Registration runs in three steps: you register, then qualify by uploading documents and bank details, then the account is activated. No fee is stated, and it is renewed every year.

Can a consultant log in to the Digital Procurement Platform for my company?

Not with your login. UAE PASS is personal, so your representative registers the company with their own UAE PASS and becomes its Supplier Admin. The admin then creates a contact for the consultant and assigns a role, and the consultant works under their own login.

How long is an ICV certificate valid?

14 months from the date your audited financial statements were issued, and those statements must be no more than two years old. Check the date before every submission. MoIAT charges no fee; the certifying body quotes its own price.

Can a foreign bank issue my performance bond?

For federal contracts, yes: the bond must be unconditional and may come from a bank inside or outside the UAE, valid for the contract term plus 90 days. Dubai and Abu Dhabi entities typically want a UAE bank, and bid bonds from foreign firms usually go through a UAE bank or are confirmed by one.

Do foreign documents need an apostille in the UAE?

No. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so when a tender asks for attested documents they go through a chain instead: a notary at home, your home foreign ministry, the UAE embassy or consulate, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An Arabic legal translation may also be needed.

Sources

This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.