How to bid for public tenders in Estonia

Estonia at a glance


Main law	Public Procurement Act, reformed from 1 November 2026
Portal	Public procurement register, riigihanked.riik.ee: free notices, bids and contracts
Simple procurement from	EUR 30,000 goods and services, EUR 60,000 works; rising to EUR 50,000 and EUR 100,000 on 1 November 2026
EU thresholds (2026–27)	EUR 140,000 central, EUR 216,000 sub-central goods and services; EUR 5,404,000 works
Who can bid	EU, EEA and GPA companies on equal terms; no local entity needed
Tender security	Up to 1%
Payment	30 days; over 60 days is void
Challenges	Review Committee, usually 10 days; fee EUR 1,280 or 2,560

The 1 November 2026 reform

Estonia adopted a major amendment on 16 June 2026, in force on 1 November 2026:

Two tiers instead of three. The national tier is abolished. Above the simple threshold and below the EU threshold, contracts run as simple procedures. At or above the EU threshold, full procedures apply.
Higher simple thresholds:
- EUR 50,000 for goods and services (was 30,000);
- EUR 100,000 for works (was 60,000);
- EUR 500,000 for utility and defence works and for social services.
Longer simple-procedure times. At least 15 days to bid for goods and services, and 25 days for works. The standstill goes from 5 to 7 working days, and the challenge window from 3 to 5 working days.
Lighter checks.
- Optional exclusion grounds apply only if the documents say so, and a tax debt can be cured once.
- Top bid only: buyers can check only the top-ranked bid.
- Abnormally low checks focus on works of EUR 500,000 or more.
Already-started procedures are reported to finish under the old rules.

Where tenders appear

One register. The public procurement register at riigihanked.riik.ee is free. It publishes notices, takes electronic bids, handles questions and results, and is used to sign contracts. It also forwards notices to TED for contracts above EU thresholds.
Electronic only. At or above the simple threshold, all communication is electronic, and bids can be examined only after the deadline.
Who runs it. The State Shared Service Centre (RTK) has run the register since 2024. RTK also acts as a central purchasing body for state agencies.
Closing times. Deadlines may only fall Monday to Friday, between 09:00 and 16:00.

Thresholds and procedures

	Until 31 October 2026	From 1 November 2026
Simple procurement, goods and services	From EUR 30,000	From EUR 50,000
Simple procurement, works	From EUR 60,000	From EUR 100,000
National tier (full procedures, shorter times)	Goods and services from EUR 60,000; works from EUR 150,000	Abolished
EU-level procedures	EUR 140,000 / 216,000 goods and services; EUR 5,404,000 works	Same

Below the simple threshold, the Act’s procedures don’t apply, but buyers follow its principles and their own rules.
EU-level open procedures need at least 30 days for goods and services (35 if not fully electronic) and 45 days for works.
Simple procedures currently need at least 10 days for goods and services and 15 for works, rising to 15 and 25 on 1 November.
Frameworks last up to 4 years.
Lots. Buyers must explain a decision not to split into lots; from November, only at or above the EU threshold.

Who can bid

Equal treatment. The Act guarantees equal treatment to companies from Estonia, the EU, the EEA and WTO GPA countries. Bidding needs no Estonian entity.
Everyone else. Companies from countries without an EU procurement agreement have no right to equal treatment after the EU Court’s Kolin ruling (2024). The Ministry of Finance published the Commission’s guidance on this: each buyer decides whether to admit them.
Sanctions. A bidder must be excluded if awarding it would breach an international or Estonian sanction. Bidders declare this.
Language. Expect Estonian, unless the buyer allows a foreign language in its documents. Challenges must be in Estonian.
Proving eligibility.
- ESPD. You file the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), known locally as the hankepass, for yourself and any company whose capacity you rely on.
- Evidence from the winner. The intended winner provides home-country evidence: a criminal-record extract and a tax or insolvency certificate, or a sworn declaration where these aren’t issued.
- Tax debts. You get at least 3 working days to pay or reschedule a tax debt.
Construction.
- MTR notice: firms doing building-permit work, design or supervision file a notice in the Economic Activities Register (MTR) naming a qualified competent person. Foreign qualifications are recognised. We couldn’t confirm whether EEA firms working temporarily must file one.
- Site register: larger sites must register their workers and subcontracting chain with the Tax and Customs Board.

Bidding, step by step

Find notices in the register (free search and alerts), or on TED for EU-level contracts.
Create a user account in the register. Logging in with an EU member-state eID works. We found no official guidance for non-EU users without one.
Read the documents and ask questions through the register.
Check eligibility: exclusion grounds, selection criteria and any sector registration.
Complete the hankepass (ESPD).
Provide tender security if required: up to 1%, as a guarantee or cash deposit.
Submit electronically before the deadline. The Act doesn’t itself require a digital signature, but buyers may ask for one.
Answer any abnormally-low-price query within 5 working days.
If you’re the intended winner, file the evidence behind your ESPD and clear any tax debt in time.
Wait out the standstill and sign, often in the register.
Before you perform, complete any construction registrations and set up e-invoicing.

Securities and payment

Tender security is optional, capped at 1% of the estimated value, and the same for every bidder. It can be a bank, financial-institution or insurer guarantee, or a cash deposit.
Performance guarantees have no legal cap. About 10% appears in sample construction notices, but that isn’t a rule.
Payment. Without an agreed term, payment is due within 30 days of the invoice. A public buyer can rely on a longer term only if it’s expressly agreed and objectively justified. Terms over 60 days are void.
E-invoicing. Invoices to the public sector must be structured e-invoices in the European standard, mandatory since 2019; cross-border invoices can go through Peppol.

How bids are evaluated

Best value. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender on weighted criteria. Price alone is allowed only when every other term is fully fixed, and buyers can fix the price and compete on quality.
Software purchases must consider life-cycle costs, or the buyer must explain why not.
Abnormally low bids. For works, a price well below the next bid or the average triggers a mandatory explanation (currently also a wage test). From November the mandatory check is limited to works of EUR 500,000 or more, and the wage test is dropped.
Green rules. Mandatory green criteria apply to some goods, such as furniture, cleaning, office IT and paper. The 2026 reform adds security considerations to procurement planning.

Challenging a decision

Where. Challenges go first to the Public Procurement Review Committee, in Estonian. You can go to court only after the Committee.
Deadlines.
- General: 10 days from when you knew or should have known of the breach, and never after the contract is signed.
- Documents: challenge at least 5 working days before the bid deadline (2 in simple procedures until November).
- Other simple-procedure decisions: 3 working days now, 5 from 1 November.
Standstill. 14 days after the award notice in full procedures; 5 working days in simple procedures, 7 from 1 November. A contract signed early is void.
Signature while challenged. While the award decision is challenged, the buyer needs the Committee’s permission to sign, given only for overriding public interest. The Committee can also suspend the procedure on request.
State fee. EUR 1,280 below the EU threshold and EUR 2,560 at or above it, doubled from 1 January 2026.
Timing. The Committee decides within 30 days.
Court. Its decision can be appealed to the administrative court within 10 days.

What changed in 2025–2026

2025: minor amendments to definitions, defence procurement and negotiated procedures. In June, the Ministry of Finance published guidance on third-country bidders.
1 January 2026: new EU thresholds took effect, and Review Committee fees doubled.
16 June 2026: the Riigikogu adopted the procurement reform.
1 October 2026: in a declared crisis, crisis-related contracts below the EU threshold can use the simple procedure.
Coming 1 November 2026:
- Thresholds and tiers: the national tier is abolished, and simple thresholds rise to EUR 50,000 and EUR 100,000.
- Simple procedures: longer bidding times, a 7-working-day standstill and a 5-working-day challenge window.
- Checks: lighter checks on smaller bids.

Live Estonian tenders

Questions

Do I need an Estonian company to bid on Estonian public tenders?

No. The Public Procurement Act guarantees equal treatment to companies from Estonia, the EU, the EEA and WTO GPA countries, and bidding needs no local entity. Some work needs a local registration to perform, such as an Economic Activities Register notice for construction that requires a building permit.

Can I bid in English in Estonia?

Only if the buyer allows a foreign language in its procurement documents; otherwise expect Estonian. Any challenge to the Public Procurement Review Committee must be filed in Estonian.

What changes in Estonian procurement on 1 November 2026?

The national tier is abolished. Contracts from EUR 50,000 (goods and services) or EUR 100,000 (works) up to the EU thresholds run as simple procedures, with at least 15 or 25 days to bid and a 7-working-day standstill. Below those amounts the Act’s procedures don’t apply. Procedures already started are reported to finish under the old rules.

How much tender security can an Estonian buyer ask for?

At most 1% of the estimated contract value, the same for every bidder, as a bank, financial-institution or insurer guarantee or a cash deposit. The law sets no cap on performance guarantees.

How quickly do Estonian public buyers pay?

Within 30 days of the invoice unless a longer term is expressly agreed and objectively justified, and any term over 60 days is void. Invoices to the public sector must be structured e-invoices in the European standard.

How do I challenge an Estonian procurement decision?

File with the Public Procurement Review Committee, in Estonian, usually within 10 days of learning of the breach. The state fee is EUR 1,280 below the EU threshold and EUR 2,560 above it. The Committee decides within 30 days, and its decision can be appealed to the administrative court within 10 days.

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.