How to bid for government tenders in Ghana

Ghana at a glance


Main law	Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), amended 2016 (Act 914) and 2025 (Act 1139)
Regulator	Public Procurement Authority (PPA)
Portal	GHANEPS at ghaneps.gov.gh, mandatory
International tender above	GHS 40,000,000 (goods); GHS 54,000,000 (works), since 4 Feb 2026
Foreign bidders	Any nationality; national tenders can be limited to domestic suppliers
Registration	GHANEPS account; PPA supplier database, USD 500 (in cedis) for foreign firms
Language	English
WTO GPA	Not a party or observer, according to US Commerce
Challenges	Buyer within 20 days; PPA Board within 21 days; then court

Where tenders appear

GHANEPS. The national e-procurement system at ghaneps.gov.gh handles procurement plans, notices, documents, clarifications, e-bids, e-auctions and awards. It has been mandatory for all government procurement since a notice of 23 November 2023.
PPA website and newspapers. Invitations must also go on the PPA website and in at least one national daily. International notices must also run in a newspaper that reaches foreign bidders.
Donor-funded projects, such as World Bank and AfDB ones, follow the lender’s rules, subject to PPA prior review and “no objection”.
Paper bids are possible but “highly discouraged”.
Standard documents. PPA’s templates date from 2003 to 2019; each tender’s data sheet sets the actual values.

Thresholds and procedures

Amounts are in Ghanaian cedis (GHS), under L.I. 2516, in force since 4 February 2026.

Method	When
International competitive tendering (ICT)	Goods above GHS 40,000,000; works above GHS 54,000,000; technical services above GHS 20,000,000, according to the US Commerce guide
National competitive tendering (NCT)	Goods above GHS 800,000, up to GHS 40,000,000
Request for quotations	Goods up to about GHS 800,000; works reportedly up to GHS 1,800,000
Consultancy	No value threshold; expressions of interest required, except for single source
Single source or restricted tendering	Only with PPA Board approval

Gaps. We couldn’t confirm the NCT lower limits for works and technical services, the services quotation ceiling, the GHS 1.8 million works figure (from one press article), or whether prequalification is still mandatory above the ICT thresholds.
Who approves. For Category A–C entities, the head of entity approves goods and services up to GHS 800,000 and works up to GHS 3.3 million; the entity tender committee up to GHS 8 million and GHS 54 million; the Central Tender Review Committee (CTRC) above that.
Splitting a contract to avoid a threshold is an offence.
Minimum bid time. At least 6 weeks for ICT. For NCT, at least 2 weeks and at most 6 weeks.
Funding approval. Since April 2025, a buyer can’t start a procurement that needs PPA or CTRC approval without a Finance Minister commitment authorisation (partly waived in 2026; see below).

Who can bid

Any nationality. PPA’s standard documents say bidders and all joint-venture members may be of any nationality.
National tenders. Locally registered firms can enter NCT regardless of nationality. But a buyer may limit an NCT to domestic suppliers: citizens, or companies majority-owned by citizens. It must say so in the first invitation and record why, and that choice can’t be challenged.
In practice, the US Commerce guide says foreign firms usually need a Ghana-registered entity or a local partner below the ICT thresholds.
Treaties. US Commerce says Ghana isn’t in the WTO GPA, and cites a WTO finding that under 1% of tenders were international in 2022.
Language and currency. Bids must be in English. Other-language supporting documents need an accurate English translation of the relevant passages. ICT bids and securities may be in a freely convertible currency; for NCT, the buyer may require cedis only.
Qualification. You must have the capacity for the job, be solvent, and be up to date on taxes and social security. Directors must have no misconduct or false-statement conviction in 10 years.
Supplier registration. The PPA supplier database charges local firms GHS 500 plus GHS 300 a year, and foreign firms the cedi equivalent of USD 500 plus USD 200 a year. Data sheets often ask for proof; we couldn’t confirm whether it’s legally required to bid.
Setting up locally. A foreign company operating in Ghana registers as an external company with the Registrar of Companies. Foreign-owned firms must also register with the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPA) and meet minimum foreign-capital rules.
Construction. Only contractors classified by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources can bid for government building and civil works. Classes are D/K (building/civil, 1–4), E (electrical) and G (plumbing). The ministry’s good-standing list includes Ghana-incorporated subsidiaries of foreign groups. We couldn’t confirm whether foreign contractors need classification for ICT works.

Preferences and local content

The Act lets buyers weigh local content, employment, technology transfer and skills, and allows a margin of preference for domestic contractors, goods and service suppliers, authorised by the PPA Board.

The percentages below come from PPA draft guidelines, undated and marked as pending approval by Parliament. We couldn’t confirm whether the 2022 Regulations (L.I. 2466) restate or change them. They apply only if the data sheet says so.

Applies to	Margin
Goods with local labour, materials and components of at least 15% of the ex-works price	20%
Goods with domestic value added of at least 10% of the ex-works price	15%
Works (ICT only): domestic contractor	10%
Works (ICT only): qualifying JV, or foreign firm subcontracting at least 30% locally	7.5%
Consultancy: local expertise	10–15 technical points

Goods preferences depend on where the goods come from, not who bids, and apply in both NCT and ICT.
Works joint ventures qualify if the local partner holds at least 30%. A domestic contractor can’t subcontract more than 50% to foreign firms.
Consultancy. The minimum 10 points apply where at least 40% of key staff are Ghanaian.

Bidding, step by step

Check the funding and method. ICT is open to all; NCT may be limited to domestic firms; donor-funded projects follow lender rules.
Find notices on GHANEPS “Current Tenders”, the PPA website and national newspapers.
Register on GHANEPS. If you’re not on Ghana’s company registry, register by hand: country, tax ID, address, business type, at least one director and one UNSPSC code. Pay through the Ghana e-payment portal and wait for validation.
Register on the PPA supplier database if the data sheet asks for it.
Set up locally if needed for NCT or works: external company or subsidiary, GIPA, tax ID, then classification.
Download the documents at no fee and ask questions through GHANEPS. Pay any participation fee before you submit.
Prepare the bid in English, with the tender security the data sheet requires.
Upload the encrypted e-bid before the deadline, directly or as an offline-prepared _TENDER.zip file. You can withdraw and re-upload until the deadline.
If you win, sign within 30 days and provide the performance security. If you don’t sign within 30 working days, the buyer can move to the next bidder.

Securities and payment

Bid security. The law sets no fixed percentage; the buyer states the amount, currency and form. The works template asks for an unconditional bank guarantee. We couldn’t confirm the often-quoted 1–2%.
Foreign banks. A security can’t be rejected only because the issuer is outside Ghana; you can ask the buyer to confirm an issuer in advance.
Forfeiture only follows withdrawing or changing your bid after the deadline, refusing to sign, or not providing performance security.
Performance security. The 2003 goods template gives 5–10%, never more than 10%.
Works payment (2019 template). Retention is usually about 5%, never above 10%. Interim certificates are paid within 56 days. Price adjustment is mandatory for contracts over 18 months.

How bids are evaluated

Lowest evaluated tender wins, using objective, weighted criteria disclosed in the documents. No undisclosed criterion may be used.
Other factors can include lifecycle cost, delivery time, local content and technology transfer.
Currency. The works template converts at the Bank of Ghana selling rate 28 days before the deadline.

Challenging a decision

Step 1: the buyer. Complain in writing within 20 days of when you became aware, or should have, of the issue. The buyer must decide within 21 days; if it doesn’t, go straight to review.
Automatic standstill. Once a complaint or review notice arrives, the contract can’t come into force. The bar lifts 14 working days after the decision.
Step 2: the PPA Board. Petition within 21 days; the Board decides within 21 days of starting. We couldn’t confirm whether the filing period runs from awareness or from the buyer’s decision.
Suspension. The Authority may suspend proceedings for 30 working days.
Remedies include overturning decisions, ending the procurement, or compensation limited to bid costs.
Step 3: court. The Board’s decision can be appealed to court; one law-firm guide says the High Court.
Not reviewable: the choice of method, limiting a tender to domestic suppliers, and rejecting all bids.
Fee. We couldn’t confirm whether any complaint fee applies.

What changed in 2025–2026

2 April 2025: Act 1139 introduced commitment authorisation.
4 February 2026: L.I. 2516 came into force. ICT thresholds rose from GHS 10 million to 40 million (goods) and from 15 million to 54 million (works).
Early 2026: the Finance Minister waived commitment authorisation within approving authorities’ thresholds.
26 March 2026: Parliament reportedly passed a Value for Money Office Bill to review contracts. We couldn’t confirm assent or commencement.
April 2026: PPA inaugurated a Complaints Review Committee.
22 July 2026: GIPC became GIPA.
Proposals, not yet law:
- July 2026 budget review: cut lead times for national goods tenders from 23 to 8 weeks and for international works from 27 to 14, and restrict single sourcing. We couldn’t confirm what the lead times measure.
- August 2026: an amendment reportedly requiring direct purchase of listed Ghanaian products.
- October 2026: a reported plan for public institutions to buy food from Ghanaian farmers.

Live Ghanaian tenders

Questions

Can a foreign company bid on Ghanaian government tenders?

Yes. Bidders and joint-venture members may be of any nationality, and international tenders are open to all. National tenders are open to locally registered firms of any nationality, unless the buyer limits them to domestic suppliers at the start. That choice can’t be challenged.

What size of contract goes to international tender in Ghana?

Since 4 February 2026: goods above GHS 40 million and works above GHS 54 million. The US Commerce guide gives GHS 20 million for technical services. Consultancy has no value threshold.

How long do I get to prepare a bid in Ghana?

At least 6 weeks for international tenders. For national tenders, between 2 and 6 weeks.

What does registration cost for a foreign company?

The PPA supplier database charges foreign firms the cedi equivalent of USD 500, plus USD 200 a year. GHANEPS registration has its own fee, and some tenders charge a participation fee.

Do Ghanaian bidders get a price preference?

They can. PPA’s draft guidelines give up to 20% for goods with local content and 10% for domestic contractors in international works tenders. They apply only if the tender documents say so.

How do I challenge a Ghanaian tender award?

Complain in writing to the buyer within 20 days of becoming aware of the issue. Then petition the PPA Board within 21 days, and after that go to court. The contract can’t take effect while a complaint is pending.

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.