How to bid for public tenders in Croatia

Croatia at a glance


Main law	Public Procurement Act (2016), amended in May 2026
Platform	EOJN RH (eojn.hr): notices, documents, bids, communication and, since September 2026, contracts
National thresholds	EUR 50,000 goods and services; EUR 100,000 works (from 1 September 2026)
EU thresholds (2026–27)	EUR 140,000 central, EUR 216,000 sub-central goods and services; EUR 5,404,000 works
Language	Croatian unless the documents allow otherwise
Guarantees	Bid up to 3%; performance up to 10%
Award	Best value; price at most 90%
Challenges	DKOM: 10 days for awards; warning step for tender documents

Where tenders appear

EOJN RH. All procurement runs on the Electronic Public Procurement Classifieds (EOJN RH), operated by Narodne novine. Since May 2026, buyers and bidders must communicate through it. Viewing notices, downloading documents and submitting bids are free. The platform has an English interface option.
TED. Contracts above EU thresholds also appear on TED.
Simple procurement. From 1 September 2026, purchases above EUR 15,000 must run through EOJN RH’s simple-procurement module. Above EUR 25,000 (goods and services) or EUR 45,000 (works), they must also be publicly announced there.
Guidance and buying. The Ministry of Economy publishes guidance on javnanabava.hr. The Central State Office for Central Public Procurement buys centrally for state bodies.

Thresholds and procedures

Contract	Rule
Below EUR 50,000 (goods and services) or EUR 100,000 (works)	Simple procurement under each buyer’s own rules; objections go to the buyer’s head
From those thresholds up to EU thresholds	Low-value procedures under the Act
At or above EU thresholds	High-value procedures, also on TED

New thresholds. The national thresholds rose on 1 September 2026, from EUR 26,540 and EUR 66,360.
Time limits. High-value open procedures need at least 35 days, or 30 with electronic submission. Restricted procedures need 30 days to ask to take part, then 30 to bid. Low-value procedures can be cut to 20 days.
Consultation first. Before open or restricted works procedures and high-value goods and services, buyers must analyse the market and consult bidders on the draft documents for at least 7 days.
Frameworks and lots. Framework agreements last up to 4 years. High-value buyers must explain a decision not to split into lots.
Award timing. Buyers must decide within 30 days of the bid deadline, unless the documents allow longer.

Who can bid

No Croatian company needed. You need only an EOJN RH account, and the law expects foreign identification numbers. We couldn’t confirm how a company without a Croatian OIB tax number registers; ask the EOJN help desk.
Treaty partners. Under the reworded Article 84, companies, goods and services from WTO GPA countries and other EU agreement partners must be treated no less favourably than EU ones on covered contracts.
Third countries after Kolin. The EU Court’s Kolin ruling (2024) came from a Croatian railway tender. Companies from countries without an EU procurement agreement can’t claim equal treatment. Under the 2026 documentation rulebook, a buyer may bar them in its tender documents, and must say whether the bar also covers consortium members, subcontractors and companies whose capacity a bidder relies on. If it admits them, it may set different terms. DKOM now follows this line.
Utilities. Utility buyers may reject a supply bid if more than half the product value comes from countries without an EU agreement. Among near-equal bids (within 3% on price), they prefer covered origins.
EU medical-device measure. Since June 2025, Chinese companies are excluded from EU medical-device tenders above EUR 5 million.
Language and currency. Bids are in Croatian, in Latin script, unless the documents allow otherwise. Prices are in euro.
Proving eligibility.
- ESPD. The electronic European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) is the first evidence, with one each for subcontractors and companies whose capacity you rely on.
- Can’t be added later: since 2026, a missing ESPD, bid form, priced bill of quantities or bid guarantee can’t be supplied after the deadline.
- Certificates: only the top-ranked bidder provides updated documents, including home-country tax certificates and register extracts.
Exclusion.
- Grounds: criminal convictions, now including unpaid wages, and cartel findings. Foreign equivalents count.
- Tax debts: debts under EUR 1,000 don’t exclude, and you get at least 5 days to pay.
Construction. EEA companies can work temporarily after notifying the ministry, with proof of home-country entitlement and insurance. Companies from WTO member countries are treated the same way. Engineers and site managers must be authorised and registered with the Croatian chamber.

Bidding, step by step

Find tenders on EOJN RH, and on TED for high-value contracts.
Register an EOJN RH account (free). Without a Croatian OIB, confirm the steps with the help desk.
Read the documents. Check the language, currency and any third-country bar.
Raise problems early. To appeal the documents, you must first warn the buyer through EOJN RH by day 10 (see below).
Prepare the bid form, priced bill of quantities, ESPDs and any bid guarantee. These four can’t be added after the deadline.
Submit through EOJN RH before the deadline. A bid submitted there binds you even if unsigned.
If you’re ranked first, send updated home-country evidence within the set period (at least 5 days).
After the award, a 10-day standstill runs. You can inspect the file and appeal within 10 days.
Sign with a qualified electronic signature through EOJN RH within 30 days of the award becoming final (up to 90 if the documents allow). This has applied since 1 September 2026. Then lodge any performance guarantee.
Meet sector licensing before you start, and invoice electronically.

Guarantees and payment

Bid guarantee. Up to 3% of the estimated value (or of the lot), stated as a fixed amount.
Performance guarantee. Up to 10% of the contract value, excluding VAT. Buyers can also ask for advance-payment and defects guarantees and liability insurance.
Cash. A cash deposit is always accepted instead of a guarantee.
Subcontractors are paid directly by the buyer unless there’s a good reason not to.
Payment. Public bodies must pay within 30 days, or exceptionally up to 60 days if agreed in writing and justified. Longer terms are void.
E-invoicing. Public buyers must accept structured e-invoices. Since 1 January 2026, VAT-registered businesses established in Croatia must issue and receive structured e-invoices under Fiscalisation 2.0. We couldn’t confirm which channel foreign suppliers must use.

How bids are evaluated

Best value only. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender. Price or cost may weigh at most 90%, so price-only awards aren’t allowed. The exceptions include negotiated procedures without publication, framework call-offs and defence.
Comparing prices. Prices are compared excluding VAT. On a tie, the earlier bid wins.
Bids above budget are unacceptable, but are still ranked unless the documents say they’ll be rejected.
Abnormally low bids. Under the 2026 rulebook, an explanation is mandatory when a price is more than 30% below the second-ranked bid, or a single bid is more than 40% below the estimate. You get at least 5 days to explain.
Labour rules. Contractors must follow labour law and collective agreements, and buyers can check this during the contract.

Challenging a decision

Where. Appeals go to the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM), only electronically through e-Žalba, linked to EOJN RH.
Appealing tender documents (since 16 May 2026).
1. Warn the buyer about the specific problem through EOJN RH by day 10 after publication.
2. Wait 3 days.
3. Appeal within 15 days of publication.
Appealing an award. 10 days from receiving the decision. The appeal suspends it, so the contract can’t be signed until DKOM rules.
Standstill. 10 days from delivery of the award decision. There’s none for a sole bidder or for framework call-offs.
Fees. EUR 1,320 for contracts up to EUR 265,440; 0.5% of the value up to EUR 13.27 million; EUR 66,360 above that. The losing side pays costs.
Timing. DKOM decides within 30 days of a complete appeal.
Court. DKOM’s decision can be challenged at the High Administrative Court, which decides within 30 days.

What changed in 2025–2026

1 January 2026: new EU thresholds took effect, and Fiscalisation 2.0 made structured e-invoicing mandatory for domestic businesses.
16 May 2026: a major amendment came into force. It brought:
- the warning step before appealing documents, and a 15-day window;
- mandatory EOJN communication and prior consultation;
- new exclusion grounds, including unpaid wages and a EUR 1,000 tax-debt floor;
- a reworded treaty clause.
Before May 2026: procedures already started finish under the old rules.
August 2026: two new rulebooks, on procurement plans and on documentation. The documentation rulebook lets buyers bar non-covered third-country bidders and sets mandatory abnormally-low triggers.
1 September 2026: national thresholds rose to EUR 50,000 and EUR 100,000. Simple procurement moved into EOJN RH, and contracts are now signed with a qualified e-signature through EOJN RH.

Live Croatian tenders

Questions

Do I need a Croatian company to bid on Croatian public tenders?

No. Bidding needs only an account on the EOJN RH platform; the law anticipates foreign identification numbers. Sector rules apply before you perform: for construction, EEA companies notify the ministry and use chamber-registered engineers. How a company without a Croatian OIB number registers on EOJN RH should be confirmed with its help desk.

Can companies from outside the EU bid in Croatia?

Companies from WTO GPA countries and EU agreement partners must be treated like EU companies on covered contracts. Since the Kolin ruling, which began with a Croatian tender, others have no right to equal treatment, and a 2026 rulebook lets buyers exclude them or set different terms in the tender documents.

Can I bid in English in Croatia?

Only if the procurement documents allow it. By default tenders are in Croatian, in Latin script, and prices are in euro unless another currency is permitted.

What guarantees do Croatian buyers require?

A bid guarantee of up to 3% of the estimated value and a performance guarantee of up to 10% of the contract value excluding VAT. A cash deposit is always accepted instead. A missing bid guarantee can’t be supplied after the deadline.

Does the lowest price win in Croatia?

No. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender, and price can weigh at most 90%, with a few exceptions. A bid more than 30% below the runner-up, or a single bid more than 40% below the estimate, must be explained.

How do I appeal in Croatian public procurement?

Appeal electronically to DKOM through e-Žalba. Against an award, you have 10 days and the contract can’t be signed meanwhile. Against tender documents, you must first warn the buyer through EOJN RH by day 10, wait 3 days, then appeal within 15 days. Fees run from EUR 1,320 to EUR 66,360.

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.