How to bid for government contracts in Japan

Japanese government procurement in one paragraph

Central government buys under the Accounts Act and its cabinet orders, with special orders for contracts covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which Japan has applied in its revised form since 2014. Prefectures and cities follow the Local Autonomy Act, and independent administrative agencies follow their own rules. On top of the GPA, Japan applies voluntary measures to 148 bodies, set out in the Operational Guidelines on government procurement and reviewed every year. They include lower thresholds, longer bid periods, early notice of large purchases and English summaries.

Where Japanese tenders are published

Where	What’s on it
Government Procurement Portal (p-portal.go.jp)	The single system for central government, run by the Digital Agency together with GEPS, the e-bidding system. Search (with an English search page), e-bidding, e-contracts, e-invoicing and Unified Qualification applications. Major public works and defence equipment use their own systems.
Kanpo (the Official Gazette)	Every GPA-covered tender notice, at least 40 days before the deadline. Electronic-only since 1 April 2025.
JETRO’s procurement database	English summaries of Kanpo procurement notices, from central, local and other bodies.
Prefecture and city systems	Local tenders appear in each local gazette and e-bidding system.

Each ministry publishes an English list of its procurement contact points.

The thresholds from 1 April 2026

Japan converts the GPA’s thresholds into yen every two years. These apply from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028:

Contract	Central government	Prefectures and designated cities
Goods and services	¥20 million	¥40 million
Architectural, engineering and technical services	¥90 million	¥300 million
Construction	¥900 million	¥3.02 billion

Below these, ministries can contract directly for small amounts: up to ¥4 million for works, ¥3 million for purchases and ¥2 million for most other contracts. Those limits rose in April 2025, for the first time since 1974. Open-counter small purchases (goods under ¥3 million, services under ¥2 million) need only a GビズID business login, with no qualification or certificate.

How contracts are procured

General competitive bidding (一般競争入札) is the default: 75% of covered contracts by number in 2024, and 60% by value.
Negotiated contracts (随意契約) are allowed when only one supplier can do the job, in emergencies and for small amounts. They made up 25% of contracts by number and 40% by value, most often because only one supplier was possible.
Designated competitive bidding (指名競争入札), where the buyer invites selected firms, is now rare.
Comprehensive evaluation (総合評価落札方式) weighs quality as well as price. It is mandatory above set values for computers, telecoms, medical technology and all supercomputers.

Bid periods:

At least 40 days for GPA-covered contracts.
Electronic publication, documents and bidding can each cut that by 5 days, to a legal floor of 25 days since January 2025. Shorter periods apply for commercial goods or after an advance notice.
Japan’s voluntary measures still aim for 50 days, but real notices often give less.
Below the thresholds, the minimum is 10 days.

For purchases of SDR 800,000 (about ¥160 million) or more, buyers publish a request for information and draft specifications for comment before the tender, which gives early warning.

What you need to qualify

The Unified Qualification (全省庁統一資格) is one supplier qualification valid with every ministry. You apply once, to any ministry office, online or by post.

Grades: A to D, scored on your average sales, equity, current ratio and years in business. For sales and services, grade A covers contracts of ¥30 million or more and grade D those under ¥3 million.
Period: the current one runs to 31 March 2028, and you can apply at any time.
Foreign applicants submit home-country registration documents; no seal or signature is needed. The form must be in Japanese, with translations of foreign attachments, and the result is posted only to an address in Japan. Step by step: how to get the Unified Qualification as a foreign company.
Bidding while pending: on GPA-covered tenders, a bid submitted before the qualification is granted must be accepted, provided you qualify by the time bids are opened.

E-bidding on the portal needs an electronic certificate from a Japanese certification authority. Without a Japanese registration, getting one is the main practical barrier for a foreign firm. Some agencies still accept paper bids case by case.

Bid security is legally at least 5%, but buyers may waive it, for example for qualified suppliers who are unlikely to default.

Construction needs a Japanese construction business licence for anything beyond minor works, plus the Management Matters Review (経営事項審査) for public works. In practice that means a Japanese company. The review’s criteria changed on 1 July 2026.

Language: procedures run in Japanese. GPA-covered notices carry an English summary.

How bids are assessed

The contract goes to the lowest price within the buyer’s confidential ceiling price, or to the most advantageous bid under comprehensive evaluation. For construction and manufacturing contracts over ¥10 million, a bid below the buyer’s benchmark triggers an investigation, and the bid can be passed over.

Complaints: for GPA-covered contracts, you can complain to the Government Procurement Review Board through the Cabinet Office’s challenge system (CHANS).

Deadline: within 10 days of learning the grounds. Late complaints are rejected.
Timing: the board reports in principle within 90 days, and agencies normally follow its recommendations.
Scope: complaints below the thresholds are dismissed. Prefectures and designated cities run their own boards, also with a 10-day deadline.

Getting paid

Inspection within 14 days for works and 10 days for other deliveries.
Payment within 40 days for works and 30 days for everything else, from a proper invoice after inspection.
Late-payment interest of 3.0% a year from 1 April 2026, up from 2.5%. The same law applies to local governments.

Bidding from outside Japan, including from India

Japan is a GPA party, and through the GPA and its trade agreements, suppliers from the EU, the UK, the US, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Canada and other partners have guaranteed access to covered contracts. Japanese law doesn’t restrict bidders by nationality, and the guidelines require domestic and foreign suppliers to be treated alike, though defence and secret procurement can be excluded.

India has no treaty right of access. It isn’t a GPA party. The India–Japan CEPA (in force August 2011) has a short procurement chapter, but:

It promises Indian suppliers only treatment no less favourable than other non-member countries’ suppliers get, “in accordance with its laws”. That is most-favoured-nation treatment, not equal treatment with Japanese firms.
It lists no covered buyers and no thresholds, and leaves a full procurement chapter to talks once India signals it will join the GPA.
It isn’t one of the agreements Japan’s CHANS complaints system covers.

Japan agreed in principle in July 2026 to review the CEPA, but nothing shows procurement is on the agenda.

In practice, for an Indian company:

Get the Unified Qualification. You can apply from India, in Japanese, with your registration documents translated.
Plan for a Japanese presence or partner. E-bidding realistically needs a Japanese branch or subsidiary to get an accepted certificate, or a Japanese partner or distributor that already holds the qualification.
Budget for translation of bids, technical documents and the contract.
Use the contact points. Each ministry publishes an English list of its procurement contacts, and JETRO summarises notices in English.
Treat construction as a Japanese-entity market. It needs a Japanese licence and the Management Matters Review.

What changed in 2025–2026

1 April 2025: the Kanpo went electronic-only, which shortens GPA bid periods by 5 days. Small-value direct-contract limits rose for the first time since 1974.
20 March 2026: open-counter small purchases opened to suppliers with just a GビズID.
1 April 2026: new thresholds (central ¥20 million / ¥90 million / ¥900 million), and late-payment interest raised to 3.0%.
1 July 2026: revised criteria for the construction Management Matters Review.
July 2026: India and Japan agreed in principle to review the CEPA. Its procurement scope is unknown.

Questions

Can Indian companies bid for Japanese government contracts?

Yes. Japanese law doesn’t limit bidders by nationality, and Japan’s guidelines require domestic and foreign suppliers to be treated alike. India has no treaty right of access, though: it isn’t a party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, and the procurement chapter of the 2011 India–Japan CEPA only promises Indian suppliers treatment no worse than other non-member countries get. The practical hurdles are the Japanese language, a Japanese e-bidding certificate and, for construction, a Japanese licence.

What is the Unified Qualification (全省庁統一資格)?

A single supplier qualification valid with every ministry, graded A to D by your sales, equity and years in business. The current period runs to 31 March 2028, and you can apply at any time. Foreign companies can apply with home-country registration documents and no seal or signature, but the form must be in Japanese and attachments translated, and the result is posted only to a Japanese address. See our step-by-step guide to the Unified Qualification.

What are Japan’s procurement thresholds for 2026?

For central government from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028: ¥20 million for goods and services, ¥90 million for architectural and engineering services, and ¥900 million for construction. For prefectures and designated cities: ¥40 million, ¥300 million and ¥3.02 billion.

How long do I have to bid on a Japanese government tender?

At least 40 days for contracts covered by the WTO agreement, and Japan voluntarily aims for 50. Electronic publication and submission can legally shorten that, and below the thresholds the minimum is 10 days.

Do I need a Japanese company to bid?

Not to qualify, but in practice often to bid. E-bidding needs an electronic certificate from a Japanese certification authority, which is hard to get without Japanese registration, and construction requires a Japanese construction licence. Many foreign companies bid through a Japanese subsidiary, branch, partner or distributor.

How quickly does the Japanese government pay?

Within 30 days of a proper invoice after inspection, or 40 days for works. Late payment earns interest at 3.0% a year from 1 April 2026.

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.

How to bid for government contracts in Japan.