Every step to bid in South Korea: the documents, who handles each…

This is the checklist behind a bid in South Korea: each registration, certificate and signature a Korean government tender involves, in the order you meet them, and who may lawfully handle each one. How Korean procurement works overall, from thresholds and procedures to evaluation, objections and payment, is in How to bid for government contracts in South Korea.

Before you bid

1. Business registration (사업자등록) and its certificate (사업자등록증명). A Korean company needs tax business registration with the National Tax Service before it can register on KONEPS; a non-profit uses a unique number certificate (고유번호증) instead.

Time: the certificate is issued immediately at the counter, within 3 working hours.
Valid: ongoing.
Who does it: a 세무사 registers the business as your tax agent on Hometax. A proxy can collect the certificate in person or by mail, but not online.
What only you do: sign the delegation to the 세무사 and supply the lease and incorporation documents.

2. Corporate registry certificate (법인등기사항증명서) from the Supreme Court Internet Registry Office. Corporations need it for KONEPS, and your registration must carry the trade name exactly as the registry shows it. It is issued online the same day. Anyone may obtain it, so a 행정사 can download it for you, and PPS can also check it electronically through shared administrative information.

3. Licences for works and regulated services. Works registrants need the business registration for their trade, such as 건설업, 전기공사업, 정보통신공사업 or 소방시설공사업; service registrants need the registration under the Act that governs them, for example 엔지니어링 or 소프트웨어사업자. You can bid only for the business types you hold. A 행정사 prepares and files the sector registration with the competent body. You meet the capital, technician and facility requirements and sign; you then add the business type on KONEPS.

4. SME status and direct production, where a tender is reserved. These apply to Korean companies only.

SME confirmation (중소기업확인서) from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups at sminfo.mss.go.kr, confirming size and independence. It runs for an annual period: current certificates are valid from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. You apply on your own account; a 세무사 can prepare the tax and financial data.
Direct production confirmation (직접생산확인), needed to register and bid for designated SME competition products. You apply through the Public Procurement Integrated Information Network (smpp.go.kr) and host an on-site production inspection by the Korea Federation of SMEs; the result links to KONEPS electronically.
Women-owned, disability-owned and social-enterprise certificates from the designated bodies let a firm take single-quote goods and services contracts up to KRW 100 million, against KRW 20 million otherwise. You apply and must meet the ownership criteria.

5. The business certificate (사업자 인증서). Registration and e-bidding are signed with a company certificate from a CA designated by PPS: KOSCOM, KICA (한국정보인증), Crosscert (한국전자인증) or KTNET. The personal joint certificate (공동인증서) no longer counts for identity. It usually lasts 1 year, under the CA’s terms. You buy it in the company’s name, verify identity with the CA and keep the certificate and password yourself; no adviser should ever hold it.

6. KONEPS bidder registration (입찰참가자격 등록). One national registration on KONEPS (나라장터) serves PPS and every user agency for goods, works and services.

Time: processed within 8 working hours of receipt, by rule.
Valid: 3 years for manufactured goods, renewed at least 20 days before expiry; otherwise as long as the licence or document behind it. An annual self-information check (자기정보확인등록) is also required.
Who does it: a 행정사 assembles the evidence (business registration, registry extract, licences). The application itself goes in online under the company certificate, so you or one of your employees files it.
What only you do: log in and submit, and name one 대표대표자 (lead representative).
Goods item numbers (세부품명번호): goods registrants list every 10-digit detailed item number they make or supply, as manufacturer or as supplier. Registering as a manufacturer of general goods needs a factory registration or equivalent proof of direct production, and a trade or import agent registers foreign goods. The item mapping and factory evidence can be prepared for you; you submit under your certificate and host any factory check.

7. Bid agents (입찰대리인). If someone other than your representative will submit bids, register them on KONEPS. They must be your own serving officers or employees, proven by an employment certificate plus social-insurance, payroll-tax or registry evidence, and one person can’t be bid agent for two or more companies. It is free, takes 8 working hours and lasts while the person stays employed. Outside advisers, including a 행정사, can’t be registered.

8. Seal certificate and usage seal (인감증명서 or 본인서명사실확인서, and 사용인감). Needed when registration documents go by post or in person. A usage seal registered on KONEPS then replaces seal certificates for manual bids and contracts. Your representative obtains the certificate and registers the seal personally.

9. Shopping mall and multiple-award listings (종합쇼핑몰, 다수공급자계약), for commonly bought goods. Price agreements are ordered through the KONEPS online shopping mall at prices no higher than your market price, and run for the contract term. The price evidence and application can be prepared for you; you submit and sign under your certificate.

10. Keep the registration current (변경등록). Changes to your representative, trade name, address, factory, bid agents, branches, business types or goods must be registered immediately; it is free and processed in 8 working hours. Check before every bid, because the registration must be valid by 18:00 on the business day before the bid deadline.

With your bid

Start by checking the notice against your registration: the business type or item number, any SME reservation and any regional limit decide whether you can bid at all. The notice and its documents are public.

11. Supplier certificate, in PPS foreign-goods tenders. There the “Bidder” (입찰자) and the “Supplier” (the maker or distributor) together form the contracting party, with joint and several liability, and the tender asks for a supplier or manufacturer certificate or a distributorship agreement. It is drafted on the PPS form and signed by the supplier’s authorised signatory; it is typical where a foreign maker bids through a Korean trading company.

12. Proposal documents. Contracts by negotiation (협상에 의한 계약) need a technical proposal. A Korean-language bid writer prepares it; you approve and submit it.

13. Integrity pledge (청렴계약). Every bidder accepts that bribery or entertainment in bidding, award or performance leads to cancellation, termination and debarment of 1 month to 2 years. It is free and accepted as part of the submission.

14. Bid bond (입찰보증금) or payment undertaking (지급각서). The bond is at least 5% of the bid price and must hold for the bid validity period. Where the notice allows, a signed payment undertaking replaces the deposit, except for credit defaulters and recently sanctioned firms. Foreign-procurement tenders sometimes demand a real deposit, for example for goods of USD 1 million or more, lodged at least 1 day before submission. The undertaking is prepared for you to sign; where a guarantee is needed, a bank, SGI Seoul Guarantee (서울보증보험) or a mutual-aid association (공제조합) issues it to you.

15. Submit with identity verification (신원확인 입찰). Since next-generation KONEPS opened on 6 January 2025, the person submitting an e-bid, your representative or a registered employee bid agent, confirms identity with a means tied to their own smartphone: simple authentication, a financial certificate, a mobile ID or the Nara app. Fingerprint tokens are gone. It is free and happens at each bid; nobody outside your company can do it. Foreign-procurement bids can also go in on paper (see below), and in GPA-covered procurement agencies cannot ban postal bids.

If you’re in line for award

Korean tenders check most qualifications at registration, but a provisional winner can still be asked for more:

What	Who issues it	When it’s asked for	Your part
Qualification review evidence (적격심사): performance records, management status and other proof	You, with a bid writer	After lowest-price ranking in 적격심사 tenders; short deadline set in the notice	Approve the evidence and submit it on KONEPS
Credit evaluation report (신용평가 or 신용조사)	A PPS-designated credit rating company	On PPS request for an overseas provisional winner or supplier; domestic qualification reviews score the credit grade from approved agencies	Give the rating company your financial information; submit the report as the invitation says

Before the contract

Performance bond (계약보증금). At least 10% of the contract price, posted before signing in cash or as a guarantee under Enforcement Decree Art. 37(2). It must last at least as long as the period PPS sets; for foreign goods, at least 90 days after the final shipment. A bank, SGI Seoul Guarantee or a 공제조합 issues it in favour of the buying agency or PPS; you apply and pay the premium.

Sign the contract. Electronically on KONEPS or, abroad, through the PPS procurement attaché. You sign; nobody signs for you.

Who does what

Step	Who can do it	What only you do
Business registration and certificate	A 세무사, as tax agent	Sign the delegation; supply lease and incorporation documents
Corporate registry certificate	Anyone, such as a 행정사	—
Sector licences	A 행정사	Meet capital, technician and facility rules; sign the filings
SME and direct production confirmation	A 세무사 prepares the data	Apply on your own account; host the factory inspection
Business certificate	—	Buy it, verify identity with the CA, keep it and its password
KONEPS registration and changes	A 행정사 prepares the evidence	Submit under your certificate; name the 대표대표자
Bid agents	—	Register your own employees only
Seal certificate and usage seal	—	Obtain it and register the seal personally
Supplier certificate	Drafted on the PPS form	The supplier’s signatory signs
Proposals and qualification-review evidence	A Korean-language bid writer	Approve and submit
Bid bond or payment undertaking	A bank, SGI Seoul Guarantee or 공제조합	Sign the undertaking or obtain the guarantee
E-bid submission	—	Submit with the certificate and your own smartphone check
Credit evaluation report	A PPS-designated rating company	Supply your financial information
Performance bond	A bank, SGI Seoul Guarantee or 공제조합	Apply and pay the premium
Contract	—	Sign it

The professionals involved

Professional	Licensed or regulated by	What they do for a bidder
행정사 (administrative agent)	Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Korean Association of Administrative Agents	Prepares and submits documents to government agencies, such as construction and service business registrations and factory registration papers; assembles the KONEPS registration evidence for Korean firms
세무사 or 공인회계사	Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants, under the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the National Tax Service; KICPA, under the Financial Services Commission	Business registration and VAT filings as tax agent on Hometax; obtains business registration and tax certificates with your authorisation; prepares financial statements for SME confirmation and credit ratings
변호사 or law firm (법무법인)	Korean Bar Association; Ministry of Justice	Reviews contracts and joint-contracting (공동수급) agreements; handles objections (이의신청) and State Contract Dispute Mediation Committee cases; notarises documents where the firm is authorised (법무법인 공증)
공증인 or notarising law firm; a home-country notary for foreign firms	Ministry of Justice; the home-country notarial authority	Notarises the Korean translation of a foreign company’s registration certificate, and private documents such as supplier certificates or powers of attorney where a tender wants originals
Translator	No sworn-translator system; the translation is notarised	Translates the overseas registration document into Korean, giving name, representative and address in English too, and translates tender documents
Korean trading company (무역대리업, 수입대행) registered on KONEPS	Public Procurement Service	Acts as the Bidder in PPS foreign-procurement tenders with the foreign maker as Supplier; can be named as an overseas bidder’s submission-only agent for paper bids
Banks, SGI Seoul Guarantee, 공제조합	Financial Services Commission; sector ministries for the 공제조합	Issue bid bonds, performance bonds and advance-payment guarantees; for foreign suppliers, a home-country bank guarantee or irrevocable L/C in favour of PPS
Certification bodies and credit rating companies	KATS; Financial Services Commission	Issue product certifications a specification may require, and the credit report or grade PPS asks for

Tax registrations and tax certificates are 세무사 work; objections, disputes and legal advice are 변호사 work.

If your company is from abroad

You don’t need a Korean entity to bid in international tenders, though works below the GPA thresholds often need a local joint-contracting member and the domestic shopping mall in practice needs a Korean entity; who may bid, and in which tenders, is in How to bid for government contracts in South Korea, and the registration itself is walked through in How to register on KONEPS as a foreign company. For the paperwork:

An overseas supplier (국외소재업체) needs no Korean business registration or registry certificate: the one registration document is the home-country business registration (or store ownership) certificate. It must come from a competent home authority, otherwise it needs administrative confirmation or notarisation, and it goes in with a notarised Korean translation, plus the company name, representative and address in English. The form, an HWPX file, is uploaded on KONEPS or, where that isn’t possible, posted or hand-delivered to PPS; you sign it and name any submission-only agent in it, and you receive your own registration number. Questions go to the PPS Procurement Registration Team on +82 42-724-7189 / 7507. Overseas bidders sign rather than seal. For e-bidding, the rule lets an overseas firm request a certificate on KONEPS (Art. 13-2(2)), but how that works with the 2025 identity check isn’t documented, so paper is the dependable route: a paper bid you sign, lodged in person, by post, or by the submission-only agent named in your registration. Bid security can be an irrevocable L/C, a bank guarantee or a certified cheque in the tender currency, and your supplier may provide it; the performance bond can be a home-country bank guarantee or a standby L/C in favour of PPS. Later changes of representative, name or address need notarised Korean translations of the evidence. Korea is a party to the Apostille Convention, but PPS’s rule asks for the notarised translation, not an apostille. In international bids, buyers can’t require a Korean track record unless it is essential.

Pitfalls

Miss the 18:00 cut-off and the bid is invalid. Registration, and any change to it, must be in force by 18:00 on the business day before the bid deadline.
An unregistered change voids the bid. Bidding under an old trade name or representative is fatal; check the registry before each bid.
Never hand over the certificate or the smartphone check. Only your representative or your own employee bid agent can verify and submit.
Overseas paper bids count only from the designated agent. A bid lodged by anyone other than the agent named in your registration is invalid.
Never pay part of the contract price for a bid. Registrants may not induce a winner to do so, or help it avoid performing the contract itself (PPS registration rule Art. 18-2).
Foreign firms can’t win SME-reserved or SME-competition products. They need a Korean SME direct-production confirmation.
Overseas e-bidding: ask PPS first. Call the registration team before relying on a certificate route for next-generation KONEPS.

Doing it with askTender

In South Korea, KONEPS lets only the company’s own officers and employees submit e-bids, so you log in and press submit yourself, in a guided session with askTender. Everything before that is prepared for you, and if you bid from abroad on paper, an askTender Partner can be named as your submission-only agent and lodge it. The askTender Desk prepares the bid and the registration evidence and tracks the deadlines; askTender Partners, such as a 행정사, a 세무사 or a translator and notary, do the steps their licence covers; you sign only what the law reserves to you.

Questions

Which documents do I need before I can bid in South Korea?

A KONEPS registration covering the goods item or business type in the tender. For a Korean company that rests on its business registration, its corporate registry certificate and any sector licence, and it is filed online with a business certificate from a designated CA. An overseas company registers with one document: its home-country business registration certificate with a notarised Korean translation.

How long does KONEPS registration take, and how long does it last?

The rule gives officials 8 working hours from receipt. Registration for manufactured goods lasts 3 years and should be renewed at least 20 days before expiry; other registrations follow the licence or document they rest on. Whatever you file must be valid by 18:00 on the business day before the bid deadline.

Can a consultant or partner submit my e-bid on KONEPS?

No. Only your representative or a registered bid agent can submit, and bid agents must be your own officers or employees. The submitter verifies identity on their own smartphone at each bid. Overseas bidders in foreign-procurement tenders are the exception: they can name an outside agent whose authority is limited to lodging the paper bid.

Do I have to pay a bid bond in Korea?

The bid bond is at least 5% of the bid price, but where the notice allows, a signed payment undertaking (지급각서) replaces the deposit. Credit defaulters and recently sanctioned firms can’t use it, and some foreign-procurement tenders, for example for goods of USD 1 million or more, ask for an actual deposit.

What happens if I win?

In qualification-review tenders the provisional winner submits performance records and management-status evidence by a short deadline, and PPS can ask an overseas winner for a credit report from a designated rating company. Before signing you post a performance bond of at least 10% of the contract price.

Do foreign documents need an apostille for KONEPS?

PPS’s rule asks for a notarised Korean translation rather than an apostille, even though Korea is a party to the Apostille Convention. The home-country document must come from a competent authority; if it doesn’t, it needs administrative confirmation or notarisation.

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.