How to bid for public tenders in Lithuania

Lithuania at a glance


Main law	Law on Public Procurement No. I-1491 (separate laws for utilities and defence)
System	CVP IS at viesiejipirkimai.lt: notices, documents and electronic bids
Low-value below	EUR 70,000 goods and services; EUR 174,000 works
EU thresholds (2026–27)	EUR 140,000 central, EUR 216,000 sub-central goods and services; EUR 5,404,000 works
Who can bid	No Lithuanian entity needed; security rules for listed states
Payment	30 days, 60 at most
Challenges	Claim to the buyer within 10 days; then the regional court

Where tenders appear

CVP IS. All procurement communication goes through the Central Public Procurement Information System at viesiejipirkimai.lt: notices, documents, questions and bids. It has an English interface and a public search that needs no login.
The old system. The new CVP IS has handled every new procurement since December 2024. The old one goes offline on 1 December 2026.
TED. International procurements, above EU thresholds, are also published on TED.
Central purchasing. Buyers must use the central purchasing body CPO LT’s catalogue when it meets their needs, and must explain if they don’t. Suppliers register separately for it.
Oversight. The Public Procurement Office (VPT) supervises and advises.

Thresholds and procedures

Tier	When
International	At or above the EU thresholds: EUR 140,000 (central) or EUR 216,000 (sub-central) for goods and services, EUR 5,404,000 for works, EUR 750,000 for social services
Simplified	Below the EU thresholds
Low-value	Simplified purchases under EUR 70,000 for goods and services and EUR 174,000 for works. Older sources citing EUR 58,000 and 145,000 are out of date

Low-value rules. These purchases are normally advertised in the CVP IS, but may be unadvertised up to EUR 15,000.
Lots. Above the EU threshold, individual lots under EUR 80,000 (goods and services) or EUR 1 million (works) can use simplified rules, as long as they total no more than 20% of the contract.
Open procedures. International: at least 35 days, or 30 with electronic submission. Simplified: at least 12 days, or 9 with electronic submission.
Restricted procedures. 30 + 30 days internationally (to ask to take part, then to bid), and 10 + 10 in simplified procurement.
Late answers extend the deadline. If the buyer answers questions less than 6 days before the deadline (4 days in simplified procurement), it must extend the deadline.
Duration. Contracts normally last up to 3 years, and framework agreements up to 4 years.
Lots. Buyers must explain if they don’t split an international or works contract into lots.

Who can bid

Foreign companies register in the CVP IS with their home registration code; no Lithuanian company, branch or VAT number is needed. A tender can’t be rejected because Lithuanian law would expect a different legal form.
Consortia don’t need a set legal form to bid.
Treaty partners. Suppliers from WTO GPA countries and other EU agreement partners must get the same conditions as EU suppliers.
Everyone else. After the EU Court’s Kolin ruling (2024), companies from countries without an EU procurement agreement can’t insist on equal treatment.
National security.
- Security-sensitive buyers must exclude suppliers, subcontractors and companies whose capacity a bidder relies on, if they or their owners are registered in, resident in or citizens of states on a government list. This applies to buyers in defence, in strategic sectors, on the secure state data network, or classed as essential cybersecurity entities, when they buy listed items.
- In emergencies, after a government decision, or in mobilisation or war, any buyer may reject bids linked to listed states.
- The lists reportedly cover Russia, Belarus and occupied territories, and one also covers China (excluding Taiwan). We couldn’t read the current government resolution.
Language. Notices are published in Lithuanian, sometimes also in another EU language, and documents follow the State Language Law. The law sets no general rule on the language of bids; each tender’s documents decide.
Proving eligibility.
- ESPD. You file a European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) with your bid. Only the best-ranked bidder supplies evidence before award, and in simplified procurement exclusion certificates usually aren’t needed at all.
- Foreign certificates are accepted from home-country courts or registers, or as a sworn or notarised declaration where none exist.
Construction. Key site roles on Lithuanian construction must be held by certified specialists, and EU and EEA firms can work if they employ them. We haven’t verified the detailed recognition steps.

Bidding, step by step

Find the tender in the CVP IS (no login needed) or on TED.
Register your company in the CVP IS as a supplier, using your registration code and optionally a D-U-N-S number. It’s free. Expect two-factor login, introduced in September 2026.
Download the documents. Check the language rules, the lots, any national-security clauses, and whether you need a CPO LT catalogue registration.
Ask questions early through the CVP IS.
Prepare the ESPD and the bid. If a bid security is required, a guarantee from a non-Lithuanian bank or insurer can’t be rejected for that reason alone. You can ask the buyer to pre-approve it; it must reply within 3 working days.
Submit electronically in the CVP IS before the deadline. Check the documents for the signature requirements.
Watch for the award notice, sent within 3 working days of the decision. It states your ranking and the standstill. Asking to see the winning bid extends both the challenge deadline and the standstill.
If you win, provide the performance security; a consortium may have to form a company.
Invoice electronically. E-invoices in the European standard can go by any channel.

Securities and payment

Bid security is optional. Performance security must be required, as a guarantee, surety or similar.
No set percentage. The law sets no percentage. Notices we sampled showed around 5–10%, but that isn’t a rule.
Foreign issuers. Guarantees from foreign banks and insurers can’t be refused for their nationality.
Payment. Public buyers pay within 30 days of the invoice. A longer term needs an express, justified agreement and can never exceed 60 days. Late payment carries interest at the central bank rate plus 8 points.

How bids are evaluated

Best value. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender, by price-quality ratio, life-cycle cost, or price alone.
Price-only cap. Price-only awards may make up no more than half of a buyer’s yearly procurement value, excluding low-value purchases.
Weightings must be published. A buyer may fix the price and compete on quality alone, or add a social criterion on wage levels.
Abnormally low bids. A price 30% or more below the average of the valid bids is automatically treated as abnormally low. The bidder must justify it or be rejected.
Green procurement. The government’s target is that all procurement value is green from 2023, with exceptions. A purchase counts as green if green criteria cover at least half its value.

Challenging a decision

Start with the buyer. Before signature, you must file a claim with the buyer first, electronically in most procurements, before you can go to court. There is no fee.
Deadline. 10 days from the electronic notice; 5 working days in simplified procurement; 15 days if the notice wasn’t electronic.
Answer. The buyer must decide within 6 working days. If it doesn’t, you can sue within 15 days of the date the answer was due.
Standstill. At least 10 days after the award notice (5 working days in simplified procurement). After a claim, the buyer can’t sign until 10 days (5 working days) after it answers.
Court. Cases go to the regional court, which must rule within 60 days. Appeals are due within 14 days and decided within 45. Interim measures can suspend the procedure or the contract.
Court fees. From EUR 300 (low-value, before award) up to EUR 15,000 (projects of special state importance, after award). International procurements cost EUR 3,000 before award and EUR 5,000 after.
Contracts already signed can be challenged within 6 months. Alternative penalties include a fine of up to 10% of the contract value.

What changed in 2025–2026

February 2025: a new exclusion ground took effect for suppliers that haven’t served a court ban on procurement, and self-cleaning rules were tightened.
May 2025: exemptions from the national-security product restriction lapsed.
1 January 2026: lower EU thresholds took effect, so more contracts count as international.
July 2026: the VPT’s supervision widened, and the CVP IS got new terms of use.
September 2026: two-factor login came to the CVP IS.
Coming:
- 1 November 2026: new rules on public-public cooperation.
- 1 December 2026: the old CVP IS goes offline.
- 1 January 2027: in-house deals between public bodies become an exception that must be justified, which should open more contracts to the market.

Live Lithuanian tenders

Questions

Do I need a Lithuanian company or VAT number to bid?

No. Foreign companies register free in the CVP IS with their home registration code, and can add a D-U-N-S number. A tender can’t be rejected because Lithuanian law would require a different legal form, and a consortium can bid without forming a company; the buyer can ask winners to form one only if necessary.

Where are Lithuanian tenders published?

In the Central Public Procurement Information System (CVP IS) at viesiejipirkimai.lt, which you can search without logging in. Contracts above EU thresholds also appear on TED. All bids are submitted electronically in the CVP IS. The old system goes offline on 1 December 2026.

Can companies from China, Russia or Belarus bid in Lithuania?

Often not. Defence, strategic-sector and essential-cybersecurity buyers must exclude suppliers and subcontractors linked to states on government lists when buying listed items; those lists reportedly cover Russia, Belarus and occupied territories, and one also covers China. In mobilisation, war or emergency, any buyer may reject such bids.

What language are Lithuanian tenders in?

Notices and documents are in Lithuanian, sometimes also in another EU language. The law has no general rule on the language of bids, so each tender’s documents decide whether you can bid in English or must translate.

How fast are suppliers paid in Lithuania?

Public buyers must pay within 30 days of the invoice. A longer term can be agreed only if objectively justified, and never beyond 60 days. Invoices to the European e-invoicing standard can be sent by any channel.

How do I challenge a Lithuanian procurement decision?

First file a claim with the buyer, within 10 days of the electronic notice (5 working days in simplified procurement). It must answer within 6 working days. If you’re still unhappy, sue in the regional court; court fees run from EUR 300 to EUR 15,000 depending on the procurement.

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.