How to bid for public tenders in Malta

Malta at a glance


Main rules	Public Procurement Regulations, S.L. 601.03 (under the Public Finance Management Act)
Central body	Department of Contracts
Portal	ePPS at etenders.gov.mt: electronic submission only
Department of Contracts calls from	EUR 140,000 (goods and services); below that, buyers run “departmental” calls
EU thresholds (2026–27)	EUR 140,000 central, EUR 216,000 Local Councils; EUR 5,404,000 works
Language	English
Payment	30 days by default; up to 60 if justified
Challenges	PCRB within 10 days; deposit 0.5%

Where tenders appear

ePPS. All calls are on ePPS (etenders.gov.mt), the free e-procurement portal. Documents, electronic submission and the public opening of bids all happen there, and bidder names and prices are made public at opening.
TED. Calls above EU thresholds are also on TED, linking back to ePPS.
The Department of Contracts sets the rules and runs larger calls for central government.
The Public Contracts Review Board (PCRB) hears challenges, with appeals to the Court of Appeal.

Thresholds and who runs the call

The 2026 EU thresholds took effect on 1 January 2026, through a Department of Contracts circular. The consolidated regulations still show the older 2024–25 figures.

Value (excluding VAT)	Rule
Up to EUR 5,000	3 quotations, an ePPS publication, or a direct contract
EUR 5,000 – 10,000	Quotations through ePPS, or a direct contract
EUR 10,000 – under EUR 140,000	Departmental call run by the buyer on ePPS; direct orders need ministerial approval
From EUR 140,000 (goods and services)	Department of Contracts call; EU-level
Works from EUR 5,404,000	EU-level
Local Councils	Run their own procurement; EU-level from EUR 216,000
Utilities	Departmental below EUR 432,000

Departmental calls are normally open procedures, with at least 20 days to bid (15 in extreme urgency).
Department of Contracts open calls need at least 35 days, 5 fewer with electronic submission. Restricted procedures need 30 days to ask to take part, then 30 to bid.
Frameworks and lots. Framework agreements last up to 4 years. Above the departmental threshold, buyers must explain a decision not to use lots.

Who can bid

Foreign companies can bid directly, and Maltese law draws no distinction by place of establishment. A company entitled to do the work at home can’t be rejected for its legal form. Groups need no legal form to bid.
Treaty partners and others.
- Covered countries: companies from WTO GPA countries and other EU agreement partners have guaranteed access to covered contracts, and 2026 Maltese notices are marked as GPA-covered.
- Everyone else: after the EU Court’s Kolin ruling (2024), companies from other countries are admitted at each buyer’s discretion. We found no Maltese guidance on this.
EU medical-device measure. Since June 2025, Chinese bidders are excluded from medical-device tenders of EUR 5 million or more, and winners may source at most half from China.
Foreign investment screening. Since a May 2026 circular, procurements involving “critical activities” may need a notification to the National FDI Screening Office between award and signature, when a third-country investor is involved. This is reported from law-firm summaries.
Language. English: 2026 notices list it as the only language for documents and tenders.
Proving eligibility.
- ESPD. Department of Contracts calls use the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) as a self-declaration.
- Certificates. Buyers must accept equivalent foreign certificates.
- What’s typically asked: a VAT number, trade licence and company registration number.
Construction. Contractors doing demolition, excavation or construction need a Building and Construction Authority licence, fully in force since January 2025. It’s reported to cover foreign contractors too.

Bidding, step by step

Find the call on ePPS, or on TED for EU-level calls.
Check eligibility. Look for the GPA flag in the notice. If you’re from a non-covered country, check the medical-device measure and possible foreign-investment screening.
Activate a free ePPS account. Non-Maltese companies can do this directly. Read the portal’s terms and the manual for economic operators.
Download the documents free from ePPS.
Ask questions, or challenge the terms, early. A challenge to the terms must be made within the first two-thirds of the bidding period.
Prepare the bid in English with the ESPD, technical and financial offers, and any tender guarantee the documents ask for.
Submit on ePPS before the deadline.
Wait for the result. You’ll get the proposed award or rejection, with reasons and the standstill period.
If you win, provide any performance guarantee, complete any foreign-investment notification, hold a BCA licence for works, and invoice electronically.

Guarantees and payment

Guarantees. The regulations don’t set bid-bond or performance-guarantee amounts. They’re set in each tender under the Department of Contracts’ general rules, so check the documents. Losing bidders’ bid bonds are released within 30 days of the award.
Payment. Public authorities pay within 30 calendar days by default. A contract can set up to 60 days if objectively justified; public healthcare bodies get 60 by default.
Late payment. Statutory interest is the ECB rate plus 8 points: 10.40% from July 2026. You’re also owed at least EUR 40 in recovery costs.
E-invoicing. Department of Contracts contracts require electronic invoicing.

How bids are evaluated

The law. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender: price, cost or best price-quality ratio, with weightings published.
In practice, many Department of Contracts calls award to the cheapest compliant bid.
Order of checks. Administrative compliance, exclusion, selection, technical compliance, then price.
Abnormally low bids. The buyer must ask for an explanation. If you miss its reply deadline, that counts as accepting your bid is abnormally low.
Green rules. Malta’s 2022–2027 plan makes green criteria mandatory for most product groups, including quotations from EUR 5,000.

Challenging a decision

Before the deadline: challenge the terms. Apply to the PCRB within the first two-thirds of the bidding period, against unlawful or discriminatory terms, errors or ePPS problems. The deposit is 0.5% of the estimated value, up to EUR 50,000. The call is suspended, and a new closing date is set.
After the award: object to the result.
- When: for contracts of EUR 5,000 or more, object within 10 calendar days of the electronic notice.
- Deposit: 0.5%, minimum EUR 400, maximum EUR 50,000.
- Effect: no contract can be signed during the 10 days, and an objection suspends the award.
Timing. The PCRB decides within 6 weeks of the hearing.
Court of Appeal. Appeal within 20 calendar days of the PCRB decision being published. The court decides within 4 months, and the call stays suspended meanwhile.
Contracts already signed. For EU-level contracts, an ineffectiveness claim must be filed within 30 days of being told of the contract, or 6 months otherwise.

What changed in 2025–2026

February 2025: the PCRB can now get additional permanent members.
June 2025: the EU medical-device measure against China began to apply.
2025: Mater Dei and Gozo General hospitals were added to the central list of buyers.
1 January 2026: lower EU thresholds took effect (EUR 140,000 / 216,000 / 432,000 / 5,404,000).
June 2026: foreign-investment screening was brought into procurements involving critical activities.
1 July 2026: the late-payment interest rate rose to 10.40%.

Live Maltese tenders

Questions

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

No. Foreign companies can bid directly, and Maltese law draws no distinction based on where you’re established. Groups can bid without a particular legal form. You need a free ePPS account, which non-Maltese companies can activate directly.

What language are Maltese tenders in?

English. Maltese and English are both official languages, and the Department of Contracts’ 2026 notices list English as the only language for documents and tenders.

Who runs a Maltese tender: the buyer or the Department of Contracts?

It depends on value. Below EUR 140,000 (EUR 432,000 for utilities), the buying body runs its own ‘departmental’ call on ePPS. At or above it, the Department of Contracts runs the call for central government. Local Councils and some other bodies run their own procurement at any value.

Can companies from outside the EU bid in Malta?

Companies from WTO GPA countries and other EU agreement partners have guaranteed access to covered contracts. After the Kolin ruling, others are admitted at each buyer’s discretion. Chinese bids for medical-device tenders of EUR 5 million or more are excluded, and since 2026 some critical-activity contracts need foreign-investment screening before signature.

How quickly do Maltese public buyers pay?

The default is 30 calendar days, and a contract may set up to 60 days if objectively justified. Late payment carries statutory interest, 10.40% from July 2026, plus at least EUR 40 in recovery costs. Public contracts require electronic invoicing.

How do I challenge a Maltese tender award?

Object to the Public Contracts Review Board within 10 calendar days of the electronic award notice, with a deposit of 0.5% of the estimated value (EUR 400 to EUR 50,000). The contract can’t be signed meanwhile. Challenges to the tender terms must be filed within the first two-thirds of the bidding period.

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.