Documents Needed to Bid on Public Tenders in Mauritius

This guide is the checklist behind a Mauritian public bid: each document and step, grouped by the point in a procurement when it is asked for, with who can lawfully do it. For how Mauritian procurement works overall (the law, the Central Procurement Board, methods and thresholds, reservations, preferences, evaluation and challenges), see How to bid for government tenders in Mauritius.

Before you bid

Your company and tax records

1. Incorporation and Business Registration Number (Mauritian bidders). Incorporation under the Companies Act 2001 gives you a Business Registration Number that must appear on every business document. You need it for a MauSign Organisation certificate, for VAT, and for any local preference or SME scheme.

Cost: incorporating a private or public company is free; a signed certificate costs Rs 300 on request. The annual registration fee runs from Rs 500 (turnover up to Rs 30M) to Rs 18,000 (private company, turnover over Rs 100M), due between 3 and 20 January each year.
What goes in: at least one resident director, forms F1, F7, F8 and F9, a beneficial-owner declaration and proof of address.
Who does it: a director, secretary, shareholder or authorised representative files online through the MNS portal or at the Registrar; a lawyer or company-secretarial firm can file as your authorised representative. Your directors and shareholders sign their consents (F7 and F9) and the beneficial-owner declaration.
From abroad: non-citizen directors give passport copies, and where there is no local resident an EDB investor’s permit is needed.

2. Tax Account Number (TAN) and VAT with the MRA. VAT registration becomes compulsory once taxable turnover exceeds, or is likely to exceed, Rs 3 million; your VAT number is the same as your TAN. Bid prices are compared without VAT.

Cost: free.
Valid: ongoing; the VAT certificate and distinctive mark must be displayed at your business premises.
Who does it: simplified VAT registration runs online with your NID, BRN or TAN and password, and MRA-approved e-filing service centres can register on your behalf. From 30 June 2026 anyone preparing returns or representing you before the MRA must be a registered tax agent (TARN), with a transition to 31 December 2026. The agent works under their own registration; you keep your own MRA password.

Your e-PS account and digital signature

3. e-PS supplier registration. Bids for tenders on the Government e-Procurement System are accepted only online, and only from registered suppliers.

Cost: free; there is no fee to register or to take part in bidding.
Time: OPEN-category registration is approved automatically on submission; the activation email can take up to 60 minutes.
Valid: the OPEN category does not expire; the RESTRICTED category lasts 2 years and must then be revalidated.
Who does it: your organisation’s Authorised Person signs up (Sign up > SIGN ME UP), accepts the Terms of Use and activates the account from the emailed link. The three “My Registration” forms (organisation information, document uploads, business interests) can then be pre-filled for you to submit. Only one registration is allowed per organisation.
What you’re agreeing to: the System Usage Agreement binds your organisation to every transaction made under that login.

4. MauSign digital signature certificate. A personal certificate used on e-PS to encrypt and sign your bid data and the bid hash; you cannot bid online without one.

Cost: Citizen certificate, 1 year: 500 MUR. Organisation certificate, 1 year: 1000 MUR.
Time: tender notices warn it may take up to four days, so apply well before the bid.
Valid: 12 months, renewable within 30 days of expiry.
Who does it: the individual who will sign applies online, uploads the documents, pays and attends a face-to-face identity check at a Registration Authority office (the Post Office); the certificate is then issued with emailed authorisation and reference codes. The holder keeps sole control of the private key.
For an Organisation certificate: the applicant’s ID, your Business Registration Certificate, the ID and passport of the authorised signatory if different, a notarised board resolution for the authorised signatory, and an authorisation or power of attorney for the applicant.

5. Notarised board resolution (Organisation certificate only). Your board passes the resolution naming the authorised signatory, a notary notarises it, and the originals are shown at the face-to-face check. The resolution can be drafted for you.

6. Signing utility and certificate mapping. e-PS needs the NexProcure Signing and Encryption Utility (NSEU) and Java on the signer’s computer, and the certificate must be assigned to the user profile before it can sign or encrypt. It is free and takes under an hour; an updated NSEU version 401.19.119 was announced in July 2026, and you reinstall whenever the PPO publishes a new one. The certificate holder installs it on their own machine and maps the certificate under Dashboard > My Information > Digital Certificate Details > ADD, then runs the “Test” function, with guidance if needed.

Sector and status registrations

7. Construction Industry Authority (CIA) contractor registration. Statutory registration to undertake construction works, by class (building, civil, MEP, specific works) and grade. You must already be registered in a grade that covers the contract value when you bid; micro-contractors on contracts under Rs 1 million are exempt. The application goes through the CIA e-registration system (cidbregistration.govmu.org): an engineer can prepare the turnover and evidence, and you submit and sign under your own account. Registration is renewable, and valid certificates can be checked online. Confirm the current fees and grades with the CIA.

8. CIA consultant firm registration. Firms offering construction consultancy (architecture, engineering, quantity surveying, project management, EIA and other fields, 15 in all) must be registered; independent registered professionals need not. You submit online on the CIA e-registration system, which has local, foreign and joint-venture routes.

9. CIA provisional registration (foreign contractors and consultants). Foreign contractors and consultants, and joint ventures with a foreign party, must hold provisional registration before bidding, valid 1 year, and normally have to collaborate with a local contractor or consultant unless the CIA waives it. A Mauritian lawyer or consultant can prepare and file it as your representative; you sign the application and the collaboration or JV agreement. It does not apply to projects under agreements with foreign states or international lenders.

10. SME Mauritius registration. Evidence of SME status for SME reservations (such as works up to Rs 50 million and some goods and services) and margins of preference (30% on goods, and 30% on works above Rs 30M for SMEs with turnover of Rs 100M or less). The application can be prepared from your company records; you submit and sign it as the enterprise.

11. Made in Moris label. Run by the Association of Mauritian Manufacturers, it certifies local origin; SMEs holding it get a 40% goods margin of preference where the tender applies it.

Cost: SGS conformity visit Rs 8,625 + VAT (turnover under Rs 10M) or Rs 13,225 + VAT (over Rs 10M); annual flat contribution from Rs 7,623 excl. VAT for turnover under Rs 10M (minimum Rs 23,331 for SMEs in a group).
Valid: annual membership.
Eligibility: legal documents, a registered trademark, 25% value added, 80% of turnover from local production and at least one year of activity.
Steps: application file, Zoom pre-visit, SGS on-site conformity visit, then labelling and fee payment. The file can be assembled for you; you host the visit and pay the membership.

With your bid

12. Bid Submission Form declarations. You declare that you have no conflict of interest, that you have not been declared ineligible in Mauritius or by an international financing agency, and the nationality of your company and its subcontractors. The PPO debarment list and the multilateral development bank lists linked from ppo.govmu.org can be checked and the form pre-filled; your authorised signatory signs. False information is a ground for debarment of up to 5 years (PPA s.53), and a bidder, or related company, that prepared the specifications cannot bid (PPA s.52(5)).

13. Written authority for the bid signatory. Written confirmation that the person signing can commit your company: a board resolution, a delegation from the CEO, or a power of attorney.

When: goods contracts above Rs 100 million (the goods document asks for no written evidence below that), works documents, and whenever the bid data sheet asks.
Cost: free, plus notary fees if notarised.
Valid: for a set period or a specific purpose.
Who does it: drafted for you from the document’s wording; your board or CEO signs. Each signatory’s name and position are typed under the signature, and withdrawing or modifying a bid also needs a copy of the authority.
From abroad: if executed abroad and used in Mauritius as a public document, notarise and apostille it.

14. The forms and evidence you’ll be asked for.

Document	When it’s asked	Who prepares it	What only you do
Disclosure of a Mauritian agent: whether you have one and, if so, the agent’s name and address, agency terms, commission (amount, currency, payment mode) and tax registration number	Every bid by a foreign individual or firm (reg. 11)	Drafted for you	Sign the disclosure
Local after-sales agent, able to do maintenance, repairs and spare-parts stocking	Overseas bidders not doing business in Mauritius, where the bid data sheet requires it (reg. 17)	A local service agent identified and the agreement documented	Sign the agency agreement
Manufacturer’s Authorization, on the manufacturer’s letterhead, for supply (and installation) in Mauritius	Goods tenders where the bid data sheet requires it	Your manufacturer, on the standard form	Obtain it from the manufacturer
Joint venture agreement or letter of intent, plus a JV Partner Information Form from each partner	JV bids, including foreign contractors teaming with a local firm	A Mauritian lawyer drafts the agreement	All partners sign; partners are jointly and severally liable and nominate a representative
Audited financial statements for the years set, and the key financial information form	Works and most goods tenders with qualification criteria	Your accountant or auditor; the form filled for you	Certify that the extract matches the audited accounts
Experience evidence: similar contracts, key staff, equipment, and proof that goods meet the usage requirements	Every tender with qualification criteria	Reference contracts, completion certificates and CVs compiled into the forms	Supply genuine records
Certified English translation of any document in another language (French documents may be accepted)	Any non-English supporting document	A translator	Supply the originals
The price	Every tender	—	Set it yourself

Local bidders who are not required to file audited accounts submit the financial statements they filed with the Registrar of Companies before the bid deadline.

15. Bid-Securing Declaration or bid security.

Bid-Securing Declaration: free, subscribed in the Bid Submission Form instead of a guarantee, and valid until contract signature or notice of non-award. It is typical below Rs 200 million where the bid data sheet chooses it; for a JV it is in the name of the JV or all intended partners. Breaching it (withdrawing, refusing to sign or to provide performance security) can make you ineligible for up to 5 years.
Bid security guarantee: an unconditional guarantee of a fixed amount, mandatory above Rs 200 million and optional below. It comes from a commercial bank or insurer operating in Mauritius or, for goods, a reputable overseas bank; for works, a local or reputed overseas bank or a local insurance company. It stays valid 30 days beyond bid validity (bid validity runs up to 90 days local, 120 international, 180 complex).
The original matters: copies are not accepted. On e-PS tenders the bidding document says how to deliver the original, usually by hand before the deadline.
Who does it: you apply to your bank or insurer on the standard form and give the counter-indemnity.

16. Submitting on e-PS.

Respond: find the Invitation for Bids and click Respond. Only one user per organisation can respond to a given IFB, and it locks to the first user who clicks, so agree beforehand who that will be.
Download and ask: download the bidding document (paying any service fee shown, zero if none) and send clarification queries to the public body through e-PS.
Prepare and sign: fill the bid templates, upload documents to the briefcase, then encrypt and sign with the mapped certificate. Generate and sign the bid hash before the closing time; you can rework the bid until then. Approve the final content and price before signing.
Deliver originals: hand in the original bid security, or samples, as the bidding document directs.
After closing: decrypt and re-encrypt the bid in the window after closing, using the same certificate that encrypted it.

If you’re in line for award

Step or proof	Issued by	Cost and time	Valid for	What only you do
Beneficial ownership disclosure: ultimate owners and main shareholders, so the buyer can check suspension and debarment lists and Financial Intelligence Unit circulars	You, for preferred bidders on contracts of Rs 200 million or more (Regulation 45 as amended GN 221/2024)	Free	—	Confirm and sign the disclosure, through to the ultimate owners of any foreign parent
Performance security: unconditional and on demand, commonly 5–10% of the contract price for works and typically 10% for goods	Your bank or insurer (a local bank or insurer under the works document)	Within 28 days of the Letter of Acceptance	Until completion and the defects period	Arrange and counter-indemnify it; without it the award is annulled and your bid security forfeited or declaration triggered
Preference security, if you won works with the local-manpower margin	A local bank: a bank guarantee above Rs 100M; up to Rs 100M, retention from progress payments or a guarantee, at your option	With the performance security	—	Employ at least 80% local manpower, or it can be forfeited
Cost structure of local inputs, to keep the goods margin of preference (at least 25% local value added)	Your certified accountant, on the public body’s template	—	—	Provide true cost data and sign as bidder
Evidence of women ownership, for the extra 10% goods margin	You: shareholder register and BRN extracts (the document doesn’t specify the form)	—	—	Provide and sign it
Contractor’s insurances (works): joint-name covers for the works, equipment and third-party property, your employees’ injury, and third-party liability of at least Rs 100 million unless the contract data says otherwise	Your insurer or broker	Market premiums	Through the defects liability period	Buy the policies
CIA supplier registration, for listed construction materials (aggregates, cement, steel, timber, ready-mix, paint and waterproofing) and plant (cranes, lifts, scaffolding, earth-moving)	Construction Industry Authority, online	—	—	Submit the application
Foreign company registration (Companies Act 2001, s.276), to perform the contract in Mauritius	Corporate and Business Registration Department, filed by a lawyer	Signed certificate Rs 300; annual fee Rs 27,000 (Rs 40,500 after the due date)	Annual fee each year	Execute the power of attorney and memorandum under seal; sign the shareholder and beneficial-owner lists
CIA temporary registration (foreign contractors and consultants)	Construction Industry Authority	—	The duration of the project	Sign the application

Works retention (half released at completion, half after 6 months) can be replaced by an on-demand bank or insurance guarantee. Mauritian companies also keep a beneficial-owner register with the Registrar, and changes must be filed within 14 days.

Apostilles. Mauritius is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Mauritian public documents get an apostille from the Prime Minister’s Office countersigned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, free of charge; foreign documents, such as a parent company’s certificate of incorporation and constitution, are notarised where needed and apostilled in the home country. You sign the documents before the notary.

Who does what

Step	Who can do it	What only you do
Incorporation, BRN and s.276 foreign-company registration	A lawyer or company-secretarial firm, as authorised representative	Directors and shareholders sign consents, lists and the beneficial-owner declaration
TAN and VAT	An MRA-registered tax agent or approved e-filing service centre	Keep your own MRA password
e-PS registration	The forms pre-filled for you	The Authorised Person signs up and accepts the System Usage Agreement
MauSign certificate	Nobody else: issued only to the named individual	Apply, attend the face-to-face check, keep the private key
Board resolution for the Organisation certificate	Drafted for you; a notary notarises	The board passes and signs it
NSEU and certificate mapping	Guidance on your machine	The certificate holder installs and maps their own certificate
CIA registrations	An engineer or lawyer prepares; a lawyer or consultant can file foreign provisional registration	Submit and sign; sign the local collaboration agreement
SME, Made in Moris and women-ownership evidence	Files assembled for you	Apply as the enterprise; host the SGS visit
Declarations, signatory authority and agent disclosure	Drafted and pre-filled for you	The board or CEO signs the authority; the signatory signs the declarations
Financial statements and local-inputs cost structure	Your MIPA-registered accountant	Certify the extract; provide true cost data
Bid security, performance and preference security, insurances	Your bank or insurer	Apply and give the counter-indemnity; buy the policies
e-PS bid: respond, encrypt, sign, re-encrypt	The certificate holder who responded	Approve the content and price
Beneficial ownership disclosure	Ownership chart prepared from your records	Confirm and sign it
Apostilles	A notary, then the competent authority	Sign before the notary

The professionals involved

Professional	Licensed or regulated by	What they do for a bidder
Public Accountant or Professional Accountant registered with MIPA (members of ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, ICAS, CAI, ICAI and SAICA must register)	Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants (MIPA)	Audit or prepare the financial statements and the key financial information extract, sign the cost structure of local inputs, certify the local-manpower audit report for the works preference, and handle VAT and tax filings as an MRA-registered tax agent
Registered tax agent (TARN)	Mauritius Revenue Authority	Register you for VAT and TAN, file returns under the agent’s own registration, and represent you before the MRA
Law practitioner (attorney or barrister)	—	Incorporate a company or register a foreign company as authorised representative, draft JV agreements, powers of attorney and resolutions, file CIA provisional and temporary registrations, and file challenges and Independent Review Panel applications
Notary	—	Notarise the board resolution for a MauSign Organisation certificate, and powers of attorney used for bids or company filings
Commercial bank or insurance company operating in Mauritius (or a reputable overseas bank for goods bid security)	—	Issue bid, performance, preference, advance-payment and retention guarantees on the PPO forms, and provide works insurances
MauSign CA and its Registration Authority offices	Controller of Certification Authorities	Issue the Citizen and Organisation certificates used on e-PS, after a face-to-face identity check
SGS and ISO certification bodies	—	Run the Made in Moris conformity visit, and certify management systems where a tender asks for ISO certificates
CIA-registered construction consultant or local contractor	Construction Industry Authority	Act as the local collaborating firm a foreign contractor or consultant normally needs, and prepare technical proposals and CIA registration evidence
Translator	—	Certify English translations of non-English bid documents
Bid consultant	No statutory regulator	Prepare bid templates and documents, and respond on e-PS under their own secondary-user login and MauSign certificate when you authorise it in writing

If your company is from abroad

You don’t need a Mauritian company to bid, except in construction works and construction consultancy, where you normally partner a local contractor or consultant unless the CIA waives it; which tenders are open to you is explained in How to bid for government tenders in Mauritius. For the paperwork:

You register on e-PS through the same portal and process, entering your foreign identifiers in the organisation form. The MauSign certificate is the hard part: Citizen certificates target local individuals (a passport is accepted only for Mauritian citizens abroad without an ID), the Organisation certificate needs a Mauritian Business Registration Certificate, and tender notices send international bidders to MauSign support (support@mausign.govmu.org); whether a non-resident foreign national can get one is not published. Every foreign bid discloses any Mauritian agent. Foreign references count, and the buyer can accept equivalent documentation where a document isn’t issued in your country (regulation 12). If your home law doesn’t require audited accounts, other financial statements acceptable to the employer can be given, translated into English (French may be accepted). For goods, a reputable overseas bank can issue the bid security; works performance security must come from a local bank or insurer, so you need a Mauritian bank relationship or a locally confirmed guarantee, and works insurance must be local or accepted by the employer. Powers of attorney and corporate documents executed abroad are notarised and apostilled. SME status, Made in Moris, the women-owned margin, the local-inputs margin and the local-manpower preference aren’t open to you. To perform the contract in Mauritius, you register under s.276 once you win.

Pitfalls

Never share an e-PS password or MauSign certificate. The System Usage Agreement forbids sharing user IDs, passwords or certificates with anyone else.
Decide who responds before anyone clicks Respond. The IFB locks to the first user of your organisation who does.
Guard the certificate. The certificate that encrypted the bid must decrypt and re-encrypt it after closing; check its validity covers the whole tender, and back it up.
Get the MauSign certificate early. It can take up to four days, with a face-to-face check.
Deliver original bid security on time. Some tenders still want an original bank guarantee delivered by hand.
Don’t breach a Bid-Securing Declaration. Withdrawing, refusing to sign or failing to give performance security can bar you for up to 5 years.
Check the debarment lists (the PPO’s and the multilateral development banks’) before preparing a bid, and stay out of any tender whose specifications you or a related company prepared.
Foreign construction bidders: have CIA provisional registration and the local collaboration arrangement in place before you file, unless the project is lender- or foreign-state-funded.
Claim preferences only with the evidence in hand. The 2026-27 budget requires Made in Moris SMEs to prove local production.
Disclose any agent and their commission, with the agent’s tax number, if you are a foreign bidder.
Never collude with other bidders. Collusion is a ground for debarment of up to 5 years (PPA ss.52–53).
Check that your accountant is registered with MIPA. Only MIPA-registered Public Accountants may offer public practice services (MIPA s.52).

Doing it with askTender

In Mauritius, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on e-PS and works under their own login. You keep your own login, and sign what only you can sign. Because data signed with a user’s certificate binds your organisation, you give that Partner written authority (a board resolution or power of attorney), and they sign with their own MauSign certificate. What stays with you is what the law reserves to you, such as the e-PS System Usage Agreement, your own certificate application, the signatory authority, the declarations and the contract. The askTender Desk prepares the forms, declarations and evidence, assembles the bid and coordinates the certificates and securities; askTender Partners, such as a law practitioner, a notary, a MIPA accountant or a registered tax agent, do the steps their licence covers.

Questions

How do I get a MauSign digital certificate for e-PS?

The person who will sign applies online, uploads the documents, pays (500 MUR for a 1-year Citizen certificate, 1000 MUR for a 1-year Organisation certificate) and attends a face-to-face identity check at a Registration Authority office (Post Office). It can take up to four days and lasts 12 months, renewable within 30 days of expiry. An Organisation certificate also needs your Business Registration Certificate and a notarised board resolution for the authorised signatory.

Can a foreign company get a MauSign certificate?

It isn’t published. Citizen certificates are aimed at local individuals, and the Organisation certificate needs a Mauritian Business Registration Certificate. Tender notices tell international bidders to contact MauSign support, so do that well before you plan to bid.

Is there a fee to register on e-PS?

No. Registering as a supplier and taking part in bidding are free. OPEN-category registration is approved automatically on submission and does not expire; the activation email can take up to 60 minutes. Only one registration is allowed per organisation.

When does a bid need a bank guarantee instead of a declaration?

A bid security guarantee is mandatory above Rs 200 million and optional below, where the bid data sheet asks for one. Many lower-value tenders use a Bid-Securing Declaration in the Bid Submission Form instead. The guarantee must be an original, valid 30 days beyond bid validity; copies are not accepted.

What happens if I lose my digital certificate after submitting?

After closing, the bid must be decrypted and re-encrypted with the same certificate that encrypted it. If that certificate is lost, the bid cannot be completed. Check that its validity covers the whole tender and back it up.

Does Mauritius accept apostilles?

Yes. Mauritius is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Mauritian public documents get an apostille from the Prime Minister’s Office countersigned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, free of charge; foreign documents are apostilled in the home country.

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.