How to bid for government tenders in Mauritius

Mauritius at a glance


Law	Public Procurement Act 2006 and Regulations 2008 (consolidated January 2026)
Bodies	Procurement Policy Office (rules, e-PS); Central Procurement Board (major contracts); Independent Review Panel (challenges)
Portal	Government e-Procurement System (e-PS); digital signature required
International bidding	Mandatory above Rs 200 million (Rs 20 million for consultancy)
Reserved for locals	Works up to Rs 300 million without prequalification; works up to Rs 50 million for SMEs
Preferences	Up to 40% for local SMEs on goods, if the tender applies them
Language	English
Challenges	Public body in 5–7 days; then the IRP in 7 days

Who buys, and where

Policy and portal. The Procurement Policy Office (PPO) issues the rules, directives and standard bidding documents, and runs the Government e-Procurement System (e-PS). Use of e-PS has been mandatory for public bodies since 2020.
Notices are on e-PS and the PPO portal. Large tenders also appear in newspapers, and international ones in international media.
Major contracts. The Central Procurement Board (CPB) handles major contracts above set values. It vets documents, opens bids, appoints evaluators and approves the award.

Public body	CPB handles contracts above
Listed statutory bodies	Rs 20 million
Local authorities and Rodrigues	Rs 35 million
Ministries and departments	Rs 70 million
Large parastatals (e.g. CEB, CWA, Ports Authority, MRA, RDA)	Rs 135 million

Below these values, the public body runs the tender itself.

Procurement methods (Mauritian rupees)

Method	When
Open advertised bidding	The default; other methods must be justified
Open international bidding	Mandatory above Rs 200 million (goods, works, services) or Rs 20 million (consultancy)
Restricted bidding on value grounds	Up to Rs 5 million (goods) or Rs 10 million (works, services); at least 5 invited
Sealed quotations	Up to Rs 5 million; at least 3 bidders
Low-value procurement	Up to Rs 500,000
Direct procurement on value grounds	Up to Rs 25,000 (goods), Rs 50,000 (small works), Rs 250,000 (small consultancy)

Bidding time. At least 30 days for open advertised bidding. The rule exempts electronic bids, which are now almost all bids, so check each notice.
Prequalification may be used for works above Rs 400 million.

Who can bid

Nationality is not a bar, with these exceptions:
- Open national tenders may be limited to Mauritian citizens or locally incorporated companies, if the invitation says so.
- Works up to Rs 300 million without prequalification are reserved for locally registered contractors, which can include a registered foreign contractor.
- Works up to Rs 50 million are reserved for micro, small and medium enterprises. This was raised from Rs 30 million in January 2026.
- Some goods and services are reserved for SMEs, such as stationery, cleaning, school furniture and catering.
Language. Bids and documents are in English. Other languages need a certified translation, though French documents may be accepted.
Agents. A foreign bidder must say whether it has a Mauritian agent, and if so give the agent’s name, terms, commission and tax number.
Ownership. For contracts of Rs 200 million or more, the preferred bidder must disclose its ultimate owners.
Construction.
- Before bidding: foreign contractors and consultants must get provisional registration with the Construction Industry Authority (CIA), valid 1 year. After winning, they move to temporary registration for the project.
- Local partner: they must normally work with a local contractor or consultant, unless the CIA waives this.
- Lender-funded projects: these rules don’t apply to projects under agreements with foreign states or international lenders.

Margins of preference

These apply only where the tender documents say so, and are added at the financial evaluation stage.

Bidder	Preference
Goods: SME with “Made in Moris” certification for locally made goods	40%
Goods: other SME offering locally made goods	30%
Goods: women-owned small business	extra 10%
Works: SME (turnover up to Rs 100 million), works above Rs 30 million	30%
Works: Mauritian firm using at least 80% local labour	15% international, 10% national bidding

Locally made means at least 25% value added in Mauritius.
Proof of production. The 2026–27 budget announced that “Made in Moris” SMEs will have to prove local production to get the 40%.

Bidding, step by step

Find tenders on e-PS and the PPO portal.
Register your company on e-PS. It’s mandatory for local and foreign suppliers, and the PPO offers training and a help desk.
Get a Digital Signature Certificate. 2026 notices name MauSign, which can take up to 4 days.
For works or construction consultancy, get CIA provisional registration and line up a local partner.
Download the documents and read the bid data sheet: eligibility, preferences, security, validity and qualification.
Prepare the bid in English. Include the agent disclosure, the manufacturer’s authorisation and any joint-venture details. Goods can be priced in up to three foreign currencies plus rupees.
Provide the bid security or sign the bid-securing declaration. Some tenders still want an original bank guarantee delivered by hand.
Submit online before the deadline, then decrypt and re-encrypt your bid in the window after closing.
Watch for the notice of intended award, sent to all bidders above Rs 15 million. You have 7 days to challenge it.
If you win, provide the performance security within 28 days of the letter of acceptance and sign.

Securities and payment

Bid security. Mandatory above Rs 200 million. Below that, the buyer may ask for a bank security, a signed bid-securing declaration, or nothing. Breaking a declaration can make you ineligible for up to 5 years. Amounts are set per tender.
Bid validity is up to 90 days for local bids, 120 for international and 180 for complex contracts.
Performance security. Usually 10% for goods and 5–10% for works, within 28 days of acceptance.
Works retention. Usually about 5%, never above 10%. Half is released at completion and half 6 months later, and it can be swapped for a guarantee.
Payment. Under the standard documents, imported goods are paid 90% on shipment and 10% within 21 working days of acceptance. SMEs are paid within 14 days of invoice.

How bids are evaluated

The lowest evaluated, substantially responsive bid that meets the qualification criteria wins.
Only the criteria in the documents count, and preferences are applied at the financial stage.
Publication. Awards above the threshold are published on the buyer’s website and the PPO portal within 7 days of signature.

Challenging a decision

Step 1: challenge the public body. Write to its chief executive before the contract takes effect:
- within 5 days of the invitation to bid or the bid opening;
- within 7 days of the notice of intended award.
The procedure is suspended, and the body decides within 7 days. Only bidders who took part can challenge an award, and cancellations can’t be challenged.
Step 2: the Independent Review Panel (IRP). Apply within 7 days of the decision.
- Deposit: Rs 100,000 (bid opening or award of a major contract) or Rs 25,000 (other cases), plus a Rs 50,000 non-refundable fee.
- Suspension: the IRP suspends the procedure if there’s a prima facie case. A public-interest certificate from the buyer can override this.
- Timing: the IRP decides within 30 days. If it doesn’t, the suspension lapses.
Court. IRP decisions have been taken to the Supreme Court on judicial review.

What changed in 2025–2026

2025: new standard bidding documents for works and services, citing the Construction Industry Authority Act.
January 2026: consolidated regulations were published, and the works reservation for small firms rose to Rs 50 million, now including medium enterprises.
2026: notices now name MauSign for digital signatures, and new standard documents were issued for health-sector goods and works up to Rs 50 million.
June 2026 budget: “Made in Moris” SMEs will need proof of local production. The preference method will be reviewed, and buyers will be able to hire diaspora experts directly.
August 2026: a law amending public procurement, among other areas, was gazetted. We couldn’t obtain its text.

Live Mauritian tenders

Questions

Can a foreign company bid on Mauritian government tenders?

Yes. Bidders take part regardless of nationality, except where an open national tender is limited to Mauritian citizens or locally incorporated companies. Works up to Rs 300 million without prequalification are reserved for locally registered contractors, and works up to Rs 50 million for small and medium enterprises.

When is international bidding mandatory in Mauritius?

Open international bidding is mandatory above Rs 200 million for goods, works and other services, and above Rs 20 million for consultancy services. It’s also used when local supply is lacking or national bidding fails.

What do I need to register before bidding in Mauritius?

Register your company on the Government e-Procurement System and get a Digital Signature Certificate; 2026 notices name MauSign, which can take up to 4 days. Foreign construction contractors and consultants also need provisional registration with the Construction Industry Authority before bidding, and normally a local partner.

How large are local preferences in Mauritian tenders?

Only where the tender says so. For goods, SMEs with ‘Made in Moris’ certification can get 40%, other SMEs offering local goods 30%, and women-owned firms an extra 10%. For works, SMEs can get 30% and Mauritian firms using at least 80% local labour 10–15%.

What securities are required in Mauritius?

A bid security is mandatory above Rs 200 million; below that a buyer may ask for one, a signed bid-securing declaration, or nothing. The performance security is usually 10% for goods and 5–10% for works, due within 28 days of the letter of acceptance.

How do I challenge a Mauritian tender decision?

Challenge the public body within 5 days of the invitation or bid opening, or 7 days of the notice of intended award; it suspends the procedure and decides within 7 days. Then apply to the Independent Review Panel within 7 days, with a deposit of Rs 25,000 or Rs 100,000 plus a Rs 50,000 fee. The Panel decides within 30 days.

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.