How to bid for government tenders in New Zealand.

New Zealand at a glance

The Rules. The 5th edition cut the Rules from 71 to 47 and replaced the “broader outcomes” rules with Rule 8, “economic benefit to New Zealand”. Contracts signed before 1 December 2025 stay under the 4th edition.

Who runs the system. The chief executive of MBIE is the Procurement System Leader, and New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP) runs it day to day.

Local government isn’t bound by the Rules. Councils follow their own policies. Transport projects funded by the national transport agency (NZTA) use NZTA’s procurement manual.

Thresholds and timelines

• When advertising is required. Agencies must advertise on GETS when the estimated whole-of-life value, excluding GST, is NZ$100,000 or more for goods, services or refurbishment, or NZ$9 million or more for new construction.
• Response time: at least 20 clear business days after the notice.
  • Days from Boxing Day to the day after New Year’s Day don’t count.
  • Each agency sets its own closing time, and there’s no standard one.
• All-of-government contracts must be used by agencies whatever the value. Mini-tenders under those panels now run in Procure Connect, not GETS.
• Infrastructure over NZ$100 million carries extra consultation requirements.
• Future procurement opportunity notices on GETS give an early view of the pipeline.

Trade-agreement thresholds (in SDR):

The NZ$100,000 domestic threshold sits below the treaty thresholds. So every opportunity from NZ$100,000 is on GETS, whether or not your country has a treaty with New Zealand.

Who can bid

• Non-discrimination (Rule 4). Agencies must give all suppliers an equal opportunity to bid. They must treat suppliers from other countries no less favourably than New Zealand suppliers, and may not discriminate by origin or foreign ownership. Offsets are banned.
• No local presence needed.
  • Pre-conditions are limited to legal, financial, operational and technical capacity, and agencies must take account of your overseas business activities.
  • They can’t require a previous New Zealand government contract.
  • Under Rule 8, they can’t require the prime contractor to be New Zealand-based.
• Trade agreements that make these rights enforceable:
  • the WTO GPA (joined 2015);
  • CPTPP, covering central government and named Crown agencies;
  • the UK–NZ FTA (2023) and NZ–EU FTA (2024), with wider coverage, including councils for NZTA-funded transport;
  • the Australia–New Zealand Government Procurement Agreement (ANZGPA), which has no thresholds.
• Exclusion grounds include:
  • fraud, corruption and anti-competitive conduct, including foreign bribery and bid-rigging;
  • being sanctioned by New Zealand;
  • false beneficial-ownership disclosure. Agencies also assess national-security risk.
• If you win and work in New Zealand:
  • register as an overseas company within 10 working days of starting to carry on business there;
  • check GST, which is compulsory from NZ$60,000 of turnover in 12 months; take tax advice for your situation.

Rule 8: the economic-benefit test

This is the 2025 change that matters most to foreign bidders.

• Above threshold: agencies must seek economic benefits to New Zealand, with a minimum 10% evaluation weighting, and can weight it higher.
  • Benefits can include using New Zealand businesses and SMEs, jobs and training, capability, innovation, environmental sustainability, regional development, and social and cultural outcomes.
  • Questions must be framed so both international and New Zealand businesses can respond.
  • NZGP reported that 86% of openly advertised tenders sought economic benefits in 2026.
• Below threshold (under NZ$100,000, or NZ$9 million for new construction): agencies are expected to award to capable New Zealand businesses unless there’s good reason not to.
  • Australian businesses are treated equally under ANZGPA.
  • A New Zealand subsidiary of a foreign group doesn’t count as a New Zealand business.
  • Smaller contracts are therefore hard for offshore firms to win.
• How to compete: show concrete local benefits, such as New Zealand subcontractors, jobs, training, supply-chain links or exports.

Registering on GETS and bidding, step by step

1. Get a RealMe login. GETS uses an individual RealMe account, the government’s single sign-on, which you can create during registration.
2. Create a supplier account. Search by New Zealand business number or company name. If your details don’t fill in automatically, as is typical for foreign companies, enter them manually. A New Zealand business number isn’t required.
3. Set tender notifications by UNSPSC category, and whitelist GETS e-mails, which often land in spam.
4. Find opportunities: current tenders, future opportunities and advanced search. Notice types include RFT, RFP, RFQ, EOI and RFI. Invitation-only tenders don’t appear in search.
5. Subscribe to the notice to download documents, see changes and ask questions. You can only subscribe while it’s open.
6. Ask questions in GETS before the question deadline. Agencies must answer promptly and share answers fairly.
7. Submit: attach files (up to 50 MB each) and click “Commit”; an uncommitted response isn’t submitted. Some tenders tell you to submit by e-mail, the agency’s portal or Procure Connect.
8. After the award, you’ll be notified. Ask for the debrief. Award notices are published on GETS.

Payment and contract terms

• Prompt payment (Rule 36). Since 1 January 2026, agencies must pay 95% of domestic invoices within 10 business days, or 5 business days for e-invoices.
  • It applies to New Zealand-dollar invoices for supplies within New Zealand by entities doing business there, so overseas suppliers invoicing in other currencies should agree payment terms in the contract.
  • Agencies must require their suppliers to pay subcontractors on terms no less favourable.
• E-invoicing runs over Peppol, shared with Australia. Large businesses are expected to send e-invoices by 2027.
• Standard terms. Agencies must use the Government Model Contract templates, so payment, IP and liability terms are largely standard.
• Bonds and retentions aren’t set by the Rules. Construction contracts commonly use NZS 3910-type conditions. Retention money on commercial construction contracts must be held on trust.

How bids are evaluated

• The standard: contracts go to the supplier that can deliver and offers the best public value, meaning “the best available result for New Zealand for the money spent” over the whole of life.
• Evaluation models:
  • lowest price, for simple goods;
  • simple score;
  • weighted attribute (the most common);
  • target price;
  • quality-based methods. Transport and infrastructure often use a price-quality method.
• Economic benefit carries at least 10% above threshold, as above.
• Other points:
  • agencies may look into unusually low bids;
  • oral responses can be accepted;
  • if no offer gives public value, the agency cancels and publishes a notice with reasons.
• Debriefs are mandatory to offer. If you ask, it must take place within 30 business days. It covers why you lost, your scores, strengths and weaknesses, and the winning bid’s relative advantages.

Complaints

1. Raise concerns with the agency early. Use GETS questions during the tender, and the debrief after award.
2. Formal complaint: write to the agency’s chief executive, copied to its procurement manager and to NZGP. Expect a reply within about 20 working days for straightforward matters. Complaining mustn’t affect your future opportunities.
3. Escalation:
   • independent review or mediation;
   • the Ombudsman, who can recommend;
   • the Auditor-General, who can investigate but can’t overturn awards;
   • the Commerce Commission;
   • court.
4. Courts. New Zealand has no statutory standstill or bid-protest regime. Challenges go by judicial review or contract claims, and courts take a restrained approach to commercial procurement decisions.

What changed in 2024–2026

• October 2024: prompt-payment and e-invoicing requirements were introduced.
• March–April 2025: consultation on the 5th edition.
• 1 December 2025: the 5th edition took effect. Its main changes:
  • Rule 8 replaced the broader-outcomes rules;
  • response times were simplified to 20 business days;
  • agencies must publish their procurement policies;
  • a supplier code of conduct goes into every contract;
  • contract management became mandatory;
  • new exclusion grounds and a national-security rule;
  • cancellation notices.
• 1 January 2026: the prompt-payment target rose to 95%.
• 2026: Procure Connect went live for all-of-government panels.

Live New Zealand tenders

See also which countries can bid on which government tenders.

Questions

Sources

• Government Procurement Rules (5th edition)
• Rule 8: economic benefit to New Zealand
• Rule 4: non-discrimination and offsets
• GETS: supplier help
• MFAT: CPTPP government procurement
• NZGP: how to make a formal complaint

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.