How to bid for public tenders in Serbia

Serbia at a glance


Main law	Law on Public Procurement (Official Gazette 91/2019), amended by 92/2023
Regulator	Public Procurement Office (ujn.gov.rs)
Portal	jnportal.ujn.gov.rs, for every step from notice to challenge
Registration	Mandatory, with an ID check
Law applies from	RSD 1,000,000 (supplies, services); RSD 3,000,000 (works)
EU thresholds (2026)	RSD 16,409,778 central and RSD 25,317,943 other buyers (supplies, services); RSD 633,417,431 works
Language	Serbian, unless the buyer allows another
Domestic preference	None
Challenges	Republic Commission, 10 days after a decision

Where tenders appear

One portal. Notices, documents, e-bids, opening, messages and challenges all run on the Public Procurement Portal, jnportal.ujn.gov.rs. It went live on 1 July 2020, when the current law started to apply. There is no charge to use it.
Browsing is open. Anyone can view plans and notices. To download documents, ask questions, bid or challenge, you need an approved account.
EU publication. The portal can send notices above EU thresholds to TED. We couldn’t confirm whether this is mandatory before Serbia joins the EU.
Small contracts below the law’s thresholds skip its procedures, but their contract data is still published.
Who runs it. The Public Procurement Office sets policy. The Republic Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures (kjn.rs) handles challenges.

Contracts outside the procurement law

Serbia awards a large share of its high-value contracts without using the procurement law.

Donor-funded projects. The law doesn’t apply when an international organisation or financial institution fully finances a procurement under its own rules. If it co-finances most of it, its rules apply. Procurements under international agreements with third countries are also exempt.
Intergovernmental deals and special laws. Many high-value contracts go through intergovernmental agreements and project-specific special laws, such as the one for EXPO 2027.
How big. Serbia’s Fiscal Council reportedly estimates that about EUR 7 billion of roughly EUR 15 billion in 2025 public-sector contracts used exemptions from the law, with intergovernmental deals about a quarter of that.
Changing picture. Transparency Serbia reports that the special law for linear-infrastructure projects has been repealed; projects already started under it continue. We couldn’t confirm the repeal date, or the current status of the EXPO 2027 law.

Thresholds and procedures

Amounts are in Serbian dinars (RSD), excluding VAT. The Ministry of Finance converts the EU thresholds from the European Commission’s values; these apply from 1 January 2026.

Contract	Rule
Below RSD 1,000,000 (supplies, services) or RSD 3,000,000 (works)	Outside the law; its principles still apply
Above those, below EU thresholds	Open procedure: at least 25 days; 15 days for works under RSD 30,000,000; 10 days for supplies and services under RSD 10,000,000
At or above EU thresholds	Open procedure: at least 35 days
EU thresholds, supplies and services	RSD 16,409,778 central government; RSD 25,317,943 provincial, local and other buyers; RSD 50,635,886 utilities
EU threshold, works	RSD 633,417,431

Procedures. Open or restricted is the rule; negotiated procedures, competitive dialogue and innovation partnerships also exist. There is no separate “international” tender: every procedure is open to foreign firms.
Shorter periods. The 35- and 25-day periods can drop to 15 days after a prior information notice, and by 5 days where bids can be sent electronically. Urgency allows 15 days. Since all bids go through the portal, 30 and 20 days may be usual in practice, but we couldn’t confirm this.
Restricted procedure. At least 30 days (20 below EU thresholds) to apply, then 30 (15) to bid.
Questions. Send them through the portal by the 8th day before the deadline (6th below EU thresholds). Answers are due by the 6th (4th) day.

Who can bid

Any company, from any country, can bid, and the law requires equal treatment. There is no domestic price preference. The 2012 law’s preferences were phased out under the EU–Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement; Transparency Serbia reports they ended in November 2018, but we couldn’t confirm the exact date.
Utilities may reject supply bids where more than 50% of the product value comes from countries without an EU market-access agreement. Between equivalent bids, a compliant one wins if prices differ by 3% or less.
Trade agreements. Serbia is an EU candidate, and some provisions apply only once it joins. We couldn’t confirm from a primary WTO source that Serbia is still outside the WTO and its GPA.
Language. Bids are in Serbian unless the documents allow another language. The buyer can require translations within a set deadline.
Currency. Prices are in RSD unless a named foreign currency is allowed, converted at the National Bank of Serbia middle rate on opening day.
Proving eligibility.
- Declaration. Every bidder submits a Declaration of fulfilment of criteria, on a standard form based on the EU’s ESPD. It can be reused if still correct.
- Evidence is asked only from the best-ranked bidder, as plain copies, with at least 5 working days. At or below RSD 5,000,000 the buyer needn’t ask.
- Foreign documents. Home-country criminal-record, tax and social-security certificates are accepted. Where none exist, a sworn statement verified by a court, authority or notary at home will do.
Consortia and subcontractors. Joint bids need no legal form before award. You may submit only one bid: alone, in one group, or as a subcontractor. Subcontractors are named with their share and can ask to be paid directly.
Works. One law-firm summary says that since 2018, construction and design firms registered in Serbia, including branches of foreign companies, need ministry licences. Foreign engineers need a Serbian licence, valid 1 year, which requires reciprocity, a recognised degree and a Serbian exam. We couldn’t confirm whether an unregistered foreign contractor can perform works directly.

Bidding, step by step

Find opportunities on jnportal.ujn.gov.rs; no account is needed to browse.
Register the company on the portal. The first user becomes administrator and adds colleagues.
Upload identity and authorisation: each user’s ID card or passport, a personal identification number for foreign users, and a signed authorisation on company letterhead.
Wait for approval. The Public Procurement Office checks identity. Without approval you can’t ask questions, bid or challenge.
Add the procedure to “My favourites” and download the documents.
Ask questions early. Raise defects in the documents now: you can’t challenge them later otherwise.
Prepare the bid in Serbian, with a Declaration for each consortium member and subcontractor and any bid security.
Submit on the portal before the deadline. Limits are 30 MB per file and 30 documents. You can change or withdraw until the deadline. We couldn’t confirm whether a qualified e-signature is ever required; the portal instruction describes username and password only.
Opening is automatic, and the record goes to all bidders.
If ranked first, supply your evidence within the time set.
Award. The decision is published on the portal, a 10-day review window follows, then the contract is sent within 10 days.
Sign and perform, with any performance security.

Securities and payment

Bid security. If required, up to 3% of the bid value excluding VAT. It’s forfeited if you withdraw, fail to supply evidence, refuse to sign or don’t provide the performance security.
Performance and warranty securities. Up to 10% of the contract value each, excluding VAT.
Advance payments need a security equal to the advance.
Bid validity is at least 30 days from opening.
Payment. Public buyers reportedly may not set payment periods longer than 45 days. That comes from an older secondary source, and we couldn’t confirm later changes, or whether Serbia’s e-invoicing system applies to foreign suppliers.

How bids are evaluated

Best value. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender, on price, cost or price-quality ratio.
No price-only award for software development, architectural, engineering, translation and advisory services.
Published criteria. Criteria, weightings and tie-breaks must be in the documents.
In practice, the US Commerce Department reports that lowest-price awards remain common.

Challenging a decision

How. File a request for protection of rights through the portal. It goes to the buyer and the Republic Commission at once.
Deadlines. At least 3 days before the bid deadline for the notice or documents, and only for defects first raised as questions. Within 10 days of a decision’s publication for later actions.
Foreign applicants must name a proxy in Serbia to receive mail.
Fee. RSD 120,000 before the bid deadline. After it, RSD 120,000 below an estimated value of RSD 120,000,000, otherwise 0.1%, capped at RSD 1,200,000. The Commission’s site gives SWIFT details for EUR or USD payments from abroad.
Suspension is automatic, except in urgent negotiated procedures. The buyer can ask the Commission to let it continue.
Timing. The Commission decides within 30 days of a complete file, 45 in exceptional cases.
After that. Its decisions are final. An administrative dispute can follow within 15 days, presumably at the Administrative Court, but it doesn’t suspend the decision.
Odds. In 2024 the Commission upheld 89 of 223 pre-deadline challenges and 310 of 580 later ones.

What changed in 2025–2026

2024 (still relevant): the 2023 amendments brought ID-checked portal registration, published data for small contracts and no price-only award for intellectual services.
May 2025: the government reportedly sent amendments to the EXPO 2027 law back to public debate.
1 January 2026: new RSD values of the EU thresholds took effect.
March 2026: the Public Procurement Office reportedly adopted a 2026 Action Plan, including new portal functions and eForms.
Pending: we found no amendment to the law after 92/2023.

Live Serbian tenders

Questions

Do I need a Serbian company or branch to bid?

No. Any company can register on the portal and bid, proving its status with home-country documents. For works, one law-firm summary says firms registered in Serbia, including branches of foreign companies, need construction licences, so a branch or licensed local subcontractors may be needed in practice.

Is there a price preference for Serbian bidders?

No. The current law has none. Utility buyers may still reject supply bids where more than 50% of the product value comes from countries without an EU market-access agreement.

Must I bid in Serbian and in dinars?

Serbian by default; the buyer may allow another language, but the Serbian version is authentic. Prices are in RSD unless a named foreign currency is allowed, converted at the National Bank of Serbia middle rate on opening day.

How long do I get to prepare a bid in Serbia?

In an open procedure, at least 35 days at or above EU thresholds and 25 days below. Small works can have 15 days and small supplies or services 10. A prior notice, e-submission or urgency can shorten these.

What securities can a Serbian buyer require?

A bid security of up to 3%, and performance and warranty securities of up to 10% each, all excluding VAT. An advance-payment security equals the advance.

How do I challenge a Serbian tender decision?

File through the portal within 10 days of a published decision, or at least 3 days before the bid deadline for problems in the documents. The fee is RSD 120,000, or 0.1% for large contracts, capped at RSD 1,200,000. Name a proxy in Serbia. Filing suspends the procedure, and the Republic Commission 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.