This guide is the checklist behind a bid in Saudi Arabia: each registration, certificate and signed paper, in the order a tender reaches it, with who can lawfully handle it. For how Saudi procurement works overall, including procedures, thresholds, evaluation and the new law, see How to bid for government tenders in Saudi Arabia.
Before you bid
1. The company file: licence and commercial registration. Agencies may contract only licensed persons (Article 3 of the law), and Etimad identifies every supplier by its Saudi commercial registration (CR).
- MISA investment licence (foreign-owned companies): the first step for a foreign company. A Saudi lawyer or business-setup partner files it on MISA’s portal under its own account, using the company’s notarised and apostilled documents; the owner signs the constitutional documents and the power of attorney. It is renewed annually.
- Commercial Registration: issued by the Ministry of Commerce through the Saudi Business Center. The same partner files it, and the owner or manager authenticates with Nafath.
- Your time: for a foreign company, plan on about 120 minutes of your own signing and authenticating across these set-up steps.
2. The accounts behind the certificates. Before your first bid, open and keep current the company’s accounts with the bodies whose certificates tenders ask for:
- Chamber of Commerce membership: tenders commonly ask for a valid certificate. It is renewed online every year by your business-setup partner or your own staff; you pay.
- ZATCA: registration for Zakat or income tax and for VAT. A SOCPA-licensed accountant files the returns that keep the certificate valid; the company authenticates on the ZATCA portal.
- GOSI: social-insurance registration, with contributions kept up to date.
- Qiwa: where Nitaqat (Saudization) compliance is shown. The company must meet its quota of Saudi nationals.
3. Register the establishment on Etimad. Every government tender runs on Etimad, run by the Ministry of Finance, and you register with your CR.
- Who does it: the owner or authorised manager, with their own national digital identity (Nafath). The data and documents can be pre-filled for you; it takes about 30 minutes of your time.
4. Sector registrations, where the tender needs them.
- Contractor classification: works and many service categories, including operation and maintenance, need a classification certificate at the right grade from the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, through Balady. An engineer or consultant prepares the application; the company submits it on Balady under its own identity.
- NUPCO: medical and pharmaceutical supplies are bought through NUPCO’s own supplier registration. The documents can be prepared for you; the company registers.
5. Local SME status (Saudi SMEs only). The company obtains its SME classification from Monsha’at with its own login. Under Article 42 of the law, a local SME needs no initial guarantee.
6. Foreign groups and the RHQ rule. On contracts above SAR 1 million, a foreign company whose regional headquarters is outside the Kingdom needs an RHQ licence from MISA, or an exemption the agency requests through LCGPA’s service on Etimad before it tenders. Whether to set up an RHQ is your decision; a lawyer can advise.
With your bid
7. Buy the tender booklet. You buy the conditions booklet on Etimad before submitting, at the price the agency sets. An Etimad user starts the purchase and the company pays through SADAD.
8. Local-content documents. On goods and designated tenders:
- Mandatory List: check the list before quoting foreign-made goods; those items must be national products.
- Price preference: foreign products are evaluated as if they cost 10% more.
- Designated tenders: local-content baselines, targets, plans and reports. An accountant or consultant prepares the baseline, and you sign the commitments.
9. Technical and financial envelopes in Arabic. Contracts and related documents are in Arabic; another language may be added, but Arabic governs interpretation. Foreign documents go to a certified translation office, typically in 1–5 days. Your experience, references and key staff are the technical evidence; you supply them, and they can be compiled for you, with Arabic translation where needed.
10. Current certificates in the file. Tenders ask for a valid Zakat or income-tax certificate with your VAT registration, and a GOSI certificate; the Chamber certificate is common too. You download each from the company’s own ZATCA, GOSI and Chamber accounts. The ZATCA certificate is usually annual and tied to filed returns, so it stays valid only while your accountant keeps the returns filed.
11. The initial guarantee. 1–2% of the proposal value, filed with the bid; a proposal without it is disqualified.
- Not required for: direct purchases, competitions, deals between government bodies, non-profits and local SMEs.
- Issued by: a Saudi bank, on the official template. A foreign bank’s guarantee is accepted only through a local bank (Article 63).
- Cost and time: the bank’s commission; usually 1–5 business days.
- Valid: for the bid validity period, typically 90 days.
12. Authorisation of your representative. A power of attorney names the person who signs bids and contracts. Saudi powers of attorney are typically issued electronically through Najiz by the principal, with the principal’s own Nafath identity; a lawyer can draft the scope. Validity is what the document states.
13. Submit on Etimad. The bid goes in electronically on Etimad with the initial guarantee. The envelopes can be prepared for you; your company’s authorised Etimad user submits under their own identity, in about 20 minutes.
14. If you bid with others. The law allows joint proposals (Chapter 14). A lawyer drafts the joint-bidding agreement, usually in 1–3 weeks, and every member signs it.
If you’re in line for award
| Document | Issued by | Who can get it for you | Valid for | What only you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final guarantee (5% of contract value) | A Saudi bank, or a foreign bank through a local bank | Your bank, usually in 3–10 business days, for its commission | Until the contract obligations are fulfilled | Apply to the bank |
| Nitaqat certificate | Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Qiwa) | — | — | Meet the quota; download it from your Qiwa account |
| Arabic contract | The procuring agency | — | — | Sign it |
The final guarantee is due within the period set, 15 working days from the award notice under the 2019 law; missing it forfeits your initial guarantee. Nitaqat compliance is checked again at contracting, as it was at registration.
When the tender asks for them:
- Audited financial statements for the latest year, signed by a SOCPA-licensed auditor under its own licence; you approve them. Larger tenders and prequalifications ask for them.
- ISO management-system certificates from an accredited certification body, valid 3 years; you undergo the audit.
Before the contract: subcontractors
Subcontracting approval. You may not subcontract without meeting the conditions in the Regulations, which means written approval. The request can be prepared for you; the company signs it. The agency may pay subcontractors directly, and you stay jointly liable for their work.
Who does what
| Step | Who can do it | What only you do |
|---|---|---|
| MISA licence, CR | A lawyer or business-setup partner, under its own accounts | Sign the constitutional documents and power of attorney; authenticate with Nafath |
| Chamber membership | Your business-setup partner or staff | Pay and renew |
| ZATCA certificate | A SOCPA-licensed accountant files the returns | Authenticate on the ZATCA portal |
| GOSI and Nitaqat certificates | — | Keep contributions and quotas; download the certificates |
| Etimad registration | Data pre-filled for you | Register with your own Nafath identity |
| Contractor classification | An engineer or consultant prepares the application | Submit on Balady under your own login |
| Tender booklet | Started by an Etimad user | Pay |
| Local-content documents | An accountant or consultant prepares the baseline | Sign the commitments |
| Arabic translation | A certified translation office | — |
| Initial and final guarantees | Your Saudi bank | Apply |
| Power of attorney | A lawyer drafts the scope | Issue it on Najiz with your own Nafath identity |
| Bid submission | Envelopes prepared for you | Submit through your authorised Etimad user |
| Joint-bidding agreement | A lawyer drafts | Sign |
| Subcontracting request | Prepared for you | Sign |
The professionals involved
| Professional | Licensed or regulated by | What they do for a bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi bank | Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) | Issue the initial guarantee (1–2% of the proposal value) and the final guarantee (5% of the contract value); front a foreign bank’s guarantee |
| SOCPA-licensed accountant or auditor | SOCPA | File Zakat and VAT returns so the ZATCA certificate stays valid; sign audited financial statements |
| Certified translation office | — | Translate foreign corporate documents and certificates into Arabic for MISA, the CR and tenders |
| Accredited certification body | — | Audit and certify ISO management systems |
Lawyers handle the company set-up, the joint-bidding and subcontracting agreements and the scope of powers of attorney; engineers or consultants prepare contractor-classification applications.
If your company is from abroad
You need a Saudi company: Etimad registration requires a Saudi commercial registration, obtained after a MISA investment licence. Who may bid and on what terms is in How to bid for government tenders in Saudi Arabia. For the paperwork:
- Order of set-up: the MISA licence first, then the CR, then the Chamber, ZATCA, GOSI and a Saudi bank account. Every certificate afterwards belongs to the Saudi entity, including its Nitaqat quota and its audited statements.
- Apostille: Saudi Arabia has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 7 December 2022. Your home notary and then your country’s apostille authority handle incorporation documents and powers of attorney; you sign the originals. Countries outside the Convention still use consular legalisation.
- Arabic translation: foreign documents need an Arabic translation, and Arabic governs.
- Powers of attorney signed abroad: apostilled and translated.
- Guarantees: a guarantee from your home bank must be submitted through a Saudi bank.
- Local content: it applies through the Saudi entity, and foreign-made goods are penalised in evaluation.
- Partnering: a joint bid with a Saudi firm is a route in.
Pitfalls
- Don’t plan an Etimad bid without a Saudi CR. No official route without one has been found.
- Above SAR 1 million, settle the RHQ question first if your group’s regional headquarters is abroad.
- Never let anyone use your Nafath or Absher identity. Powers of attorney on Najiz are issued by the principal only.
- Route any foreign-bank guarantee through a Saudi bank, or it won’t be accepted.
- Check the Mandatory List before you quote foreign-made goods.
- Know which law governs the tender: tenders launched before about January 2027 stay under M/128; later ones fall under the new law, M/76.
Doing it with askTender
In Saudi Arabia, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on Etimad and works under their own login; we confirm this with the portal before your first bid. You keep your own login and sign only what the law reserves to you: authenticating with Nafath, issuing the power of attorney, signing the local-content commitments, the guarantee applications and the Arabic contract. The askTender Desk prepares the registration data, the envelopes and the forms, and tracks your certificates; askTender Partners, such as an accountant, a lawyer or a certified translation office, do the steps their licence covers.
Questions
Which certificates do Saudi tenders usually ask for?
A valid Zakat or income-tax certificate from ZATCA with your VAT registration, a GOSI certificate, and commonly a Chamber of Commerce membership certificate. Nitaqat (Saudization) compliance is checked at registration and contracting. Each is downloaded from the company’s own account with the issuing body.
Can someone else register my company on Etimad?
The owner or authorised manager registers the establishment with their own national digital identity, using the company’s Saudi commercial registration. The data and documents can be prepared for you, but nobody should ever use your Nafath or Absher identity.
How do I authorise someone to sign bids in Saudi Arabia?
Through a power of attorney, typically issued electronically via Najiz by the principal with their own Nafath identity. A lawyer can draft its scope. A power of attorney signed abroad needs an apostille and an Arabic translation.
Do foreign documents need an apostille or legalisation in Saudi Arabia?
An apostille. Saudi Arabia has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 7 December 2022, so documents from other party countries need an apostille from the issuing country instead of consular legalisation. Documents from non-party countries still go through consular legalisation.
Can a foreign bank issue my bid guarantee?
Only through a Saudi bank. Guarantees are accepted from a local bank, or from a foreign bank when it is submitted through a local bank (Article 63 of the law). The initial guarantee is 1–2% of your proposal value and the final guarantee 5% of the contract value.
Sources
- Government Tenders and Procurement Law (official English translation, MISA)
- Royal Decree M/76 approving the new law (Umm al-Qura)
- Etimad
- Local Content and Government Procurement Authority (LCGPA)
- Balady: the updated contractor classification
- NUPCO
- HCCH: status table of the Apostille Convention
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.