How to bid for public tenders in Slovenia

Slovenia at a glance


Main law	Public Procurement Act (ZJN-3); remedies under ZPVPJN
Notices	enarocanje.si (Public Procurement Portal) and TED above EU thresholds
Bidding system	e-JN (ejn.gov.si), free
National thresholds	EUR 40,000 goods and services; EUR 80,000 works
EU thresholds (2026–27)	EUR 140,000 central, EUR 216,000 others for goods and services; EUR 5,404,000 works
Guarantees	Bid up to 3%; performance up to 10%; warranty up to 5%
Payment	Within 30 days; e-invoices through UJP
Challenges	8 working days (award); fee 2%, EUR 500–25,000

Where tenders appear

Portal. Buyers must publish every contract at or above the national thresholds on the Public Procurement Portal (enarocanje.si). Contracts above EU thresholds also go to TED. Anyone can search the portal, follow each procurement’s file and Q&A, and subscribe to award alerts, without registering.
e-JN. Bids go through e-JN, the state’s free e-submission system, which also runs e-auctions, e-catalogues and an online ESPD service. Electronic submission is the default.
Who runs it. Since 10 January 2026 the ministry, not the Official Gazette publisher, runs the portal and the eRevizija review system. Procurement policy and central purchasing now sit with the Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration, which buys about 24 categories for the government, from IT and energy to vehicles and air tickets.

Thresholds and procedures

Contract	Rule
Goods and services under EUR 40,000; works under EUR 80,000	Outside ZJN-3 procedures; buyers keep records, and publish a yearly list of contracts of EUR 10,000 or more
From the national threshold up to the EU threshold	Small-value procedure, published on enarocanje.si only
Works from EUR 80,000 to under EUR 500,000	Small-value procedure
At or above EU thresholds	Full procedures, also on TED
Utilities	National thresholds EUR 50,000 (goods and services) and EUR 100,000 (works); EU threshold EUR 432,000

Small-value procedure. It can include negotiation if announced, and an ESPD or self-declaration usually suffices.
Open procedures need at least 35 days, or 30 with e-submission. Below EU thresholds, buyers can set shorter deadlines, so watch the portal closely.
Restricted procedures need 30 days to ask to take part, then 30 to bid.
Late answers. If questions aren’t answered at least 6 days before the deadline, the buyer must extend it.
Frameworks last up to 4 years (8 for utilities).
Lots. Buyers must split contracts into lots where that makes sense.
Timing of the award. Buyers must issue the award decision within 90 days of the bid deadline, and sign within 48 days after it becomes final.

Who can bid

EU and EEA companies compete on equal terms. Registering in e-JN needs no Slovenian company, branch or tax number.
Everyone else. After the EU Court’s Kolin ruling (2024), companies from countries without an EU procurement agreement can’t claim equal treatment. Slovenian commentary reads it to mean they also lack standing to challenge. Buyers decide in the tender documents whether to admit them.
EU medical-device measure. Since June 2025, Chinese companies are excluded from EU medical-device tenders above EUR 5 million. Winners may source at most half their devices from China.
Language. Procedures are run in Slovenian. Documents often accept foreign-language technical terms and certificates, and buyers can require translations.
Proving eligibility.
- ESPD. Buyers must accept the electronic European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) as first evidence. Only the preferred bidder supplies certificates before award.
Exclusion grounds.
- Taxes: a bidder is excluded for unpaid taxes of EUR 50 or more at home or in Slovenia, or for missing payroll returns, unless paid or filed before the deadline.
- Labour fines: two or more final labour-law fines in 3 years also exclude a bidder.
Construction. EU, EEA and Swiss firms can work temporarily without a Slovenian establishment. Every site needs a qualified works manager, registered with the Chamber of Engineers or otherwise qualified, plus liability insurance.

Bidding, step by step

Find the tender on enarocanje.si or in e-JN’s list of current tenders, and on TED for EU-level contracts.
Get an eligible digital ID. e-JN login runs through SI-PASS, which accepts EU qualified certificates and eIDAS cross-border login.
Create a SI-PASS account and confirm it by e-mail.
Register your company in e-JN as a “company registered outside Slovenia”. No Slovenian tax number is needed.
Send the signed registration form by e-mail and request access rights. The administrator confirms by the end of the next working day.
Ask questions through the portal’s Q&A. Questions appear publicly once answered.
Prepare the ESPD, for example with e-JN’s online service, and any bid guarantee required.
Upload and submit in e-JN before the deadline. You can submit new versions or withdraw until then.
Watch for the award decision on the portal. It counts as served on the day it’s published, which starts the challenge clock.
If you win, send current evidence when asked, provide the performance guarantee, sign within 48 days of finality, and invoice through UJP.

Guarantees and payment

Instruments. Bank guarantees, insurers’ surety bonds, bills of exchange and cash deposits are accepted. A letter promising a future guarantee is not.
Bid guarantee. Up to 3% of the estimated value (excluding VAT). It is normally allowed only for EU-level goods and services contracts or works of EUR 500,000 or more.
Performance guarantee. Up to 10% of the contract value, including VAT. The contract can be conditional on it.
Warranty guarantee. Up to 5% of the contract value, including VAT.
Payment. A public body may not take more than 30 days from receiving the invoice. Late payment carries statutory interest plus EUR 40 compensation per late claim.
E-invoicing. Invoices to budget users must be e-invoices through the Public Payments Administration (UJP). Foreign firms can send them via PEPPOL or a service provider. Business-to-business e-invoicing becomes mandatory in 2028.

How bids are evaluated

Best value. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender: price, cost (such as life-cycle cost), or price-quality ratio, with weightings stated.
Price alone is banned for software development, architecture and engineering, translation and consultancy services. Some services require social criteria.
Abnormally low bids. A check is mandatory when a bid is more than 50% below the average and more than 20% below the next bid, with at least four bids. The buyer must ask for an explanation before rejecting.
Past breaches. A buyer may refuse to award to a bidder that broke environmental, labour or social law in the last 3 years.
Green rules. Mandatory green requirements apply to listed product groups, and to all public catering from 2029. We found no price preference for domestic bidders or SMEs.

Challenging a decision

Step 1. File a request for review with the buyer, electronically through eRevizija.
Deadlines.
- Against the notice or documents: within 10 working days of publication, and not after the bid deadline.
- Against the award decision: within 8 working days of receiving it, or 5 in small-value procedures.
No signature. The award becomes final only once the challenge window has passed, and while a request is pending the buyer can’t sign the contract.
Step 2. The buyer decides within 8 working days. If it rejects the request, the file goes to the National Review Commission (DKOM). DKOM decides within 15 working days, extendable by 15, and there’s no appeal against its decision.
Fees.
- Documents: EUR 2,000 (small-value) or EUR 4,000.
- Award: 2% of the best acceptable bid, between EUR 500 and EUR 25,000.
Court. DKOM’s decision can be challenged in the Administrative Court within 30 days. That doesn’t suspend the procedure.

What changed in 2025–2026

November 2025: a new e-invoicing law was adopted, making business-to-business e-invoicing mandatory from 2028. Public-sector e-invoices still go through UJP.
1 January 2026: new EU thresholds took effect, and the new Food Act added reporting duties for food procurement.
10 January 2026: the ministry took over enarocanje.si and eRevizija.
April 2026: a government reorganisation moved the procurement directorate into the Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration.
2026: new e-JN registration instructions for foreigners accept eIDAS cross-border login.
Not changed. We found no amendment to ZJN-3 or the remedies law after 2023, though one legal database lists a consolidated text dated 1 January 2026. Check the official text before relying on article details.

Live Slovenian tenders

Questions

Do I need a Slovenian company or tax number to bid?

No. A foreign company registers in the free e-JN system as a company registered outside Slovenia, logging in with an EU qualified certificate or eIDAS cross-border login, and e-mails a signed registration form. Access is confirmed by the end of the next working day. Regulated work such as construction has its own conditions.

Where are Slovenian public tenders published?

On the Public Procurement Portal at enarocanje.si, for every contract from EUR 40,000 for goods and services or EUR 80,000 for works (EUR 50,000 and EUR 100,000 for utilities). Contracts above EU thresholds also appear on TED. Bids are submitted through e-JN.

Can I bid in English in Slovenia?

Procedures are run in Slovenian. Tender documents often accept technical terms and certificates in a foreign language, and buyers may ask for translations at your cost, so plan for Slovenian. Check each tender’s documents.

What guarantees do Slovenian buyers ask for?

A bid guarantee of up to 3% of the estimated value (excluding VAT), a performance guarantee of up to 10% and a warranty guarantee of up to 5% of the contract value (including VAT). Bank guarantees, surety bonds, bills of exchange and cash deposits are accepted.

How quickly do Slovenian public buyers pay?

A public body’s payment term may not exceed 30 days from receiving the invoice. Invoices to budget users must be e-invoices sent through the Public Payments Administration (UJP), and foreign suppliers can use PEPPOL or a service provider.

How do I challenge a Slovenian award decision?

File a request for review with the buyer through eRevizija within 8 working days of the decision (5 in small-value procedures). The fee is 2% of the best acceptable bid, between EUR 500 and EUR 25,000. The contract can’t be signed while the review is pending, and the National Review Commission decides within 15 to 30 working 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.