How to bid for public tenders in Slovakia

Slovakia at a glance


Main law	Act 343/2015 on public procurement, amended through 2026
Regulator and review body	Public Procurement Office (ÚVO)
Law applies from	EUR 50,000
EU thresholds (2026–27)	EUR 140,000 central, EUR 216,000 other goods and services; EUR 5,404,000 works
Bidding	State electronic platform, or the e-tool named in the notice (e.g. JOSEPHINE)
Language	Slovak (Czech accepted)
Before signature	RPVS beneficial-owner registration above EUR 100,000
Challenges	Objections to ÚVO within 10 days; deposit 0.1%

Where tenders appear

Above EU thresholds. Notices go to TED, prepared with ÚVO’s eForms tool.
Below EU thresholds. Open calls are published in the ÚVO Bulletin on its website. Invitations go out through the state electronic platform, historically known as EKS, which is free.
Private e-tools. Many procedures run on ÚVO-registered private tools, such as JOSEPHINE, eZakazky, TENDERnet, NUNTIO and others. The notice tells you which one.
ÚVO runs the Bulletin, the list of economic operators, the register of debarred companies, and handles objections.

Thresholds and procedures

Contract	Rule
Under EUR 50,000	The Act doesn’t apply
EUR 50,000 up to EU thresholds	Sub-threshold: the buyer invites at least 3 firms through the electronic platform, or publishes an open call
Sub-threshold works from EUR 800,000	An open call is mandatory
From EUR 140,000 (central) or EUR 216,000 (other buyers) for goods and services; EUR 5,404,000 for works	Above threshold: full EU procedures
Utilities, goods and services	Above threshold from EUR 432,000

No more “low-value” category. It was abolished in August 2024.
Sub-threshold open calls need at least 9 working days for goods and services and 14 for works. Buyers must answer questions at least 3 working days before the deadline.
Common goods and services can be bought on the platform’s marketplace. Suppliers post offers and can undercut each other within at least 72 hours. You need to be on ÚVO’s list of economic operators to trade there.
Above threshold, open procedures need at least 35 days, or 30 with electronic submission. Restricted procedures need 30 days to ask to take part, then 30 to bid.
Frameworks and lots. Framework agreements last up to 4 years. Buyers must explain a decision not to split into lots.
EU-funded contracts follow stricter sub-threshold rules in a separate handbook.

Who can bid

No nationality bar for companies from the EU, EEA or WTO GPA countries.
Third countries. A buyer may restrict or exclude bidders established in countries that aren’t GPA parties or EU agreement partners. Since 21 May 2026 it can also require their subcontractors and capacity providers to be replaced. This follows the EU Court’s Kolin ruling (2024).
Language. Bids are in Slovak, and Czech is also accepted. Documents in other languages need an official Slovak translation, which takes precedence, unless the notice allows another language.
Proving eligibility.
- ESPD. The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), known locally as the JED, can stand in for evidence at first; below thresholds a sworn declaration also works.
- Certificates. The full set is a criminal record, social and health insurance, tax and customs certificates, and an insolvency certificate, each no older than 3 months. Foreign bidders can use sworn declarations where their country doesn’t issue these.
- Fixing gaps. Since July 2026 buyers can ask you to clarify or complete these documents within 2 working days.
ÚVO list of economic operators. It’s optional, and entry proves your status to every buyer for 3 years. ÚVO enters you within 15 working days of a complete application. It’s needed for the marketplace route.
Construction. We didn’t verify Slovakia’s licensing rules for foreign construction firms.

The RPVS register: before you sign

The Register of Public Sector Partners (RPVS) lists who really owns companies paid with public money.

When you need it. If you’ll receive more than EUR 100,000 in one go, or more than EUR 250,000 in total for repeated performances, you must be registered before the contract is signed. Subcontractors over the limits must be too.
Who files it. Registration is filed through an authorised person: a lawyer, notary, bank, auditor or tax adviser in Slovakia, or a foreign equivalent with a Slovak branch.
What happens if you’re not registered. The buyer can’t sign with you. It also can’t sign if a registered beneficial owner is a senior public official.

Start this early: it’s the step foreign winners most often miss.

Bidding, step by step

Find the notice: TED for EU-level contracts, the ÚVO Bulletin or a platform invitation for smaller ones.
Check your eligibility: firms from outside the EU, EEA, GPA or EU agreement countries may be excluded.
Register on the tool named in the notice. The state platform issues free credentials to foreigners without a Slovak eID.
Optionally join ÚVO’s list of economic operators. You need it for the marketplace route.
Prepare the ESPD, or a sworn declaration below threshold, and arrange translations.
Arrange bid security if required: a bank guarantee, guarantee insurance or cash deposit, your choice.
Ask questions early.
Submit electronically before the deadline.
Watch the result notice. It starts the 10-day objection window and the standstill.
Register in RPVS if the contract is over EUR 100,000.
Sign within 10 working days of the invitation, or the buyer can move to the next bidder and keep your security.

Securities and payment

Bid security is optional.
- Above threshold: at most 5% of the estimated value, capped at EUR 500,000.
- Below threshold: at most 3%, capped at EUR 100,000.
- Losing it: you lose it if you withdraw or don’t cooperate in signing. Otherwise it’s returned within 7 days.
Performance security has no legal cap; it’s set in the contract.
Payment. Public bodies must pay within 30 days of the invoice or proper performance, whichever is later. A longer term, up to 60 days, is allowed only if expressly agreed and justified.
E-invoicing. Structured e-invoicing obligations begin on 1 January 2027.

How bids are evaluated

Best value. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender: best price-quality ratio, cost or life-cycle cost, or lowest price. Weightings must be published.
What can’t be scored. Subcontracting share and security instruments can’t be award criteria.
Abnormally low bids must be explained in writing.
Social and green. Buyers running 10 or more procedures a year must include social or environmental aspects in at least 6% of them.
Evaluation committees have at least 3 members. Since July 2026, members can’t have been linked to a bidder in the past 3 years.

Challenging a decision

Straight to ÚVO. The old step of first asking the buyer to fix the problem was abolished in June 2024. Objections go directly to ÚVO.
Deadline. Objections must reach both ÚVO and the buyer within 10 days of the act you’re challenging.
Not available for sub-threshold goods and services, or sub-threshold works up to EUR 1.5 million. These can only be reviewed after signature, at the initiative of bodies such as the police, the Supreme Audit Office or the Antimonopoly Office.
Deposit. 0.1% of the estimated value, at least EUR 2,000, and at most EUR 10,000 for the notice or documents or EUR 50,000 otherwise. You lose it if your objection is fully rejected.
No signature. Objections don’t stop the procedure, but the contract can’t be signed until ÚVO decides, within 30 days.
Standstill. Without objections, the earliest signature is day 16 after the result is sent, or day 11 with electronic communication.
Court. You can take ÚVO’s decision to the Administrative Court in Bratislava within 30 days.

What changed in 2024–2026

June–August 2024: the “request for remedy” step was abolished, as was the low-value category. A single sub-threshold regime now starts at EUR 50,000.
January 2025: the restriction on third-country bidders was reworded around the GPA. The state platform moved to the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.
1 January 2026: new EU thresholds took effect.
21 May 2026: ÚVO got a prioritisation policy, its President gained powers to review objection decisions, and the GPA test was extended to subcontractors.
30 May 2026: accessibility requirements became part of technical specifications.
1 July 2026: new rules took effect on conflicts of interest, on fixing qualification documents and on committee cooling-off periods.
Coming 1 January 2027: e-invoicing obligations begin.

Live Slovak tenders

Questions

Do I need a Slovak company to bid on Slovak public tenders?

No. Foreign companies can bid directly and prove their status with home-country documents or sworn declarations. Buyers may, however, restrict or exclude companies established outside the EU, EEA and WTO GPA countries or other EU agreement partners, and since May 2026 the same test can apply to their subcontractors.

What is the RPVS register and when do I need it?

The Register of Public Sector Partners lists the beneficial owners of companies paid with public money. If your contract will pay you more than EUR 100,000 in one go, or more than EUR 250,000 in total for repeated performance, you must be registered before signature, through a Slovak lawyer, notary, bank, auditor or tax adviser. Otherwise the buyer can’t sign.

What language do I bid in?

Slovak, and Czech is also accepted. Documents in other languages need an official Slovak translation, unless the notice allows another language. Buyers must always allow Slovak.

Do I have to register with ÚVO before bidding?

Not generally. Entry in ÚVO’s list of economic operators is optional proof of your status, valid for 3 years, but it’s needed to trade on the electronic marketplace route for common goods and services. You register on whichever e-tool the notice names.

How quickly are suppliers paid in Slovakia?

Within 30 days of the invoice or proper performance, whichever is later. A longer term up to 60 days is allowed only if expressly agreed and justified by the subject of the contract.

How do I challenge a Slovak procurement decision?

File objections with both ÚVO and the buyer within 10 days, with a deposit of 0.1% of the value (EUR 2,000 to 50,000). The contract can’t be signed until ÚVO decides, within 30 days. Objections aren’t available for sub-threshold goods and services, or for works up to EUR 1.5 million.

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.