How to bid for government tenders in Türkiye

Türkiye at a glance


Main laws	Law 4734 (tenders) and Law 4735 (contracts)
Regulator	Public Procurement Authority (KİK)
Portal	EKAP at ekapv2.kik.gov.tr: notices, documents, e-bids, complaints
E-signature	Mandatory, under e-Signature Law 5070
Thresholds (2026)	TRY 18,734,124 central goods and services; TRY 31,223,628 other buyers; TRY 686,924,429 works
Domestic preference	Below thresholds, tenders can be domestic-only; price advantage up to 15%
Securities	Bid at least 3%; performance 6%
WTO GPA	Reportedly an observer, not a party
Challenges	Buyer 10 days, KİK 10 days, court 30 days

Where tenders appear

EKAP. The Electronic Public Procurement Platform, run by KİK, now lives at ekapv2.kik.gov.tr. Tender search, KİK board decisions and debarment checks are all there.
The Bulletin. Notices above the low-value bands go in the Public Procurement Bulletin, reached through EKAP. The smallest tenders are advertised in a local newspaper and on a news website.
Electronic by default. Since 1 August 2025, tenders, contracts, complaints and work-experience certificates run on EKAP.
International notices. There’s no separate “international tender” category; the buyer decides whether to advertise abroad. If it does, 12 days are added to the minimum notice period.
In English. KİK hosts an official 2022 English translation of Law 4734, without the latest amendments.
Defence. Defence purchasing reportedly runs under separate rules, outside the general law.

Thresholds and procedures

Amounts are in Turkish lira (TRY), excluding VAT, based on the buyer’s estimated cost. The 2026 values apply from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027, after a 27.67% rise.

Estimated cost	Rule
Up to TRY 1,021,827 (metropolitan areas) or TRY 340,391 (elsewhere)	Direct procurement: no notice, no security
Goods and services up to TRY 3,406,508	Negotiated without notice, at least 3 bidders invited
Below the threshold	Open, restricted or negotiated; may be domestic-only
From TRY 18,734,124 (central) or TRY 31,223,628 (other buyers), goods and services	Threshold level: longer notice periods
From TRY 686,924,429, works	Threshold level for all buyers

Procedures. Open, restricted and negotiated, plus direct procurement and design contests as separate routes.
Restricted is allowed for specialist or advanced-technology work, and for works above half the threshold. It’s cancelled if fewer than 5 candidates can be invited or fewer than 3 bids arrive.
Notice at or above the threshold. Open: 40 days, cut by 7 for electronic notices and 5 more with documents on EKAP, or to 24 after a prior information notice. Restricted: 14 days to pre-qualify, then 40 to bid. Negotiated with notice: 25 days.
Notice below the threshold. 7 days for goods and services up to TRY 2,043,844 or works up to TRY 4,087,898. 14 days up to TRY 4,087,898 (goods and services) or TRY 34,067,732 (works). 21 days above that.
State enterprises’ commercial and industrial purchases are exempt up to TRY 156,712,536.

Who can bid

Foreign firms may bid directly. No local partner is legally required.
Joint ventures can be a joint partnership (jointly and severally liable, with a pilot partner) or a consortium (split scope, with a coordinator). A notarised JV agreement is needed before signing.
EKAP registration and a secure e-signature are mandatory.
In practice. One law-firm guide says foreign firms need a Turkish potential tax ID and a qualified e-signature from a Turkish provider, and that EKAP validation takes about 5–10 business days. We couldn’t confirm whether EKAP accepts EU eIDAS certificates.
Foreign documents need an apostille or consular legalisation, and a translation: by a sworn translator abroad with an apostille, or a Turkish sworn translator with notarisation. Honorary-consulate documents aren’t accepted.
Work experience (works).
- A certificate is mandatory, counting only works accepted in the last 15 years.
- Open tenders require 50–100% of your bid price up to twice the threshold, or 50–80% above.
- In a joint partnership, the pilot partner meets at least 80%, each other partner 20%.
- Foreign certificates must be registered on EKAP by KİK first, which takes 15 days.
Tax and social security for foreign bidders are checked under home-country rules at contract signature.

Domestic bidders and the 15% price advantage

Who’s domestic. Turkish citizens and companies set up under Turkish law. A Turkish subsidiary of a foreign group counts.
Domestic-only tenders. Below the threshold, the buyer may exclude foreign bidders altogether. The 2026 rise widened this band.
Services and works. Domestic bidders may get a price advantage of up to 15%.
Goods. Bidders offering domestic goods may get up to 15%, whatever their nationality. It’s mandatory for listed medium- and high-tech goods and domestic software.
Works materials. The buyer may require domestic machinery, materials and software; it’s mandatory for listed technology items.
Joint ventures are domestic only if all partners are. In works, a JV with any foreign partner gets no advantage.
How it works. The percentage is added to foreign bidders’ prices for comparison, after any non-price factors.
How often. In 2024 it was applied in 54.39% of international tenders by value (41.62% by number), up from 48.68% in 2023.
Proof. You need a Domestic Goods Certificate. One tax-practice summary says it now requires at least 51% domestic content and lasts 1 year.
EU reciprocity. Since 31 July 2026, the President may extend these advantages to EU bidders and EU goods. We couldn’t confirm any decision putting this into effect.

Bidding, step by step

Find tenders on EKAP or in the Bulletin, and check whether foreign bidders are allowed.
Get a Turkish tax ID (a potential tax number) from the Revenue Administration.
Get a qualified e-signature that meets Law 5070.
Register on EKAP with apostilled, translated company documents and powers of attorney.
Works only: ask KİK to register your foreign certificates at least about 15 days before the deadline.
Download the documents on EKAP with your e-signature. For a JV, one partner is enough.
Challenge the terms early, at least 3 working days before the bid deadline.
Submit the e-bid: the participation form, annexes and a bid security of at least 3%, signed electronically. EKAP won’t send a bid with missing fields or too low a security.
Follow the opening on EKAP. The estimated cost, bidders and prices are shown.
Award. Approved within 5 working days, notified within 3, then a 10-day standstill (5 for urgent tenders).
Sign. Within 10 days of the invitation, plus 12 for foreign bidders, provide the documents and a 6% performance security, then sign on EKAP.

Securities and payment

Bid security. At least 3% of your bid price, in an amount you choose. Consultancy tenders may waive it.
Forms. Lira, guarantee letters or government bonds. Guarantees can come from foreign banks licensed in Türkiye, or from Turkish banks against a foreign bank’s counter-guarantee.
Performance security. 6% of the contract price.
Low works bids. Below the limit value (the abnormally-low benchmark), it’s 9% of the estimated cost.
KİK fee. 0.05% of contracts above TRY 6,813,294.
Payment. Each contract sets payment terms and any advance payment; the law sets no single deadline. We couldn’t confirm typical payment periods, advance caps or late-payment interest.
Currency. Contracts are normally in TRY. Foreign currency is allowed only in a few cases, such as some energy-security tenders, with Treasury approval.

How bids are evaluated

Most economically advantageous tender, decided on price alone or on price plus stated non-price factors such as quality and operating cost.
Abnormally low bids need a written explanation before rejection. But in services and works tenders up to half the threshold, bids below the limit value can be rejected without one.
Market reality. The EU estimates only 39.7% of the market by value is open to fair competition.

Challenging a decision

Two compulsory steps before court, both filed on EKAP: a complaint to the buyer, then an appeal to KİK.
Complaint to the buyer. Within 10 days of learning of the problem (5 for urgent tenders), before signing. Complaints about the documents: at least 3 working days before the bid deadline. The buyer decides within 10 days; we found no fee.
Appeal to KİK. Within 10 days of the buyer’s decision; 5 days against a cancellation. KİK decides within 20 days and publishes its decisions.
Suspension. The contract can’t be signed until the appeal window has passed, or, if you appeal, until KİK decides.
KİK fee (2026). TRY 64,652 up to TRY 10,785,492; TRY 129,385 up to TRY 43,142,132; TRY 194,085 up to TRY 323,566,103; TRY 258,810 above.
Refunds. In proportion to how far you succeed. Ask within 30 days.
Deposit. The law allows a deposit of up to 4 times the fee; we couldn’t confirm one is in force.
Court. KİK decisions go to the administrative courts: 30 days to file, a decision within a month, then 15 days for an appeal on points of law.
Conflicting figures. Some secondary summaries quote other deadlines; ours come from the statutes.

What changed in 2025–2026

1 February 2025: thresholds re-indexed.
1 August 2025: the new e-procurement regulation took effect. E-bids for restricted and some negotiated tenders start on a date KİK announces; we couldn’t confirm it.
26 December 2025: KİK appeal fees became refundable pro rata.
1 January 2026: the new domestic-goods rules reportedly took full effect.
1 February 2026: thresholds raised 27.67%.
April–May 2026: regulation amendments, reportedly on work experience, abnormally low bids and fee refunds.
31 July 2026: Law 7590 allowed domestic advantages to be extended to EU bidders on reciprocity.
Context: the EU’s 2025 report says Turkish law is only partly aligned with EU rules.

Live Turkish tenders

Questions

Can a foreign company bid on Turkish government tenders?

Yes. You register on EKAP and bid with a secure e-signature. But below the EU-style thresholds (2026: TRY 18.7 million or 31.2 million for goods and services, TRY 686.9 million for works), the buyer may limit a tender to domestic bidders.

Do I need a Turkish partner to bid in Türkiye?

No, a local partner isn’t legally required. A Turkish-incorporated subsidiary of a foreign group counts as a domestic bidder, but a joint venture counts as domestic only if every partner is domestic.

How big is the Turkish domestic price advantage?

Up to 15%, added to foreign bidders’ prices for comparison. It’s mandatory at 15% for listed medium- and high-tech goods and for domestic software.

What bid and performance securities apply in Türkiye?

A bid security of at least 3% of your price, and a performance security of 6% (9% of the estimated cost for works bids below the limit value). A foreign bank’s guarantee needs a counter-guarantee from a bank operating in Türkiye.

Can my work experience abroad count?

Yes. For works, KİK must first register your foreign completion certificates on EKAP, which takes 15 days. Documents issued abroad need an apostille or legalisation, plus a translation.

How do I challenge a Turkish tender decision?

Complain to the buyer within 10 days, then appeal to KİK within 10 days of its decision. The 2026 KİK fee is TRY 64,652 to 258,810, refunded in proportion to how far you succeed. Then you have 30 days to go to the administrative court.

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.