How to bid for public tenders in Ukraine.

Ukraine at a glance

Which rules apply: wartime, then the new law

Since October 2022, buyers procure under the “Peculiarities” in Resolution 1178. They apply for as long as martial law lasts, plus 90 days; martial law is currently extended to 31 October 2026 and renewed roughly every 90 days. The Cabinet amends Resolution 1178 often. The latest big rounds took effect on 1 September 2026 (Resolution 957) and 29 September 2026.

The new Law 4888-IX is designed to align Ukraine with EU Directive 2014/24/EU. It was adopted on 27 May 2026 and took effect in stages:

• 24 June 2026: new contract price-change rules;
• 24 August 2026: updated localisation rules;
• 24 March 2027: the law as a whole.

Procedures started before 24 March 2027 finish under the old regime. After that date, the wartime special rules continue, but they’ll be re-issued under the new law.

Prozorro and the authorised e-platforms

Prozorro (prozorro.gov.ua) is the state’s public procurement portal, run by the state enterprise of the same name. It works as a hybrid: you don’t bid on prozorro.gov.ua itself. Instead, you register on one of the authorised e-platforms, commercial sites connected to the system. Every platform sees the same tenders, so pick one that serves foreign clients in English.

For smaller standard purchases, Prozorro Market is the e-catalogue. Above the thresholds, open tenders run as follows:

1. a clarification and complaint window;
2. an electronic auction if there are at least two bids;
3. qualification of the most economically advantageous bid;
4. a notice of intent, a complaint window, and then the contract.

Thresholds and procedures

• Below the thresholds, buyers can use Prozorro Market, or award directly for small amounts.
• The minimum bid period in an open tender is 15 days from the notice (since 1 September 2026). English-published tenders have had a longer minimum under the base law.
• The negotiated procedure returned on 1 September 2026 for specific grounds:
  • failed tenders with no bids;
  • technical exclusivity;
  • urgency and urgent defence needs;
  • critical infrastructure;
  • buyers in active combat zones.
• Direct contracts are allowed on listed wartime grounds. These include energy equipment (to 31 December 2026) and urgent restoration of power, gas and critical infrastructure.
• Defence purchases by state customers follow a separate regime.

Under the new law from March 2027, thresholds are reported to move to euros: a “European threshold” of €140,000 for goods and services and €5.404 million for works, with new tools such as competitive dialogue, innovation partnerships and dynamic purchasing systems.

Who can bid

• Equal treatment. Ukrainian and foreign participants take part on equal terms, and “participant” explicitly includes non-residents and consortia of non-residents.
• The aggressor-state ban. Buyers may not procure from:
  • citizens of Russia, Belarus or Iran, unless lawfully resident in Ukraine;
  • companies registered under their laws;
  • Ukrainian companies where those states or their citizens hold 10% or more, or are beneficial owners;
  • anyone selling goods, works or services originating in Russia or Belarus.
• Ukraine Facility (EU-funded) tenders add an eligibility test on both the bidder and the origin of goods. Bidders must come from eligible countries, and goods must originate there. From 23 July 2026, for one year, the United States, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom are eligible alongside the EU-defined list.
• Development-bank tenders (World Bank, EBRD, EIB and others) follow the bank’s own rules and eligibility. Check the notice.

Registering and bidding as a non-resident

1. Pick an authorised e-platform and register as a non-resident with your home-country registration documents. No Ukrainian company or tax code (EDRPOU) is needed.
2. Signature. Ukrainian bidders must sign bids with a qualified electronic signature. Bidders registered as non-residents can submit without one, according to the Ministry of Economy. A Ukrainian qualified signature for a foreign company is in practice available only with a representative office.
3. Read the tender documents for bid language and currency. Documents and bids are in Ukrainian by default; for English-published tenders the Ukrainian version is binding. Expect to translate your documents, and check whether the buyer wants apostilled or legalised copies. Where a Ukrainian-style document doesn’t exist in your country, an equivalent or an explanatory letter is accepted.
4. Post bid security if required, and submit before the deadline.
5. Fix errors fast. If the buyer finds nonconformities in your documents, you usually get 24 hours to correct them.
6. Win and sign. Under the wartime rules, a contract can be signed even when only one bid came in.

Securities, prices and payment

• Bid security: up to 3% of the expected value for goods and services, and 0.5% for works.
• Performance security: up to 5% of the contract price. Reports say the new law raises the cap for works to 10% from 2027.
• Price changes: since 24 June 2026, each unit-price increase is capped at 10%, and prices can change at most once every 90 days (fuel, gas and electricity are exempt from the frequency limit).
• Factoring: under the new law, buyers can’t prohibit assigning receivables.
• Payment terms are set in the contract.
• Large works contracts: for contracts of UAH 10 million or more, acceptance certificates are published on Prozorro.

Evaluation and localisation

• How bids win. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous bid, which in practice is usually the lowest price after the e-auction. The new law widens non-price criteria. Reportedly, until the end of 2027, price must still weigh at least 70% in open tenders.
• Localisation. Listed goods (machinery, vehicles, equipment) can be bought only if their degree of localisation in Ukraine meets the year’s minimum: 30% in 2026, 35% in 2027 and 40% from 2028, under a regime running to 2032.
  • Since 24 August 2026, it applies when the listed goods in a purchase are worth UAH 1 million or more, including goods supplied inside works or services contracts.
  • Since 29 September 2026, a contract signed in breach of localisation is void. Bidders must reference the official list of localised goods or prove origin, and non-manufacturers must disclose their supply chain.
• The exemption that matters to foreign bidders: localisation doesn’t apply to goods originating in WTO GPA parties or in countries with procurement provisions in a trade agreement with Ukraine, including the EU. The exemption works within those agreements’ coverage, and you must prove origin. Purchases for the armed forces and law enforcement are also exempt.
• SMEs: there’s no general set-aside, and lots are allowed. The new law adds proportionality rules, including a turnover requirement capped at 1× the expected value.

Challenging a decision

• Who and how: complaints go to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU), filed through the e-procurement system.
• Deadlines:
  • against tender terms, no later than 4 days before the bid deadline;
  • against an award, rejection or cancellation, within 5 days under the wartime rules;
  • in the negotiated procedure, within 5 days (3 for urgent purchases), and only until the contract is signed.
• Fees (refunded if you win):

• Review: AMCU decides whether to accept a complaint within 3 working days.
• Courts: AMCU decisions can be challenged in court within 30 days.

What changed in 2025–2026

• 27 May 2026: the new Law 4888-IX was adopted; it applies in full from 24 March 2027.
• 15 June 2026: EU accession talks opened the “Fundamentals” cluster, including Chapter 5, public procurement.
• 24 June 2026: stricter price-change rules (each increase at most 10%, at most once every 90 days).
• 23 July 2026: the US, Canada, Japan and the UK became eligible for Ukraine Facility tenders for one year.
• 24 August 2026: the localisation threshold rose to UAH 1 million and now covers goods inside works and services.
• 1 September 2026:
  • the negotiated procedure returned;
  • the minimum bid period became 15 days;
  • food no longer has to go through Prozorro Market;
  • acceptance certificates for large works contracts became public.
• 29 September 2026: localisation enforcement (void contracts, origin proof, supply-chain disclosure) and new non-competitive grounds for recovery projects.

Live Ukrainian tenders

See also which countries can bid on which government tenders.

Questions

Sources

• Prozorro
• Prozorro Infobox: complaints in above-threshold procurement
• Ministry of Economy: Ukraine Facility eligible countries (via Prozorro Infobox)
• European Commission: EU and Ukraine open the first accession cluster (15 June 2026)
• WTO: parties to the Government Procurement Agreement

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.