How to bid on public tenders in Ireland

Public tenders in Ireland are published on eTenders, the national tendering platform of the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). The current platform went live on 15 May 2023 and gives free and unrestricted access to procurement competitions, while contracts above the EU thresholds also appear on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily).

Register as a supplier on eTenders and add your CPV codes to your profile, since tender alerts only cover the exact codes you select. Submission is electronic, usually through eTenders, but some authorities use another e-tendering system linked from the notice.

Above the EU thresholds, Irish tenders follow S.I. No. 284/2016 (European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016), with separate regulations for utilities and concessions. Below them, Circular 05/2023 from the Office of Government Procurement sets the national rules and raised the eTenders advertising threshold for goods and services from EUR 25,000 to EUR 50,000.

Contract type	Advertised on eTenders from	EU threshold 2026 and 2027
Goods and services	EUR 50,000	EUR 140,000 (central government), EUR 216,000 (other bodies)
Works	EUR 200,000	EUR 5,404,000
Utilities, goods and services	n/a	EUR 432,000
Social and other specific services	n/a	EUR 750,000

Values exclude VAT. Between EUR 5,000 and EUR 50,000, buyers can award goods and services contracts on the basis of quotes from at least three suppliers, sent by email or through the eTenders quotes facility. Award details must be published on eTenders for all contracts over EUR 25,000.

Ireland published its first National Public Procurement Strategy, “Procuring for our Future” for 2026 to 2030, in August 2026. It aims to make it easier for SMEs to win public contracts, with public bodies setting out SME measures in their procurement plans, promotion of consortium bidding, support for earlier market engagement and further eTenders improvements.

Green criteria are also gaining weight. Under Circular 17/2025, public bodies must include green public procurement (GPP) criteria in all tenders above the national advertising thresholds where possible, and from 2026 they must specify low carbon construction components and sustainable building processes in the brief for construction projects.

Irish tenders are generally run and answered in English, so there is no translation into a less common language. Irish (Gaeilge) is also an official language, and some notices accept bids in either.

Above the EU thresholds, every public body must accept the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), a self-declaration of suitability and financial standing, which is provided in electronic form (eESPD) on eTenders. Circular 05/2023 says required turnover should normally not exceed twice the contract value. For routine goods and services, the circular gives EUR 12.7 million employer’s liability and EUR 6.5 million public liability as guide levels for insurance, and proof of cover should only be required from the winning bidder.

The key step is an Irish tax clearance certificate, which Revenue requires for public contracts worth EUR 10,000 or more including VAT within a 12-month period. Non-residents who are neither registered for Irish tax nor have a permanent place of business in Ireland cannot use the online service and apply with form TC1 to Revenue’s non-resident tax clearance unit. Depending on your activity, Revenue may require you to register for Irish tax first, and for construction contracts your Relevant Contracts Tax (RCT) rate is also checked before payment.

If you post staff to Ireland, you must file a declaration with the Workplace Relations Commission no later than the day work starts, and failing to do so is a criminal offence. Posted workers are covered by Irish employment protection rules, including Sectoral Employment Orders that set binding pay in some sectors.

For contracts above the EU thresholds, the authority must wait a standstill period of at least 14 calendar days after an award decision (16 if not notified electronically) before signing. A challenge goes to the High Court within 30 calendar days of notification, and an application filed before signing automatically suspends the award.

• Applying for tax clearance too late to show it when asked.
• Missing tenders because no CPV codes are set on eTenders.
• Overlooking ESPD exclusion grounds, as a final and binding decision on unpaid taxes or social security contributions means mandatory exclusion.