How to Apply for a Tender in Syria: Procedure, Documents and Issuing Bodies

To bid on a Syrian public tender: locate the published notice, buy the tender dossier from the issuing entity, assemble the eligibility documents and the provisional guarantee, place your offer in the sealed envelopes the notice specifies, and register it at the entity's registry office before the end of the working day on the closing date.

This describes procedure as set out in the law. It is not legal advice. The binding reference is the notice and the conditions book (دفتر الشروط) for each tender. As of 1 November 2026; amounts and deadlines change, so verify against the current notice before relying on any figure.

The governing law and the six procurement methods

Procurement by Syrian public entities, except the Ministry of Defence and its non-construction establishments and companies, is governed by the contracts system issued by Law No. 51 of 2004. Article numbers on this page refer to that system. Confirm any later amendment with the issuing authority.

Article 2 lists six methods: direct purchase, tender (مناقصة), request for proposals (طلب العروض), competition, contracting by mutual agreement, and execution of works in trust. The choice rests with the ordering officer (آمر الصرف). Article 26 allows a tender to be declared restricted («محصورة») to bidders meeting stated material and technical capability conditions.

Who issues tenders

The public entities themselves: ministries, establishments, directorates, universities and city and town councils, alongside the General Authority for Supply and Provision (الهيئة العامة للإمداد والتوريد), created by Decree No. 63 of 2026. As reported by SANA from the decree text, the Authority handles requests above 5,000,000 new Syrian pounds (internal) and 10,000,000 (external), or the US dollar equivalent, through to contract signature; the requesting entity then follows execution. These values can be changed, so confirm the current thresholds with the Authority.

Internal and external tenders

Article 9(b) defines external tenders (خارجية) as open to Arabs and foreigners, and the notice states its class. Where a notice is silent, ask the issuing entity.

Where notices are published, and when

Notices are published in the Official Announcements Bulletin and a daily newspaper, and posted on the entity's notice board (Article 10(a)).

The minimum period between the announcement and the last date for offers is 15 days for internal tenders and 50 days for external ones, reducible in urgent cases to not less than 5 and 25 days, with the notice then carrying the words «السرعة الكلية». The day of the announcement and the day of the session are excluded, and the conditions books may not be amended after publication without re-advertisement (Article 9).

The dossier and its price

The dossier is bought from the issuing entity, and the notice states the seller and the price (Article 10(b)). The law fixes no uniform tariff.

Eligibility and documents

Article 11 sets the participation conditions and is the basis for excluding a bidder. They include:

• Not being debarred or under attachment.
• Commercial-register entry and membership of the relevant chamber, for Syrian bidders and those in their standing.
• A judicial record free of a felony or dishonourable offence unless rehabilitated, for natural persons.
• Not being a public-entity employee or a member of a local-administration executive office in the governorate, for natural persons.

Certain conditions are established by written declarations. The commercial-register, chamber, judicial-record and non-employment documents may not be more than three months old. The commercial-register and chamber conditions may be waived in external tenders and in some tenders whose nature requires it (paragraph (e)). A notice may add conditions, such as a classification document.

Article 15 requires an elected domicile in Syria, with an exception for non-residents covered in the foreign-company section.

Provisional and final guarantees

The provisional guarantee is 5% of the estimated value, or a lump sum where there is no estimate, and the final guarantee is 10% of the contract value (Article 46). Both may be reduced where the special conditions book and the notice say so, and may be exempted for spare-parts supply and maintenance contracts, and in special cases with prior approval of the competent minister, so check the notice before omitting one.

Guarantees are paid in cash, or by bank guarantee, bank transfer or certified cheque from banks accredited and resident in Syria. The provisional guarantee is deposited within the offer submission period.

On currency, 100 old pounds equal 1 new pound (Decree No. 293 of 2025), and amounts in pounds issued from 31 July 2026 are in new pounds. Confirm amounts written into the 2004 text with the issuing authority. Read the form and currency of the guarantee in each notice.

Submitting the offer: envelopes and registration

The offer goes into a closed outer envelope addressed to the entity and marked with the subject and date. Inside it:

• A tender uses two envelopes: the first for the participation request, the Article 11 documents and the bidder's declaration accepting both conditions books; the second for the financial offer (Article 14).
• A request for proposals uses three: the first for the request and documents, the second technical, with no prices or reservations (any that appear are disregarded), and the third financial (Article 30).

Article 19 allows delivery directly or by registered mail, and the notice governs the method. Either way, the offer must be registered at the registry office before the end of working hours on the closing day. Each bidder has one offer, which cannot be retrieved or amended after registration. In a request for proposals, however, if the entity asks for clarifications or corrections in its interest, all bidders may amend their offers by the date it sets (Article 31(d)).

The administration may set a confidential maximum price. If no offer is at or below it, the committee asks for new prices once, in the same session; if those exceed the estimate by more than 5%, the tender is declared failed (Article 22).

The opening session and evaluation

A tender opens in a public session that bidders attend; a request for proposals is examined in a secret session (Article 31). Objections are decided in session, and decisions announced to those present are final (Article 21).

The committee excludes bidders who fail Article 11 and returns the rest of their offers unopened, then ranks accepted offers from the lowest price (Article 20). Where only one offer is received or accepted the tender is re-advertised, and on the second round that offer may be accepted if the entity finds it in its interest. A tie at the lowest price goes to a sealed-envelope round in the same session.

In a request for proposals the minimum technical mark is fixed before the technical envelopes are received, financial envelopes are opened only for offers that reach it, and the award goes to the offer most suitable to the public entity's interest, not automatically the cheapest.

Award, contract and commencement

• Ratification: the ordering officer ratifies the award and may cancel it for written reasons but may not alter it (Article 24).
• Until the commencement order: the winner remains a "candidate contractor", and the entity may withdraw without compensation.
• Signature and final guarantee: within the period in the conditions book, at most 30 days from notification, failing which the guarantee lodged is forfeited (Articles 24 and 48).
• Right to withdraw: if no commencement order arrives within the bid-validity period, the candidate may withdraw within the next seven days by a letter registered at the entity's office; otherwise the commitment renews automatically, up to six months in total (Article 25).
• Advance: up to 15% where the conditions book and notice provide for it, against a bank guarantee; taking it forfeits any claim for later price rises (Article 49).
• Delay penalties: not less than one per thousand of the total value per day, capped at 20%, unless the conditions book provides otherwise in the cases Articles 50 and 51 allow.

What differs for a foreign company

Article 11(f) exempts a foreign company with no branch or resident representative in Syria from the commercial-register, chamber, judicial-record and non-employment documents. The exemption does not extend to the written declaration of not being debarred or under attachment, or to the other declarations in Article 11(b).

An Arab non-resident or foreign bidder may have a domicile abroad at bid stage where the conditions book so provides (Article 15); at contract stage a domicile in Syria is required (Article 65). On an unofficial text of Law No. 34 of 2008, completing a contract usually requires the company to register in Syria, with exceptions.

For works, the notice usually asks for a classification grade and specialisation under the new system issued in September 2026; check its text with the Ministry and the Syndicate. Bidders should verify sanctions and export-control requirements in their own country on the date they bid, and the payment route with their bank. See our separate guide for foreign companies (in preparation).

Why bids are rejected

Article 18 allows a deadline to complete missing documents, except the provisional guarantee, the prices, and price-analysis schedules where required. The main grounds include:

• Registering after the end of working hours on the closing day.
• An offer without the provisional guarantee.
• Failing the Article 11 conditions.
• Submitting more than one offer, or trying to amend after registration.
• Reservations the bidder did not withdraw in writing at the start of the session and before prices are announced (Article 18(d)).
• Missing the minimum technical mark in a request for proposals.

A contractor may also be debarred by reasoned decision for up to five years (Article 58).

Planned developments

A Stakeholder Engagement Plan, in a draft dated 19 January 2026 for a World Bank-supported project, describes a new law to replace Law 51, a regulatory body and a single procurement portal. These are planned elements, not provisions in force, so check the notice and the official channels.

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply for a government tender in Syria?

Identify the notice and the issuing entity, buy the conditions book, prepare the Article 11 documents and the provisional guarantee, then register your offer at the entity's registry office before the end of the working day on the closing date.

Where are Syrian tenders published?

In the Official Announcements Bulletin, a daily newspaper and on the entity's notice board (Article 10).

How much are the bid bond and performance guarantee in Syria?

5% of the estimated value or a lump sum, and 10% of the contract value (Article 46). Both are reducible and may be exempted in defined cases.

What documents are required to bid on a Syrian tender?

Article 11 sets them according to the type of bidder, and the conditions book adds others, such as a classification document for works.

Can bids be submitted online in Syria?

Article 19 allows delivery directly or by registered mail, and the notice governs. For the current position, check the official channels.

What do the rules say about foreign companies bidding on Syrian government tenders?

The deciding point is whether the notice is external (Article 9). A company with no branch or resident representative is exempt from some documents, but not from the written declarations (Article 11).

How much does a Syrian tender dossier cost?

There is no uniform tariff; the notice states the seller and the price.

Why are bids rejected in Syrian tenders?

The main grounds are late registration, a missing provisional guarantee and failing the Article 11 conditions (Articles 18 and 20).

Following tender notices

Notices are consolidated in the platform's published tender listings, organised by sector, such as roads and bridges. The listing is a monitoring tool; the original notice and the conditions book are what bind. Local partners and suppliers can be identified through the company directory.