Requirements for public procurement in Bulgaria

Introduction

Participating in a public tender requires preparation — documents, certificates, and evidence that must be ready before you consider any specific procedure. Without them your bid can be eliminated at the administrative verification stage before it is even evaluated on merit. This guide explains typical participation requirements and what to prepare in advance.

The two main portals

In Bulgaria, public procurement notices are published in two places:

The Firmify radar currently works with TED. Larger contracts (above the EU thresholds) are published in both TED and ЦАИС ЕОП.

Main participation requirements

1. Active company

You must have a registered, active commercial entity (LLC, sole trader, JSC, etc.) or association. The company must not be in insolvency or liquidation proceedings.

2. No tax or social security debts

Almost every tender requires a certificate from NRA (НАП) confirming no outstanding tax and social security obligations. The certificate is issued electronically via the NRA portal.

3. No criminal record

Managers and beneficial owners typically must provide a criminal record certificate or declaration confirming they have not been convicted of fraud, corruption, money laundering, or similar offences.

4. Technical and professional capacity

Contracting authorities require evidence that the company can actually deliver:

• References and experience — a list of similar contracts executed in the past 3–5 years, with stated values and clients
• Key experts and qualifications — CVs, degrees, and certificates of key staff
• Technical resources — equipment, licences, infrastructure (for construction or manufacturing)

5. Economic and financial capacity

For larger contracts, proof of financial stability is required:

• Annual financial statements (typically for the past 1–3 years), filed in the Commercial Register
• Bank reference or statement confirming available funds
• Minimum turnover — sometimes an explicit requirement (e.g. turnover at least 2× the contract value)
• Professional liability insurance — especially for construction, IT, and consulting

6. Bid and performance guarantees

• Bid bond — a cash deposit or bank guarantee held during the evaluation period. Released after the procedure concludes.
• Performance guarantee — required from the winner before signing the contract. Usually 5–10% of the contract value.

Documents typically required

How to submit a bid

In ЦАИС ЕОП (national tenders)

Bids are submitted exclusively electronically via app.eop.bg. You need a registered account on the platform and a qualified electronic signature (QES) to sign the documents.

In TED / the buyer's platform (European tenders)

For notices published only in TED, bids are submitted through the platform specified in the notice or directly to the buyer. Always check the specific instructions in the tender documentation.

How Firmify helps

The radar notifies you of relevant tenders in advance, giving you enough days to prepare — rather than discovering a procedure three days before the deadline.

Firmify Tenders packages (Tender Radar, Tender Ready, Tender Support) help with analysing a specific tender, a document checklist, readiness assessment, and — when needed — coordination with partner accountants or lawyers.

In-product screens: end-to-end workflow and paid document pack + Stripe.