How to Bid on Serbian Public Tenders: The e-Procurement Portal (jnportal) Step by Step

1. How the Serbian system works

Serbian public procurement is governed by the Public Procurement Law (Zakon o javnim nabavkama — ZJN) and is run centrally through the Public Procurement Portal. The example tender uses the "open procedure" (otvoreni postupak) and is split into three lots: hazardous waste, infectious medical waste, and mixed waste.

The core rule: communication is exclusively electronic. An interested bidder communicates with the contracting authority (naručilac) only through the portal. To count as "interested," you must either download the tender documentation or flag your interest — that subscribes you, via the portal's electronic mailbox, to all updates (document changes, clarifications, decisions).

2. Portal registration and authorization

Every bidding company (privredni subjekt) must be registered on the portal with at least one — preferably several — user accounts. Rights to act on a specific tender are granted to individuals within the company through the portal. If you act through a proxy, the power of attorney is also set up on the portal.

An important restriction: a bidder who submits an independent bid cannot at the same time participate in a joint bid or as a subcontractor, and the same entity cannot be in multiple joint bids. A bidder may submit only one bid unless variant bids are permitted.

3. Asking questions and reviewing documents

The tender documentation sits on the tender's page on the portal (in the example: jnportal.ujn.gov.rs/tender-eo/377367). From this page you can request additional information/clarification and point out gaps or irregularities. Critical deadline: requests for clarification must be made at the latest 6 days before the submission deadline.

The portal's electronic mailbox automatically delivers: document amendments, clarifications, catalogue changes, published notices, and finally the award/cancellation decision. After you submit, you also receive your submission confirmation, the bid-opening minutes (zapisnik), and any e-auction invitation. Copies of these messages also go to the email you registered with.

4. Bid structure and required documents

The bid is prepared on the portal according to the structure defined by the authority. No part of the electronic bid is signed; no stamp/seal or scanning is required — the portal encrypts the bid and keeps both its content and your identity confidential until the moment of opening. You must not encrypt the documents you upload yourself.

Documents required per lot in the example tender:

• Bid form (Obrazac ponude): auto-generated by the portal from the data you enter.
• Price-structure form (Obrazac strukture ponuđene cene): to be completed.
• Bid-preparation cost form: completed if you incurred costs.
• e-Statement on qualitative selection criteria: completed electronically on the portal — Serbia's equivalent of the EU's ESPD. Group members and subcontractors each complete their own.
• Bid security (Sredstvo obezbeđenja za ozbiljnost ponude).
• Model contract (Model ugovora): to be completed.

5. Securities: bid and performance security

In Serbia, security is typically provided via a menica (promissory note / bill of exchange):

• Bid security: a menica payable on first demand for at least 3% of the offered price (excl. VAT). The original — with the menica authorization and signature card — must reach the authority by post or in person before the deadline. The authority cashes it if, after the deadline, you change or withdraw your bid, unjustifiably refuse to sign the contract, or fail to provide the performance security.
• Performance (good-execution) security: the winning bidder submits, on signing, an unconditional menica payable on first demand for 10% of the contract value (excl. VAT), valid for 30 days beyond the final delivery deadline.

6. Joint bids and subcontractors

Joint bid (zajednička ponuda): a group (grupa) is created on the portal; the member authorized to bid on the group's behalf prepares and submits. All members must be registered, and each completes their own qualitative-criteria e-Statement. The bid form states the value/percentage of work each member will perform.

Subcontractor (podizvođač): subcontractors must be registered on the portal but need not give consent for the bid. For each subcontractor the bidder states identity details, the portion/value of work assigned, and whether the authority should pay the subcontractor directly; an e-Statement is submitted for each.

7. Price, evaluation and tie-breaking

In the example tender the award criterion is price, ranked automatically. The price is given in dinars (RSD), with and without VAT, including all costs the bidder incurs.

Tie-break (reserve) criteria: if prices are equal, the bidder with the longer payment term wins; if still tied, the one with the shorter service-execution period. If a decision still can't be made, the authority holds a public lottery (žreb) among the most favorable bids.

8. Deadlines, validity and payment terms

The key deadlines and conditions in the example tender:

• Submission deadline: 29 June 2026, 10:00 local time in the example.
• Bid language: Serbian.
• Bid validity: at least 30 days from the opening date.
• Payment term: cannot be shorter than 60 days (your bid must offer a 60+ day term).

9. Bid opening and award decision

The opening is electronic, public and automatic; at the deadline the portal opens the bids and generates opening minutes (zapisnik) sent to all bidders. After opening, the authority may request clarifications to aid evaluation; for incomplete/unclear data it may request completion via the portal within no fewer than 5 days. The award or cancellation decision is issued within 30 days of the submission deadline.

10. The appeals (right-to-protection) process

A bidder with an interest may file a request for protection of rights (zahtev za zaštitu prava) against acts of the authority that breach the ZJN. The request is filed through the portal simultaneously to the authority and the Republic Commission.

Critical deadlines:

• A challenge to the tender documents/notice content must reach the authority at least 3 days before the deadline.
• A challenge to acts after the deadline is filed within 10 days of the decision's publication.
• Appeal fee: RSD 120,000 (proof of payment must be attached).

11. Critical notes for foreign bidders

• Bids are submitted in Serbian — a local partner or translation capacity is essential.
• A foreign-bank menica is valid only if the bank's rating is investment grade; a local bank security is often more practical.
• The mandatory service representative in Serbia for appeals, the lottery risk, and the 60+ day payment term all affect your cash-flow plan.
• Parts that cannot be submitted electronically must reach the authority by the deadline by post/courier/in person, sealed and marked "NE OTVARATI" (Do Not Open), with the reference number.