In this guide 6 sections
Romania is the rare market where everything passes through one platform: SEAP (at e-licitatie.ro). From a box of paper to a motorway, publication, bidding and even small direct purchases live in the same system, governed by Law 98/2016 and watched by the ANAP regulator. For a foreign bidder that means one registration unlocks the whole country - and one interface to learn.
Where Romanian tenders are published
- SEAP / e-licitatie.ro is mandatory for public buyers: formal notices, the electronic bidding itself, and the award decisions all happen there. Above the EU thresholds notices are forwarded to TED.
- The larger direct purchases below the thresholds also go through SEAP, by its electronic catalogue or a published notice. Being in the catalogue is passive sales.
Thresholds and procedures
- Direct purchase (achiziție directă): below roughly RON 270,000 for goods and services (about €54,000) and roughly RON 900,000 for works, bought via the SEAP catalogue or simple requests.
- The simplified procedure (procedura simplificată) carries the middle of the market: above direct purchase but below the EU thresholds, with shorter deadlines and lighter requirements - the classic entry point.
- Above the EU thresholds the full EU procedures apply, entirely electronic.
What you need to bid
- A SEAP account with an electronic signature based on a qualified certificate - arrange both before your first deadline, not during it.
- The DUAE, Romania's fully electronic ESPD, completed inside the platform.
- Language: the tender documents say in which language the bid is written and what translation of foreign certificates they ask for.
- A participation guarantee (garanție de participare) is commonly required - at most 1% of the estimated value, as a bank instrument or insurance policy.
Price, challenges and patience
Lowest price still decides many Romanian awards, though best value gains ground in services. Two local realities to price in: award decisions are frequently challenged before the CNSC appeals council, which can stretch timelines; and payment discipline varies by buyer - the large state institutions are the safer anchors. Read the award criteria and the draft contract with equal care.
Habits of the Romanian market
- EU funds drive volume. Infrastructure, environment and digitalisation tenders financed by EU programmes are abundant and well-documented.
- Ask through SEAP: the buyer's answers are published there, for every bidder to read.
- Consortia with local firms solve language, signature logistics and references in one move.
Twelve months
July 2026 was the busiest month: 4,705 notices
The last twelve months as three small charts, each on its own scale
Notices
Awards
Awarded value
October 2026 is still being counted.
Source: Aperlena register, monthly figures counted on October 25, 2026. See the data
Finding Romanian tenders
Aperlena carries the Romanian notices published on TED Tenders Electronic Daily: the EU's official journal for public contracts above the EU thresholds. Full entry in one searchable list for Romania. Filter by CPV sector, save the search and set an alert; the simplified procedures, where newcomers win first, are published on SEAP itself. Every notice deep-links the official source.
Sources
- Legea nr. 98/2016 privind achizițiile publice, formă consolidată (Portal Legislativ)
- Normele metodologice aprobate prin Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 395/2016, formă consolidată (Portal Legislativ)
- Agenția Națională pentru Achiziții Publice (ANAP)
- SEAP, Sistemul Electronic de Achiziții Publice
- Consiliul Național de Soluționare a Contestațiilor (CNSC)
The figures and rules in this guide were checked against these sources on October 2, 2026.