Finding public tenders: where they are published in Switzerland

simap.ch: the platform of the Confederation and the cantons

In the open and selective procedures, the contracting authority publishes the prior notice, the tender, the award and the cancellation of the procedure on an internet platform run jointly by the Confederation and the cantons (PPA Art. 48 para. 1). That platform is simap.ch. The same rule applies to cantons and municipalities, as far as their canton has joined the IAPP 2019 (IAPP Art. 48 para. 1).

You can search and read tenders on simap.ch without an account. The documents are as a rule made available at the same time and electronically, and access is free of charge (PPA Art. 48 para. 2). To download them and use the question forum you need a supplier account; the guide “Setting up a supplier account on simap.ch” explains how.

What is not publicly tendered

In the invitation procedure, the contracting authority decides without a public tender which bidders it invites to submit a bid (PPA Art. 20 para. 2; IAPP Art. 20 para. 2). In the direct award procedure, it awards the contract directly (PPA Art. 21 para. 1). Both apply, according to the contract value, below the thresholds for the open procedure, and direct awards also in the exceptions the law lists (PPA Art. 20 para. 1 and Art. 21 para. 2). The values are in the guide “Thresholds and procedures”.

As a rule, you therefore only learn of such contracts if you are invited. The law only requires certain direct awards to be published: by the Confederation generally from the threshold of the open or selective procedure, by cantons and municipalities within the scope of international treaties (PPA Art. 48 para. 1; IAPP Art. 48 para. 1). The guide “The invitation procedure” explains how to get invited.

Official gazettes and websites

The cantons may provide for additional publication media (IAPP Art. 48 para. 7). Tenders of cantons and municipalities can therefore also appear in the cantonal official gazette. The official gazette of the canton of Ticino, the Foglio ufficiale, for example also carries tenders that are not published on simap.ch.

If you often work for the same municipalities, also check their official gazette and website. This is a tip, not a rule of law.

Prior notices

The prior notice of a tender also appears on simap.ch (PPA Art. 48 para. 1; IAPP Art. 48 para. 1). If the contracting authority uses it to shorten the bid deadline within the scope of international treaties to as little as 10 days, the prior notice must appear 40 days to 12 months before the tender and state, among other things, the subject, the approximate deadline and where to obtain the documents (PPA Art. 47 para. 3).

For recurring services, the tender states if possible when the next one will follow (PPA Art. 35 let. h). Note these dates. Other signals before the tender are covered in the guide “Spotting construction projects early”.

TED: tenders in the EU

TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) is the online version of the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, dedicated to public procurement. It gives free access to tenders from the EU, the EEA and beyond.

Contracting authorities in Switzerland publish on simap.ch (PPA Art. 48 para. 1). TED is worth a look if you work near the border or offer services that can also be provided remotely. These contracts are governed by EU law and the law of the country concerned, not by the PPA or the IAPP.

Searching systematically

Outside the scope of international treaties, the bid deadline is as a rule at least 20 days; for largely standardised services it can drop to 5 days (PPA Art. 46 para. 4; IAPP Art. 46 para. 4). If you only look now and then, you lose time for your bid.

• Search by codes, not just words. Every tender states the CPV classification (PPA Art. 35 let. b), and a code does not depend on the language. The guide “CPV and BKP codes” explains which codes fit your business.
• Search in several languages. Federal tenders generally appear in at least two official languages (PPA Art. 48 para. 5). Outside the scope of international treaties, cantons and municipalities take account of the language of the area where the contract is performed (IAPP Art. 48 para. 5).
• Save your search. On simap.ch you create a subscription after a search, up to 10 per profile. TEXFY sorts tenders by your services and cantons and reports new matches for your search alerts.
• Read the awards too. They show which bodies buy your service and who wins; those from open and selective procedures are on simap.ch (PPA Art. 48 para. 1).
• For every match, check the deadline and the eligibility criteria first. The guide “Submitting a bid, step by step” explains what comes next.