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Public Procurement in Turkey

Public procurement in Turkey constitutes one of the largest and most structured government markets in the Europe and Central Asia region. It is a critical tool for implementing public investment programs, delivering infrastructure, and ensuring continuity of public services across national and local government institutions.

The Turkish public procurement system is legally mature, institutionally centralized, and digitally advanced. Government tenders in Turkey span a wide range of sectors, including construction, transportation, healthcare, defense-related civil works, information technology, and public services, reflecting the country’s large population and diversified economy.

For domestic suppliers and international companies, Public Procurement in Turkey represents a high-volume, rules-based market supported by a strong legal framework, centralized oversight, and a nationally integrated eProcurement system.

Country & Economic Overview

Turkey is a member of several major international and economic organizations, including the OECD, IMF, WTO, EBRD, ADB, IFAD, UNCTAD, and the Inter-American Development Bank Group. These memberships influence procurement policy alignment, transparency standards, and donor-financed procurement practices.

Public Procurement Governance Framework

The central regulatory authority for public procurement in Turkey is the Public Procurement Authority (PPA). The PPA is responsible for regulating procurement procedures, issuing secondary legislation, monitoring compliance, publishing statistics, and resolving complaints.

Centralized purchasing functions are carried out by the State Supply Office, which operates as the Central Purchasing Body (CPB) for specific categories of goods and services at the national level.

Legal & Regulatory Framework

The public procurement legal framework in Turkey is governed by the Public Procurement Law and its associated secondary legislation, published and maintained by the Public Procurement Authority.

Core legal principles and regulatory clauses include:

• Value for Money: Article 5
• Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT): Article 40
• Bid securities and declarations: Articles 33-34
• Public bid opening procedures: Article 36
• Domestic preference: Article 63

The law also establishes clear procedural safeguards for transparency, competition, and accountability in government procurement.

Procurement Procedures & Thresholds

Public procurement in Turkey is conducted primarily through open tendering, with alternative procurement methods permitted under specific legal thresholds and conditions.

Key procedural provisions include:

1. Mandatory advertisement of tenders (Article 13)
2. Defined tender threshold values (Article 8)
3. Bid validity periods for goods, works, and services (Article 32)
4. Standstill periods applicable to all contract types (Articles 41 and 55)

Threshold values for direct contract awards and disclosure obligations are regulated under Articles 22 and 47.

E-Procurement System in Turkey

The national eProcurement system in Turkey is EKAP (Electronic Public Procurement Platform). EKAP serves as the centralized digital platform for managing public procurement processes across all contracting authorities.

EKAP is not used by the World Bank for procurement certification. Tender documents are downloadable, and the platform uses the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) taxonomy.

Procurement Market Characteristics

Turkey operates one of the largest procurement markets in its region, characterized by high transaction volumes and centralized digital reporting.

• Number of annual tenders: 104,843
• Number of annual contracts: 132,248
• Value of annual contracts (USD): 21,474,917

Procurement spans goods, works, and services, with both domestic and international suppliers participating. Evaluation approaches include MEAT and lowest-price methods, depending on procurement objectives.

Transparency, Complaints & Oversight

Transparency is supported through mandatory use of EKAP for tender publication, document access, and award notifications. The Public Procurement Authority publishes annual procurement statistics and monitoring reports.

The procurement law provides structured complaint and appeal mechanisms. In the reported period, 1,720 complaints were accepted and justified, demonstrating active use of oversight mechanisms.

Standards for complaint resolution are governed under Article 55 of the procurement law.

Sustainability & Green Public Procurement

The public procurement legal framework in Turkey does not establish a standalone green public procurement strategy or mandatory sustainability targets. However, environmental and efficiency considerations may be incorporated at the contracting authority level within existing procurement rules.

No centralized monitoring tool or quantified spend targets for green public procurement are defined at the national level.

Social & Ethical Procurement Considerations

The Turkish procurement framework emphasizes fairness, equal treatment, and competitive neutrality. While specific quotas for women-owned or disadvantaged-group businesses are not defined, domestic preference provisions support local suppliers under Article 63.

Ethical conduct, transparency, and procedural integrity are enforced through regulatory oversight and audit mechanisms.

Key Challenges & Practical Insights for Bidders

Bidders seeking to participate in government tenders in Turkey should consider the following practical insights:

• Mandatory registration and proficiency in using EKAP
• Strict compliance with electronic submission and authentication requirements
• Careful attention to domestic preference rules
• Awareness of complaint and standstill procedures

Overall, Public Procurement in Turkey offers a large-scale, transparent, and digitally integrated procurement environment, providing substantial opportunities for qualified suppliers capable of meeting regulatory, technical, and procedural standards.