Estonia Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in estonia, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Selling to the Public Sector
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The United States and the EU are signatories of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which grants access to most public supplies and some services and works contracts published by national procuring authorities of the countries that are parties to the Agreement. In practice, this means that U.S.-based companies are eligible to bid on supplies and services contracts from European public contracting authorities above the agreed thresholds. More information on selling to the public sector in EU can be found here.

Government procurement in Estonia is governed by the Public Procurement Act (PPA). Public procurement covers goods, services, construction work, construction work concessions and design solutions. EU government tender notices can be viewed in English via the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) portal and the  Estonian Public Procurement Registry. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for Estonian Public Procurement Policy.

U.S. companies bidding on foreign government tenders may also qualify for U.S. Government advocacy. Within the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, the Advocacy Center coordinates U.S. Government interagency advocacy efforts on behalf of U.S. exporters in competition with foreign firms in foreign government projects or procurement opportunities. The Advocacy Center works closely with our network of the U.S. Commercial Service worldwide and inter-agency partners to ensure that exporters of U.S. products and services have the best possible chance of winning government contracts. Advocacy assistance can take many forms but often involves the U.S. Embassy or other U.S. Government agency officials expressing support for the U.S. exporters directly to the foreign government. Consult the Advocacy Center’s program web page on trade.gov for additional information.

Financing of Projects

Estonian banks offer a full range of services. Estonian banking has developed well-functioning electronic transaction systems. Debit and credit cards are widely used in everyday transactions. The Estonian Banking Association tracks information about the banking sector. The Financial Intelligence Unit maintains a list of licensed financial institutions in Estonia.

Foreign Exchange Controls: Estonia joined the euro zone in 2011. There are no controls on currency exchange.

U.S. Banks and Local Correspondent Banks: There are no U.S. banks in Estonia. Most local commercial banks maintain correspondent relationships with U.S. banks.