Kuwait Regulations Public Tender Bidding Process
Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT), under the jurisdiction of the Council of Ministers, acts on behalf of most government ministries. It oversees public tenders that are valued at more than 75,000 KD (approximately $248,500). Besides awarding contracts, CAPT invites companies to pre-qualify and attend pre-tender meetings. .
Announcements from the agency can be found at the website: https://capt.gov.kw/en/, and are published weekly in Arabic in the official gazette, al-Kuwait al-Youm. An English translation of the gazette is available for subscription from translation offices and publishing companies.
International companies (including U.S. firms) can bid directly in some public tenders, while others require a local partner. A local partner is needed for the execution phase. One of the requirements for an international company to participate in a tender is to register at the Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT). Companies can register online, through the CAPT website. This service is for the companies that want to register for the 1st time in CAPT without having a previous registration record. This process can take months so firms are advised to register early.
How a U.S. or Foreign Company Can Register with the Central Agency for Public Tenders
Note: Before beginning this process, it is advisable to have a local representative in Kuwait who can follow-up on the submission
1. Gather the following documents and have them translated into Arabic using a certified translator:
- A letter stating the following in the company letterhead: company phone and fax numbers, company address outside Kuwait and inside (if any), company website and email address. The letter should be signed an authorized company representative and list their job title.
- Company commercial license.
- Authorized signatory form of CAPT.
- Other documents as specified in a specific tender which can include bid letter, agency agreement, power of attorney, etc.
- The above documents should be translated into Arabic by certified translator before submitting to the Kuwait Embassy.
2. Send the documents to the State Department in Washington, DC to be notarized, please check this link: Office of Authentications (state.gov). This process can take several weeks so please apply early.
3. Once notarized by the State Department, the documents should be sent for certification by the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce. These legal documents must be notarized by a notary public, authenticated by the Secretary of the State in which the document is executed.
4. When the seal is obtained, the letter should be mailed or delivered in-person to Kuwait Embassy in Washington, DC or Kuwait Consulate in Los Angeles for notarization.
5. The notarized documents should then be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait. A local representative is recommended to handle the processing steps in Kuwait.
6. Once the Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the documents, the documents can then be submitted to the Central Agency for Public Tenders.
7. The Agency will review the documents and then send a link to the foreign firm for payment of the registration fee.
8. After the registration is approved by the Board of Directors, a certificate will be emailed to the foreign company. The company is now eligible to bid on public tenders.
General Rules for Registering with the Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT):
• in case of any missing document the request will be rejected
• CAPT will take up to 10 days to review applications
• all documents should be clear and readable or an application could be rejected.
To learn more about the registration process, please reach out to rasha.al-muhtaseb@trade.gov