Public Procurement in Colombia: How to Participate in Public Tenders
## Colombia's public procurement system
Contracting with State entities is governed by Law 80 of 1993 (the General Procurement Statute) and Law 1150 of 2007, supplemented by Decree 1082 of 2015.
All proceedings must be published on SECOP II (secop2.gov.co), the State's electronic procurement platform.
Selection methods
| Method | When it applies | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Public tender (licitación) | Higher-value contracts | 10-20 business days |
| Abbreviated selection | Mid-range values, goods with technical specifications | 3-10 business days |
| Merit-based competition | Consulting services | Variable |
| Minimum value | Up to 28 monthly minimum wages | 1 day |
| Direct contracting | Specific statutory cases (urgency, monopoly) | Immediate |
Requirements to contract with the State
Every bidder must meet:
Legal eligibility - Individuals: national ID and current tax registration - Legal entities: certificate of existence and legal representation (no more than 30 days old), tax registration
Financial capacity The entity evaluates: - Liquidity ratio (current assets/current liabilities) - Debt ratio - Interest coverage ratio - Return on equity
Each process sets its own minimum eligibility criteria.
Proven experience Similar contracts carried out in recent years. The bid document defines what type of experience is required and how it must be proven.
RUP (Registry of Bidders) Registration with the Chamber of Commerce. Required for most processes. Must be renewed annually.
The bid document (pliego de condiciones)
The bid document is the central document of the process. It contains: - The contract's purpose and scope - Eligibility requirements (financial, technical, legal) - Evaluation criteria and scoring - Proposal format and timeline - The draft contract
Read the bid document three times. The costliest mistakes come from not carefully reading the requirements.
Common mistakes bidders make
- Expired documents: a tax registration, Chamber certificate, or social-security clearance certificate more than 30 days old disqualifies the bid
- Experience not properly demonstrated: the entity requires contracts in certain UNSPSC categories and the bidder submits contracts in different categories
- Not attending the clarification hearing: answers given during the clarification process modify the bid document, and not attending leads to misinformation
- Financial proposal outside the acceptable range: below 90% of the official budget in many processes triggers automatic rejection
- Not reading the tie-breaking criteria
Disqualifications and conflicts of interest
The following are disqualified from contracting with the State: - People convicted of crimes against public administration - People fined for breaching State contracts in the last 3 years - The spouse, common-law partner, or relative of the entity's representative - Public officials (while in office)
Challenging a selection process
If you believe the process has irregularities: - Submit observations to the bid document during the allowed period - Challenge the preliminary studies if they're discriminatory - If you're wrongly disqualified, file a motion for reconsideration
The judicial route (an action for electoral nullity or for nullity and restoration of rights) is used to challenge a contract that's already been awarded.
Does your company want to start contracting with the State, or does it need guidance on a specific tender process? We can review the requirements and help you prepare your bid.
El asistente jurídico digital de Jurídiconline analiza tu situación específica. La revisión inicial es gratuita.
