Under the Public Procurement Law No. 4734, tender notice periods and bidding rules are strictly regulated to ensure the core principles of Transparency, Competition, and Equal Treatment. The “Notice and Bidding” process encompasses the legal timeframes granted to “Tenderers” (İstekliler / Bidders) to prepare their proposals and the digital/physical protocols governing this stage.
1. Mandatory Tender Notice Periods (Article 13)
The duration of the notice period depends on whether the Approximate Cost (Yaklaşık Maliyet / The estimated budget prepared by the authority before the tender, which is kept confidential) is above or below the Threshold Values (Eşik Değerler / Monetary limits updated annually that determine the specific advertisement rules and whether international bidding is mandatory).
Tenders Equal to or Above Threshold Values:
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Open Procedure (Açık İhale Usulü): The notice must be published in the Public Procurement Bulletin (Kamu İhale Bülteni / The official gazette dedicated to government tenders) at least 40 days before the tender date.
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Restricted Procedure (Belli İstekliler Arası İhale): The pre-qualification notice must be published at least 14 days before the deadline for application. Invitation letters sent to qualified candidates must be dispatched at least 40 days before the tender date.
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Negotiated Procedure (Pazarlık Usulü): The notice must be published at least 25 days before the tender date.
Tenders Below Threshold Values:
For these smaller-scale contracts, notice periods are tiered at 7, 14, or 21 days based on the approximate cost and are announced both in the Public Procurement Bulletin and via local newspapers or online news portals.
2. Reductions in Notice Periods and “Prior Notices”
To expedite the procurement process, authorities may shorten the 40-day periods under specific conditions:
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Electronic Facilitation: If the notice is prepared electronically or if the Tender Document (İhale Dokümanı / The comprehensive file containing administrative and technical specifications) is made directly accessible via EKAP, the 40-day notice period can be reduced by 5 to 7 days.
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Prior Notice (Ön İlan): A notice published at the beginning of the fiscal year for planned projects. If a Prior Notice has been issued, the 40-day notice or invitation period can be reduced to as low as 24 days.
3. Preparation and Submission of Bids (Article 30)
The bidding phase follows strict formal requirements. Any deviation often leads to administrative rejection:
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Envelope and Content: All documents, including the Tender Letter (Teklif Mektubu / The formal price proposal) and the Bid Bond (Geçici Teminat / A temporary guarantee, usually 3% of the bid), must be placed in a single envelope. The envelope must be sealed, and the seal must be signed and stamped. The contact info of the bidder and the authority’s address must be clearly visible on the exterior.
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Submission Deadline: Proposals must be delivered to the authority in exchange for a numbered receipt by the exact time specified in the tender document. Proposals submitted after this hour are not accepted and are returned unopened.
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Finality of Bids: Once submitted, bids cannot be withdrawn or modified unless the authority issues an Addendum (Zeyilname / A formal document issued by the authority to clarify or correct the tender document after publication).
4. Validity and Correction of Notices (Articles 24-26)
A valid tender notice must include the name of the authority, the nature and quantity of the work, the location, the procedure applied, and the submission details.
If a notice does not comply with the mandatory rules (Articles 13, 24, and 25), it is considered invalid. In such cases, the tender cannot proceed unless the notice is republished. However, if the timing rules were followed but minor errors exist, the authority may issue a Correction Notice (Düzeltme İlanı) and continue the process without a full restart.
Note on Currency: Historical references in older Turkish legislation to “trillion” or “billion” reflect pre-2005 currency values. Today, all Threshold Values and monetary limits are updated annually in Turkish Lira (TRY) by the Public Procurement Authority (KİK – Kamu İhale Kurumu).
