Documents needed to bid on an Israeli tender: the complete list

Different tenders ask for different documents, but one list comes up in almost every Israeli public tender. Keep it ready: some certificates take days or weeks to obtain, and some must be renewed every year.

Basic company documents

• Companies Registrar extract (נסח חברה, nesach chevra) — for a limited company (בע"מ); shows that the company is active and not struck off. Ordered from the Israeli Corporations Authority (רשות התאגידים). Many tenders require a recent extract, from the last few months.
• Certificate of incorporation (תעודת התאגדות) — for a company, partnership or non-profit.
• VAT registration certificate (תעודת עוסק מורשה) — from the Israel Tax Authority.
• Authorised signatories confirmation (אישור מורשי חתימה) — a letter from a lawyer or accountant stating who may sign on the company’s behalf and in what combination (one or two signatures, with or without a stamp).

Documents under the Public Bodies Transactions Law

The Public Bodies Transactions Law of 1976 (חוק עסקאות גופים ציבוריים) forbids public bodies from contracting with suppliers that do not meet certain requirements. Almost every tender therefore asks for:

• A bookkeeping certificate (אישור על ניהול פנקסי חשבונות ורשומות) — from the tax assessor or an accountant, confirming that the business keeps proper books and reports VAT. It is renewed every year and can be obtained online from the Tax Authority or through your accountant.
• An affidavit under section 2B of the law — that the bidder and its related parties have not been convicted of more than two offences under the Foreign Workers Law or the Minimum Wage Law, or that the period set by the law has passed since the last conviction.
• An affidavit under section 2B1 of the law — on compliance with the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law. Employers with 100 or more employees take on additional commitments in it.

Affidavits (תצהיר) are signed by an authorised signatory and certified by a lawyer, using the wording in the tender appendices.

Tax and payment documents

• Tax-withholding certificate (אישור ניכוי מס במקור) — sets how much tax the buyer withholds from payments to the supplier. Not always required with the bid, but required before the first payment.
• Bank details — usually at contract signing.

Proof of the threshold conditions

• An accountant’s certificate of turnover — in the tender’s wording and for the years it specifies.
• An experience table — clients, periods, volumes and contacts, in the tender’s form.
• References — sometimes in a set format and signed by the client.
• Licences and certificates — service-contractor licence, Contractors Register, AMAR medical-device registration, ISO certificates, business licence — depending on the sector.
• CVs and diplomas of key personnel, when the tender requires a team with defined experience.

The tender’s own appendices

• The bid form or price form — sometimes an Excel file or a bill of quantities;
• The bidder’s declaration — that it has read and understood the tender and accepts its terms;
• No-conflict-of-interest and no-collusion affidavits — in the tender’s wording;
• A bid guarantee, if required — see Bid guarantees in Israeli tenders;
• A certificate of insurance (אישור על קיום ביטוחים) — many tenders ask bidders to sign an undertaking to provide it, and the winner submits the certificate itself before signing the contract;
• The answers to clarification questions — many tenders require them to be signed and attached.

Documents that give you an advantage

• A woman-controlled business. Under section 2B of the Mandatory Tenders Law, when two or more bids share the best result and one of them comes from a woman-controlled business, that bid wins — provided an accountant’s certificate and an affidavit were attached to it in advance.
• Israeli-made goods. In tenders to buy goods, Israeli products usually receive a 15% preference. You need a certificate showing the share of Israeli added value in the product.

Practical tips

• Keep a folder of valid certificates and update it once a year.
• Watch expiry dates: a certificate that expired the day before the deadline can cost you the bid.
• Use only the forms in the tender’s appendices, even if you hold a similar “general” certificate.
• Every document should be in the name of the entity that submits the bid — not an affiliate or the owner.

For every tender, SafPass prepares an English list of the documents to submit: what is required, in what wording, who signs and where to get each certificate — with a clause-and-page reference to the tender.