Israeli tender glossary: Hebrew to English

The terms you meet in an Israeli tender — from tnai saf and arvut to evaluation criteria and the right of inspection — with English translations, transliteration and a short explanation.

The Hebrew terms you will meet in Israeli public tenders, with pronunciation, the usual English translation and a short explanation. Useful when you read tender documents yourself, brief a lawyer or write clarification questions.

Types of procedure

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English	Meaning
מכרז	michraz	tender	A competitive procedure in which a public body chooses a supplier by rules published in advance
מכרז פומבי	michraz pumbi	public tender	Anyone who meets the conditions may take part
מכרז זוטא	michraz zuta	small-value tender	A short procedure for small contracts, usually by inviting several suppliers
מכרז מרכזי	michraz merkazi	central tender	A tender the Government Procurement Administration runs for all ministries
מכרז מסגרת	michraz misgeret	framework tender	Ends in a framework agreement that the buyer orders from as needed
מכרז דו-שלבי	michraz du-shlavi	two-stage tender	Quality or eligibility is assessed first, price only afterwards
מיון מוקדם	miyun mukdam	pre-qualification	A stage that selects which bidders may submit a full bid
בקשה לקבלת מידע (RFI)	bakasha le-kabalat meida	request for information	Market research before a tender; no supplier is chosen
קול קורא	kol kore	call for proposals	An invitation to apply — for support, cooperation or a list
רשימת מציעים, מאגר ספקים	reshimat matsi’im, ma’agar sapakim	supplier list, supplier pool	A list the public body later chooses from in shorter procedures
פטור ממכרז	ptor mi-michraz	tender exemption	Contracting without a tender, where the regulations allow it
ספק יחיד	sapak yachid	sole supplier	Grounds for an exemption; a notice is published and can be challenged

Tender documents and stages

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English	Meaning
חוברת המכרז	choveret ha-michraz	tender booklet	All tender documents: instructions, conditions, specification, appendices and contract
מפרט טכני	mifrat techni	technical specification	An exact description of what must be supplied or done
כתב כמויות	ktav kamuyot	bill of quantities	A list of items and quantities in which you enter prices
נספח	nispach	appendix	Part of the tender: a form, affidavit, guarantee wording or contract
שאלות הבהרה	she’elot havhara	clarification questions	Questions bidders send the buyer before a set deadline
מענה לשאלות הבהרה	ma’ane le-she’elot havhara	clarification answers	The buyer’s answers; they become part of the tender and are binding
כנס מציעים	kenes matsi’im	bidders’ conference	A briefing for bidders; attendance is sometimes a threshold condition
סיור קבלנים	siyur kablanim	site visit	A visit to the work site before bidding
מועד אחרון להגשה	mo’ed acharon le-hagasha	submission deadline	Bids received after it are not considered
תיבת מכרזים	teivat michrazim	tender box	Where bids are submitted — physical or digital

The bid and the selection

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English	Meaning
מציע	matsi’a	bidder	Whoever submits a bid
הצעה	hatsa’a	bid, offer	Everything a bidder submits: documents, technical proposal and price
תנאי סף	tnai saf	threshold conditions	Minimum requirements; bidders who miss them are disqualified. See Threshold conditions
אמות מידה	amot mida	evaluation criteria	The rules for choosing the winner, e.g. 70% price and 30% quality
ציון איכות	tsiyun eichut	quality score	Points for experience, team and technical proposal
אומדן	umdan	cost estimate	The buyer’s estimate; a bid far from it may be rejected
ועדת מכרזים	va’adat michrazim	tender committee	The body that reviews bids and selects the winner
הסתייגות	histaygut	reservation, qualification	A change or condition a bidder adds; it can cost the bid
הצעה תכסיסנית	hatsa’a tachsisanit	tactical bid	Pricing built to game the scoring formula
הצעה גרעונית	hatsa’a gir’onit	loss-making bid	A price below cost — for example below the minimum labour cost per worker
מציע במשותף	matsi’a bi-meshutaf	joint bid	A bid by several companies together, where the tender allows it
קבלן משנה	kablan mishne	subcontractor	Performs part of the work for the winner

Guarantees, certificates and affidavits

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English	Meaning
ערבות הצעה (ערבות מכרז)	arvut hatsa’a (arvut michraz)	bid guarantee	A guarantee attached to the bid. See Bid guarantees
ערבות ביצוע	arvut bitsu’a	performance guarantee	Provided by the winner before signing the contract
ערבות אוטונומית	arvut otonomit	unconditional guarantee	The bank pays on demand; the buyer does not have to prove anything
חילוט ערבות	chilut arvut	forfeiture of a guarantee	Collecting the guarantee when a bidder breaks its commitment
תצהיר	tatzhir	affidavit	A written statement certified by a lawyer
אימות חתימה	imut chatima	signature certification	A lawyer confirms the signatory is who they claim to be
מורשה חתימה	murshe chatima	authorised signatory	Someone authorised to sign on the company’s behalf
אישור ניהול ספרים	ishur nihul sfarim	bookkeeping certificate	Required under the Public Bodies Transactions Law. See Documents needed to bid
ניכוי מס במקור	nikui mas ba-makor	tax withholding	Tax the buyer deducts from payments to the supplier
עוסק מורשה	osek murshe	registered VAT dealer	A business that charges and reports VAT
אישור על קיום ביטוחים	ishur al kiyum bituchim	certificate of insurance	An insurer’s confirmation of the policies the contract requires
עסק בשליטת אישה	esek bi-shlitat isha	woman-controlled business	Gets preference when the best results are tied
העדפת תוצרת הארץ	ha’adafat totseret ha-arets	Israeli product preference	A 15% preference for Israeli goods in most supply tenders

Licences and registers

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English	Meaning
רישיון קבלן שירות	rishayon kablan sherut	service-contractor licence	Required for security, cleaning and catering services
פנקס הקבלנים	pinkas ha-kablanim	Contractors Register	Mandatory registration for construction contractors
סיווג קבלני	sivug kablani	contractor classification	Determines the size of works a contractor may perform
קבלן מוכר	kablan mukar	recognised contractor	Status required for many government works
פנקס אמ"ר	pinkas AMAR	AMAR register	Ministry of Health registration of medical devices and equipment

After the decision

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English	Meaning
זוכה	zoche	winner	The bidder the committee selected
כשיר שני	kashir sheni	runner-up	Next in line if the contract with the winner falls through
הסכם התקשרות	heskem hitkashrut	contract	The agreement the winner signs
פיצוי מוסכם	pitsui muskam	liquidated damages	An amount set in the contract for a breach or delay
זכות עיון	zchut iyun	right of inspection	Reviewing the committee’s decision and the winning bid, except trade secrets
עתירה מנהלית	atira minhalit	administrative petition	A court challenge to a tender decision
ביטול מכרז	bitul michraz	tender cancellation	The buyer may cancel a tender on grounds set by law and in the tender

In SafPass every Hebrew term in a tender breakdown is explained in English, and every breakdown comes with a glossary of the terms used in that tender.