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Public Procurement in Slovenia

Public procurement in Slovenia represents a central pillar of public financial management and public service delivery. As a high-income European Union member state, Slovenia operates a mature, fully digital, and EU-aligned public procurement system that emphasizes transparency, competition, sustainability, and value for money.

Government tenders in Slovenia cover a wide range of goods, works, and services, including infrastructure, transport, energy, ICT, healthcare, water and sanitation, and public administration. The procurement market is fully open to domestic and international suppliers under EU internal market rules.

For international bidders, public procurement in Slovenia offers a predictable regulatory environment, advanced eProcurement infrastructure, and strong policy backing for green and socially responsible procurement.

Country & Economic Overview

Public Procurement Governance Framework

The Slovenian public procurement system is centrally coordinated by the Ministry of Public Administration, which acts both as the regulatory authority and the national Central Purchasing Body (CPB).

• Public Procurement Agency (PPA): Ministry of Public Administration
• PPA Website: http://www.djn.mju.gov.si/
• Central Purchasing Body: Ministry of Public Administration
• CPB Coverage: National
• Key Sectors: Energy, ICT, finance, public administration, transport
• CPB Website: https://www.gov.si/teme/skupno-javno-narocanje/

Legal & Regulatory Framework

Public procurement in Slovenia is governed by the Public Procurement Act (ZJN-3), which fully transposes EU procurement directives and establishes a strong legal basis for competition, transparency, sustainability, and social responsibility.

• Public Procurement Law: Public Procurement Act (ZJN-3)
• Legal Source: https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO7086

Key Legal Principles

• Value for Money (VfM): Article 84
• Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT): Article 84
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Article 85
• Life-Cycle Costing: Decree on Green Public Procurement
• SME Participation: Article 73
• Domestic Preference (small-value procedures): Article 47
• Bid Securities: Decree on Financial Collateral in Public Procurement
• Public Bid Openings: Article 88

Procurement Procedures, Thresholds & Timelines

Advertisement timelines depend on the selected procurement procedure and EU threshold applicability.

E-Procurement System in Slovenia

Slovenia operates one of the most advanced eProcurement systems in Central Europe, with mandatory electronic procedures across all contracting authorities.

• eProcurement System: e-JN
• System Website: https://ejn.gov.si/
• Launch Year: 2009
• Core Functionalities: ePublishing, eTendering, eReverse Auctions, eCatalogues, ePurchasing (P2P)
• Electronic Signatures: Advanced electronic certificate authentication
• Supported Languages: Slovenian, English
• Supported Currency: Euro

All tender documents are downloadable, and 100% of procurement transactions by value and volume are processed electronically.

Procurement Market Characteristics

Contract Awards by Type

• Goods: 11,457 contracts (USD 1,931,370.501)
• Works: 1,755 contracts (USD 1,985,547.57)
• Services: 4,012 contracts (USD 1,860,967.084)

Competition Levels

• Average bidders (goods): 8.7
• Average bidders (works): 3.3
• Average bidders (services): 3.1

Transparency, Complaints & Oversight

• Accepted complaints: 66
• Rejected complaints: 89
• Complaints under investigation: 13
• Average resolution time: 26 days

Procurement statistics, annual reports, and market analytics are publicly available through the national procurement portal and official government dashboards.

Sustainability & Green Public Procurement

Slovenia is one of the EU leaders in mandatory green public procurement. Green criteria are legally required for 22 defined subject matters under the Decree on Green Public Procurement.

• Green Procurement Strategy: Yes
• Mandatory Green Procurement: Yes
• Annual GPP-based awards: 5,162 contracts
• Value of GPP awards (USD): 1,422,738,797
• Lead Authorities: Ministry of Public Administration; Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning

Environmental aspects include energy efficiency, waste reduction, recycling, reuse of materials, and longer product life cycles.

Social & Ethical Procurement Considerations

Slovenian public procurement law includes strong provisions on social responsibility, labor standards, and inclusion.

• Reserved contracts for sheltered workshops and social enterprises
• Mandatory compliance with labor law and working conditions
• Exclusion grounds for repeated labor law violations
• Equal treatment and non-discrimination principles

Key Challenges & Practical Insights for Bidders

• High competition, especially in goods procurement
• Strong emphasis on lowest price, despite increasing MEAT use
• Mandatory compliance with green procurement obligations
• Full electronic submission and digital signatures required

Government tenders in Slovenia provide a transparent, competitive, and sustainability-driven procurement environment. Suppliers with strong digital readiness, environmental credentials, and EU procurement experience are particularly well positioned to succeed.