Etimad vs NUPCO: which platform runs which Saudi tender?
Etimad is the Ministry of Finance's platform for general government procurement across ministries and agencies; NUPCO is the company that buys medicines, medical devices and supplies for the public health sector on its own portal. A medical supplier usually needs both: NUPCO for the products, Etimad for everything else.
Updated Published ProcDuck
The question comes up with every new supplier: "do I look for my tenders on Etimad or on NUPCO?" The short answer: on both, but for different things. This page puts the two side by side, then explains the cases where they get mixed up.
Side by side
| Aspect | Etimad | NUPCO |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A government platform run by the Ministry of Finance | A state-owned company under the Public Investment Fund |
| Who buys | Every ministry, authority and government body | NUPCO itself, on behalf of government health bodies |
| What is bought | Supply, services, construction, technology, consulting, including health bodies' non-medical purchases | Medicines, medical devices and supplies, and what relates to them |
| Where tenders are published | The Etimad platform | The NUPCO supplier portal (SAP SRM) |
| Registration | A company account on Etimad with the commercial registration | A vendor registration on the NUPCO portal, subject to approval |
| Bid format | A technical and a financial offer uploaded to the platform after buying the tender documents | An Excel bid response file filled item by item, plus an attachments list and PDFs |
| Unit of competition | Usually the whole tender, or item groups as the documents define | The single item; you may bid on some items only |
| Guarantees | Initial (1% to 2%) and final (5%) guarantees under the law | Per each tender's terms |
| Award results | Announced on the platform for the tender | Result files per item: vendor, manufacturer, country and catalog number |
| Browser | Any modern browser | Needs special setup; see NUPCO portal problems |
When medical products still appear on Etimad
The rule is that the public health sector's purchases of medicines and supplies go through NUPCO, but reality has exceptions anyone watching Etimad notices: health bodies under other ministries or universities tendering their medical needs on Etimad, hospital fit-out projects tendered as supply-and-install, medical equipment maintenance services, and laboratory supplies for non-health entities. That is why a medical supplier searches both platforms, not one.
What you need for both at once
- Statutory documents that are always current: commercial registration, Zakat and tax, GOSI, Saudization, chamber of commerce. They expire on different dates, so track them in one place.
- SFDA licenses for regulated products, with the manufacturer authorization; NUPCO asks for them item by item in the bid file, Etimad within the technical offer.
- A product catalog organized by trade name, manufacturer, country of origin and catalog number, linked to NUPCO codes where they exist.
- A record of past award prices on both platforms, because pricing blind is the most expensive mistake on either.
Watching both from one place
ProcDuck indexes Etimad and NUPCO together throughout the working day, shows both platforms' tenders in one list filtered by source, entity and date, searches their items, matches them against your keywords and products, and then follows the bid from the decision to participate through pricing, quotations and the NUPCO files. See our solution for medical suppliers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register on both Etimad and NUPCO?
If you sell medical products to the government, usually yes: NUPCO for the medicines and supplies it buys for the health sector, Etimad for other entities' tenders and for whatever does not go through NUPCO.
Is NUPCO part of Etimad?
No. Etimad is a Ministry of Finance platform and NUPCO is a separate state-owned company with its own supplier portal. NUPCO tenders are not published on Etimad.
Which is easier for a new supplier?
Etimad is easier technically (a modern browser and an offer uploaded to the platform); NUPCO is simpler in its unit of competition (a single item you can bid on) but needs browser setup and a precise bid file. Both reward the supplier whose documents and prices are ready in advance.
Why do I see medical supplies on Etimad if NUPCO buys them?
Because health bodies outside the Ministry of Health, fit-out and maintenance projects, and laboratory needs of non-health entities are tendered on Etimad. Follow both platforms to cover every opportunity.