Private-sector RFQs in Saudi Arabia: where companies post them and how to bid

A private-sector RFQ is a request for quotation sent by a company, not by a government entity. The company decides who it invites, which papers it asks for, how long the bid must stay valid and how it pays. There is no single public portal for these requests. Each buyer uses its own channel.

Government tenders work differently. Under the new Government Tenders and Procurement Law, published in Umm Al-Qura on 4 September 2026, a public competition is announced on the government portal (Article 29). Bids in government competitions stay valid for 90 working days from the opening date (Article 39). The law takes effect 120 days after publication (Article 101).

These rules are written for government entities. A private company sets its own rules for its own purchases. Many companies still copy parts of the government model: a deadline, a validity period, a list of papers and a window for questions. Read every RFQ as its own set of rules.

Large buyers run their own vendor portals. You register once, complete a questionnaire, upload your papers and wait for approval. After that, the buyer can invite you to its RFQs.

Aramco says that any company interested in doing business with it must register as a supplier through its e-Marketplace platform. For Saudi-based suppliers, its page lists papers such as the CR certificate, the Zakat certificate, the VAT certificate, the GOSI certificate, a Chamber of Commerce membership certificate, a bank letter and a Cybersecurity Compliance Certificate (CCC). Aramco also states that registration does not guarantee future business.

NEOM describes three steps on its supplier page: register on the supplier portal, complete your profile and documents, then receive invitations to relevant tenders once selected. NEOM says registration is free. Its FAQ says registering will not guarantee invites to tenders, and its procurement team uses the supplier database to invite suitable suppliers.

Many private RFQs never appear on any portal. A procurement officer emails three or four suppliers they already know, or a site engineer asks a past supplier for a price. These invitations come from the relationship: orders delivered on time, clean documents and fast answers to questions.

To get on these short lists, make it easy for buyers to find and check you. Keep one company profile with your CR and VAT numbers, your certifications and a contact who answers. Ask your current corporate customers which other departments or branches buy what you sell.

B2B platforms are the third channel. A buyer posts an RFQ on the platform, and invited or matching suppliers submit bids inside it. Each platform has its own rules on who sees which request, how bids are compared and which fees apply. Read the platform terms before you join. No platform can promise that a buyer will choose you.

Invitations often come with short deadlines. A supplier who starts collecting papers after the RFQ arrives may miss the date. Prepare a ready pack before you register anywhere.

The pack usually starts with the government papers on Aramco's list: CR, Zakat, VAT, GOSI and Chamber of Commerce membership, plus a bank letter. Some buyers add their own items. Aramco, for example, asks for a CCC. Its page says the CCC is valid for two years from the issuance date and is issued by audit firms that Aramco selects.

Then add the documents that describe your offer: a company profile, product data sheets and the certificates that apply to your products. Keep one folder per buyer with the version you sent, the date and the contact person. When a paper expires, update it everywhere at once. The checklist below turns this into steps.

Read the whole request before you price anything. Note the closing date and time, the validity period the buyer wants, the delivery place, the payment terms and the list of attachments.

Send your questions early and in writing. Price every line the way the buyer listed it, with the same units and quantities. Show VAT at 15% on its own line, because the tax invoice that follows the order must state the tax amount in Saudi riyals. If lines ship on different dates, give the delivery time per line.

Attach only what the buyer asked for, with clear file names. Submit before the deadline, then confirm that the bid arrived. If you lose, ask politely for feedback; some buyers answer, and the answer improves your next quote. Our guide on how to respond to an RFQ goes through each step, and the quotation guides show the document itself.

ENTEK is a B2B platform, so it is one of the channels described above. On ENTEK, suppliers receive RFQs, submit bids and negotiate in rounds, with delivery options per line, and get purchase orders when they win. You can also track win rate and response time for your RFQs.

Your verified company profile holds your CR and VAT numbers, certifications, key personnel and official stamp, so the papers you prepared with this guide sit in one place. You can also invite your corporate customers to buy from you on ENTEK.

What ENTEK does not do: it does not register you on Aramco, NEOM or any other vendor portal, it is not Etimad, and it does not issue or check any certificate. It cannot promise RFQs, invitations or wins. You can start on the Free plan, which has limits: 1 store, 10 RFQs and 10 users. Paid plans are Basic, Advanced and Premium.