How do I find tenders in Nigeria?
Nigerian tenders are not published in one place. Federal agencies, the 36 states and the FCT, UN agencies, World Bank-funded projects, oil and gas companies and NGOs each publish their own notices, on their own schedules. Finding them is mostly a matter of knowing where to look, and looking often enough to see them before they close.
Where federal government tenders are advertised
The Public Procurement Act 2007 makes open competitive bidding the normal way federal agencies buy goods and works (section 24), and section 25 says where those tenders must be advertised. For national competitive bidding, that is:
- the agency's own notice board and website;
- at least two national newspapers;
- the procurement journal.
Larger, international tenders must also appear in a recognised international publication and on the Bureau of Public Procurement's website. Under the Act, the advert must run at least six weeks before bids are due.
The Bureau of Public Procurement also runs the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), where federal agencies submit their procurement plans and records. It is useful for seeing what an agency plans to buy, and what it has awarded before.
State government tenders
Each state has its own procurement law and agency. Lagos, for example, has the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, with its own online tenders journal and contractor registration. State tenders appear on these agencies' sites, on state government websites and in newspapers. See how state government tenders work.
UN, donor and NGO tenders
UN agencies publish on the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM), where suppliers can register at no cost. World Bank-funded projects are run by Nigerian government agencies, and their open international tenders are advertised in a local newspaper as well as on the World Bank's website. ECOWAS publishes its procurement plans on its own site. See NGO and donor tenders in Nigeria.
Oil and gas
Oil and gas suppliers register and prequalify through industry systems such as NipeX and NCDMB's NOGIC JQS, and some tenders are open only to suppliers registered there; others are advertised publicly. See oil and gas procurement in Nigeria.
Why tenders get missed
Not because they're hidden, but because they're scattered. A contractor who wants every road job in three states would need to check dozens of websites and several newspapers every day, and agency sites are often slow, offline or updated without warning. A tender seen with three days left is often a tender you can't bid for: there isn't time to get a bid security or gather certificates.
A simple routine: decide which trades and states you can really deliver in, list the sources that publish them, and check them on fixed days. Keep your registration documents current so a short deadline isn't a lost tender.
How TendaRadar helps
TendaRadar checks federal, state, donor, oil and gas, and newspaper-advert sources every day (the full list, with when each was last checked, is on our sources page). It merges copies of the same tender into one, sorts each by trade, state and buyer, and sends the ones that match your business to WhatsApp. You can also browse them yourself: all open tenders, government tenders, NGO and donor tenders or tenders closing this week.
Official sources
- Public Procurement Act 2007, full text (copy published by NERC)
- Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO)
- Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP)
- Lagos State Public Procurement Agency
- United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM)
- World Bank: Finding business opportunities and winning contracts financed by the World Bank
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules change, and each tender's own advert and bidding documents set its requirements: always read them, and check with the buyer or a professional if you're unsure.