Etimad platform

Technical and financial proposals for the Etimad platform

Etimad, run by the Saudi Ministry of Finance, is the only gateway for bidding on government tenders. This guide explains what the platform expects in the technical and financial envelopes, the statutory documents you need before uploading, and the upload mistakes that disqualify bidders before their proposal is read.

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What does this service cover?

Bidding on Etimad has four stages: buying the tender document, preparing statutory documents and the bid bond, uploading the technical and financial proposals as separate files, and following envelope opening, evaluation and award from the company account. The separation matters: the committee scores the technical proposal before opening the financial one.

What goes in each envelope

The platform accepts PDF files; the tender may set a maximum size and number of files.

  • Technical envelope: cover letter, company profile and experience, scope understanding and methodology, schedule and team, quality, risk and safety plans, and the tender's technical forms completed and signed. No financial figures.
  • Financial envelope: the BOQ priced on the tender's own form, a financial offer letter with the total in figures and words including VAT, and payment terms if requested.
  • Statutory documents: commercial registration, zakat and tax certificate, GOSI certificate, chamber of commerce membership, Saudisation (Nitaqat) certificate, and contractor classification when required.
  • Bid bond: a bank guarantee at the percentage set by the tender, between 1% and 2% of the bid value, valid for the whole bid validity period.

Bid validity and envelope opening

Bids normally remain valid for ninety days from envelope opening, and the bond must cover that period. Technical envelopes are opened first and scored against the tender criteria; financial envelopes are opened only for bids that pass the threshold, and the ranking appears in the company account.

After the award announcement there is a standstill period for appeals before contract signature. The winner then submits a performance bond of 5% of the contract value within the statutory period.

Recurring upload mistakes

All of these appear constantly in disqualification records and are avoidable with a ten-minute review:

  • Uploading the financial offer, or any price, into the technical envelope.
  • A bond below the required percentage, addressed to the wrong entity, or shorter than the bid validity.
  • A zakat or GOSI certificate expired on the opening date.
  • Editing BOQ items, deleting a line, or leaving a line unpriced.
  • Submitting in the last hour with large files that do not finish uploading.
  • Unsigned or unstamped mandatory forms.

Preparing both files with Ataa AI

Upload the tender exactly as downloaded from Etimad; Ataa AI generates separate technical and financial proposals in the tender's order, with a matching BOQ, VAT and your company data, ready to export as PDF for each envelope. Statutory attachments and the bond remain your responsibility.

From the blog: bidding on Etimad in detail

Articles that complete this guide with screen-by-screen steps and the real mistakes recorded by evaluation committees:

What you get

  • ✓ Separate technical and financial files, one per envelope
  • ✓ BOQ matching the tender form with VAT and totals
  • ✓ Sections ordered around the tender forms and criteria
  • ✓ Statutory document and bond checklist before submission
  • ✓ PDF export sized for the platform
  • ✓ A complete draft in minutes from the Etimad tender file

How it works

  1. 1. Download from Etimad

    Buy the tender document and download the file, annexes and circulars.

  2. 2. Generate both proposals

    Upload the tender to Ataa AI and get the technical and financial proposals separately.

  3. 3. Upload and follow up

    Attach statutory documents and the bond, upload each file to its envelope, and track envelope opening.

Pre-submission checklist

  • □ Tender bought under the same company that will bid
  • □ Statutory documents valid beyond the opening date
  • □ Bid bond at the right percentage, validity and entity
  • □ Technical envelope free of any price
  • □ BOQ fully priced with no empty line and with VAT
  • □ Submitted well before closing so the upload completes

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit both proposals in one file on Etimad?

No. The platform has an envelope for each, and any price in the technical envelope risks disqualification because the technical evaluation precedes the financial opening.

How long does a bid stay valid?

As set by the tender, usually ninety days from envelope opening; the bid bond must cover the whole period.

Is contractor classification mandatory?

It is required for construction tenders above the threshold set by the entity; the tender states the field and grade. Check before buying the document.

Can I modify a submitted bid?

You can withdraw and resubmit before the closing date. After closing no changes are accepted, and clarification requests never allow price changes.