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Selling to the State in Uruguay: procurement procedures and 2026 thresholds, RUPE registration, the 8 percent national preference, guarantees and appeals

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Changing

Public purchasing in Uruguay follows the TOCAF: public tender is the rule, with abbreviated tenders, price contests and direct purchases below thresholds that the statistics institute updates every year by inflation (in 2026, direct purchases up to UYU 654,000 for most bodies, price contests up to UYU 1,371,000 and abbreviated tenders up to UYU 13,705,000). National and foreign companies may bid, but suppliers must be registered in the RUPE, foreign bidders get at least 20 days of publication for public tenders, and goods, services and works that qualify as national get an 8 percent price preference. Guarantees are 5 percent, and appeals suspend the procedure unless the body rules otherwise.

USD figures use UYU 40.210 per US dollar, the Banco Central del Uruguay quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 27 October 2026, and the Unidad Indexada (UI) at UYU 6.6792 for 27 October 2026, both retrieved from the BCU quotations service on the verification date. Amounts the law sets in UI or pesos are quoted as written; conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Direct purchase limit 2026 (most bodies)	654000 UYUTOCAF art. 33 and 156, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Direct purchase limit 2026 (departmental governments)	1024000 UYUTOCAF art. 33 and 156, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Price contest limit 2026	1371000 UYUTOCAF art. 33 and 156, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Abbreviated tender limit 2026 (public tender above)	13705000 UYUTOCAF art. 33 and 156, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
National preference margin for goods, services and works	8 %TOCAF art. 58, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Minimum national content for goods to qualify as national	35 %TOCAF art. 58, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Performance guarantee	5 % of awardTOCAF art. 64, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Public tender publication when foreign bidders are sought	20 daysTOCAF art. 51, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Supplier registration (RUPE) required to contract	Yes TOCAF art. 76, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Administrative appeals suspend the procedure by default	Yes TOCAF art. 73, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
BCU quotation, DLS. USA BILLETE	40.21 UYU per USDBanco Central del Uruguay quotation, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Unidad Indexada (UI) value	6.6792 UYUBanco Central del Uruguay quotation, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Purchases are made by public tender or another competitive procedure set by law. Before launching one, public bodies other than departmental governments must buy through current framework agreements, dynamic systems or approved supplier lists when the item is covered. Below thresholds, they may use an abbreviated tender, a price contest or a direct purchase, and there is a list of exceptions allowing direct contracting (for example exclusive suppliers, failed tenders, urgency or contracts that must be signed abroad). The thresholds in the TOCAF are base values: the statistics institute (INE) updates them each December by the consumer price index and the procurement agency publishes them.TOCAF (Decreto Nº 150/012), art. 33 as worded by Ley Nº 20.446 art. 28; art. 156, Art. 33 and art. 156, 2025-12-16 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Ley Nº 20.446 of 16 December 2025 reworded art. 33, adding the duty to use framework agreements, dynamic systems and approved lists first, and setting the base thresholds at UYU 10,000,000 (abbreviated tender), UYU 1,000,000 (price contest) and UYU 630,000 or UYU 987,000 for departmental governments (direct purchase) at January 2025 prices.

2. Thresholds in force for January to December 2026: direct purchase up to UYU 654,000 (UYU 1,024,000 for departmental governments); price contest up to UYU 1,371,000; abbreviated tender up to UYU 13,705,000; public tender above that. Bodies authorized under the expanded regime (industrial and commercial State enterprises meeting e procurement and control standards, and others the Executive authorizes) may use direct purchase up to UYU 1,371,000, price contest up to UYU 6,853,000 and abbreviated tender up to UYU 68,525,000.
Cost to do it: Direct purchase UYU 654,000 (about US$16,265); price contest UYU 1,371,000 (about US$34,096); abbreviated tender UYU 13,705,000 (about US$340,836); expanded abbreviated tender UYU 68,525,000 (about US$1,704,178).TOCAF art. 33 and art. 44 (as worded by Ley Nº 20.446 art. 31), amounts updated under art. 156; Agencia Reguladora de Compras Estatales, 2026 amounts, Art. 33, art. 44 and art. 156, 2026-01-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. National and foreign individuals and companies with legal capacity may contract with the State, unless they are officials of the contracting body or linked to it, took part in preparing the tender documents, are suspended or removed from the RUPE, are not registered in the RUPE as the regulation requires, or lack habitual activity in the line of business (new companies may show solvency instead). Foreign suppliers not domiciled in Uruguay are exempt from RUPE registration when they contract with industrial, commercial or financial State enterprises for exclusive goods or services with no suitable substitute.TOCAF art. 46 as worded by Ley Nº 19.996 art. 36, Art. 46, 2021-11-03 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. The procurement agency (ACCE, now ARCE) runs the Registro Único de Proveedores del Estado (RUPE). Anyone wanting to contract with the State must register, and public bodies cannot contract with unregistered suppliers, save exceptions the regulation may set for small amounts, auctions, emergencies and foreign contractors not domiciled in Uruguay. Final sanctions are recorded in the RUPE and weighed in later evaluations. Information on representatives and owners not reported to the RUPE cannot be raised against the State. Registered suppliers need not present certificates already in the RUPE.
Cost to do it: The TOCAF sets no registration fee.TOCAF art. 76, Art. 76, 2012-05-11 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Public tenders are published in the Diario Oficial and on the State procurement website at least 15 days before bids open, or at least 20 days when participation of bidders based abroad is desirable; urgency can cut these to no less than 5 or 10 days respectively. The term runs from the business day after publication on the website.TOCAF art. 51, Art. 51, 2013-10-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Goods, services and public works that qualify as national get a price preference of 8 percent when quality or fitness is equal. For goods it applies on the delivered price and requires at least 35 percent national content; for services it excludes non national goods supplied; for works it applies to national labour and materials. It applies to competitive procedures and to direct purchases above the single tender document threshold, but not to purchases by State industrial, commercial and financial enterprises for services in competition. Companies employing Afro descendant, disabled or trans persons under the relevant laws may get a 4 percent preference. A separate development procurement programme may use up to twice the margin or market reservations for national suppliers, capped at 10 percent of total purchases.
Example: Illustration only, assuming the margin is applied by discounting the national price: a foreign bid of UYU 10,000,000 against a qualifying national bid of UYU 10,700,000: with the 8 percent margin the national bid is compared as UYU 9,907,407 and wins. / About US$248,694 against US$266,103.TOCAF art. 58 and art. 59 (art. 58 as amended by Ley Nº 19.438 and Ley Nº 19.924), Art. 58 and art. 59, 2020-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-27

7. Bidders may secure their offer by cash or public securities deposit, bank guarantee or surety bond for a fixed amount set in the specific terms; where optional and not posted, withdrawing the offer is fined 5 percent of its maximum amount. Winners must post a performance guarantee of 5 percent of the award, or if allowed to opt out, a breach is fined 10 percent of the award. No bid guarantee applies below the abbreviated tender threshold, and no performance guarantee below 40 percent of it. Fines are enforceable titles and are reported to the RUPE.
Cost to do it: Performance guarantee of 5 percent: UYU 1,000,000 on a UYU 20,000,000 award (about US$24,869 on US$497,389). Bank or insurance guarantee fees are not regulated.
Example: No performance guarantee on awards below 40 percent of UYU 13,705,000, that is UYU 5,482,000. / About US$136,334.TOCAF art. 64, Art. 64, 2018-10-15 official text · verified 2026-10-27

8. Administrative acts in procurement can be challenged with the remedies set in the Constitution and the law, counting from the day after notice or publication; the challenger sends a copy to the Tribunal de Cuentas within 48 hours. Appeals suspend the procedure unless the body rules, with reasons, that suspension harms urgent service needs or causes serious damage. A challenger found to act in bad faith or recklessly may be suspended or removed from the RUPE.TOCAF art. 73, Art. 73, 2011-11-04 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Procedure	Common regime (UYU)	Approx. USD	Expanded regime, art. 44 (UYU)	Approx. USD
Direct purchase	654,000 (1,024,000 departmental governments)	16,265 (25,466)	1,371,000	34,096
Price contest	1,371,000	34,096	6,853,000	170,430
Abbreviated tender	13,705,000	340,836	68,525,000	1,704,178
Public tender	Above 13,705,000	Above 340,836	Above 68,525,000	Above 1,704,178

Procurement thresholds for 2026 (ARCE) with USD equivalents at UYU 40.210

Worked example

A foreign medical equipment maker without a Uruguayan subsidiary wants to bid in a public tender of a ministry for UYU 20,000,000 (about US$497,389). It registers in the RUPE (TOCAF art. 76), watches the procurement website, where the call appears at least 15 days, or 20 if foreign bidders are sought, before opening (art. 51), and prices against national bidders who get an 8 percent preference if their goods have at least 35 percent national content (art. 58). If it wins, it posts a 5 percent performance guarantee of UYU 1,000,000, about US$24,869 (art. 64). If a losing bidder appeals, the award is suspended unless the ministry rules otherwise (art. 73).

Step by step

1. Register in the RUPE and keep owner and representative data current, since unreported data cannot be raised against the State (TOCAF art. 76).
2. Check if the item is under a framework agreement or the online store; if so, the route is to join those systems (art. 33).
3. Monitor the State procurement website for calls; public tenders give at least 15 or 20 days (art. 51).
4. Prepare the bid with the bid guarantee set in the specific terms and the national content declaration if claiming preference (art. 58 and 64).
5. On award, post the 5 percent performance guarantee (art. 64) and manage appeals within the constitutional terms (art. 73).

Common traps

The peso thresholds written in the TOCAF are base values: use the ARCE yearly table (TOCAF art. 156).
Unregistered suppliers cannot be contracted, save narrow exceptions (TOCAF art. 46 and 76).
Choosing not to post an optional bid guarantee is not free: withdrawing the offer costs a 5 percent fine, and opting out of the performance guarantee exposes the winner to a 10 percent fine (TOCAF art. 64).
The national preference does not apply to purchases of State enterprises for services in competition (TOCAF art. 58).
Reckless appeals can lead to suspension from the RUPE (TOCAF art. 73).

Sources

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