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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on December 22nd 2025
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft Government Decree, presented by the Minister of Finance, Santina José Rodrigues F. Viegas Cardoso, approving the “Regulations for the implementation of the Procurement and Public Contracts Code” and the “Overview of the legal framework for public procurement in Timor-Leste”.
The documents approved under this Government Decree were drawn up to support civil servants, procurement managers and other stakeholders in the public procurement process, provide them with clear guidance on the implementation of the new legal framework established by Decree Law No. 1/2025 of January 8th, which approved the Public Procurement and Contracts Code.
The Regulation and Overview provide an objective summary of the main provisions introduced by the new Code, highlighting its structural principles and detailing the contracting methods to be adopted to ensure transparency, efficiency, and preference for domestic suppliers in the award of public contracts.
The documents will be made available on the Procurement Portal, in the official languages and translated into the working languages, and apply to public contracts for the purchase or lease of goods, procurement of services, or execution of works, with a view to meeting the needs of the services and entities of the Public Administrative Sector.
This Government Decree shall enter into force on January 1st, 2026.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Decree, also presented by the Minister of Finance, which approves the Standard Procurement Documents provided for in Decree-Law No. 1/2025 of January 8th on the Procurement and Public Contracts Code.
This Government Decree approves the Standard Procurement Documents, organised into three distinct categories—Goods, Services, and Works—to facilitate their application depending on the nature of the public contract in question.
The forms required for the execution of procurement procedures will be made available by the Ministry of Finance on the Procurement Portal. Public sector services and entities must keep the procurement procedure registration system on file for at least 10 years from the date of registration.
This Government Decree shall enter into force on January 1st, 2026.
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Lastly, the Council of Ministers analysed the presentation by the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, and the National Procurement Commission on the post-qualification process for companies competing for the Suai Logistics Base and South Coast Motorway projects, conducted between November and December 2025. The presentation focused on the technical, financial and capacity assessment of the selected companies, as well as on discussions held with banking institutions and bidders on financing models. Following this analysis, the Council of Ministers endorsed the recommendations presented, agreeing with the definition of the next steps, which include the possible creation of an interministerial commission to conduct financing negotiations and the preparation of a specific legal framework for the development of these strategic projects, in order to ensure legal clarity, institutional coordination and protection of the interests of the State. END