Government of Timor-Leste

The Council of Ministers, at its meeting on December 22^nd, 2025 at the Government Palace in Dili, approved two Government Decrees approving the Regulations for the application of the Procurement and Public Contracts Code and the respective Standard Procurement Documents, within the scope of the implementation of the new legal regime for procurement and public contracting, which will come into force on January 1^st, 2026. 

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 aim to support civil servants, procurement managers, and other stakeholders involved in public procurement procedures by providing clear, uniform, and operational guidance on implementing the new Code. These documents systematise the main provisions of the legal regime, clarify the structural principles, procurement methods, and rules applicable to public contracts for goods, services, and works.

The documents now approved will be made available on the Procurement Portal, in the official languages and translated into the working languages, and will apply to public contracts entered into by the services and entities of the Administrative Public Sector, with the aim of ensuring greater transparency, more efficient procedures, and greater predictability in the management of public resources.

At the same meeting, the Council of Ministers also approved the Government Decree establishing the Standard Procurement Documents provided for in the new Code. These documents are organised into three categories—Goods, Services, and Works—to facilitate their use, depending on the nature of the public contract to be concluded. The forms associated with procurement procedures will be made available by the Ministry of Finance through the Procurement Portal, and public services and entities must maintain a system for recording procedures for a minimum period of ten years.

The new Public Procurement and Contracts Code was approved by Decree-Law No. 1/2025 of January 8^th, as part of the public finance management reform process led by the 9th Constitutional Government. The Decree-Law replaces the previous regime and introduces changes to modernise and simplify public procurement procedures, enhance transparency, promote the more efficient use of state resources, and support the national business sector, including through a preference regime for national suppliers.

The entry into force of the new Code has been postponed until January 1^st, 2026, to ensure the effective and coordinated implementation of the new legal regime, establish the necessary conditions for its full application, and ensure legal certainty and compliance with the principles of public administration.

With the approval of the Regulation, Overview, and Standard Procurement Documents, the Government has completed an essential step towards implementing the new Procurement and Public Contracts Code, strengthening the regulatory framework for public procurement as part of the public finance reform.