How to win government contracts and tenders in Italy

Navigating Government Contracting in Italy: A Comprehensive Guide

Italy’s public procurement sector presents significant business opportunities, though navigating its legal and administrative complexities requires careful preparation. This guide integrates information sourced from official legislative documents, institutional guidelines, and intergovernmental resources, providing essential insight for companies aspiring to secure government contracts in Italy.

Legislative Framework Governing Public Procurement

Public procurement in Italy is governed by the Public Contracts Code (Codice dei contratti pubblici), as set forth in Legislative Decree No. 36/2023, incorporating EU Directives 2014/23/EU, 2014/24/EU, and 2014/25/EU. The primary goals are ensuring transparency, promoting competition, and incorporating sustainability criteria. Compliance is overseen by the National Anti-Corruption Authority (Autorità Nazionale AntiCorruzione – ANAC) through binding regulations and guidance.

Recent amendments introduced by the Corrective Decree implemented important updates, notably increasing the minimal thresholds for mandatory adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodologies—from €1 million to €2 million (and up to €5.538 million for heritage-related projects)—in alignment with digital transformation objectives. Additionally, contracting authorities are now required to report data interoperability issues directly to Italy's Digital Agency (AgID) [3].

Regional Variations

Italy’s five autonomous regions (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Valle d’Aosta) have separate legislative responsibilities regarding procurement. Companies bidding across multiple jurisdictions should verify specific regional requirements published on centralized procurement platforms, such as Acquisti in Rete PA [12][14].

Registration Requirements and Qualification Systems

Mandatory Registrations

Economic operators bidding on national contracts must complete digital registrations on:

• Fascicolo Virtuale dell’Operatore Economico (FVOE) – A consolidated digital repository of corporate credentials, tax documentation, and technical certificates [12][13].
• Unified Supplier Portal (Portale Fornitori della PA) – Managed by Consip, Italy’s central purchasing body, handling national framework agreements above €40,000 [12][16].

In addition, non-EU entities must register in an EU-member commercial registry, per requirements detailed in Legislative Decree 36/2023, and need fiscal representation compliant with Presidential Decree 633/1972 (Article 17-ter). The VAT split-payment mechanism applies until June 30, 2026, with exceptions for specific publicly listed FTSE MIB entities [11][13].

Authentication Protocols

Digital platform access requires authentication through the Public Digital Identification System (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale - SPID) or the eIDAS-compliant electronic identification means from other EU countries. Failure to provide authenticated credentials will prevent tender submissions [13].

Documentation Standards

Pre-Tender Requirements

The following documents must be prepared and submitted:

• European Single Procurement Document (Documento Unico di Gara Europeo - eDGUE) – Presented electronically (XML format) to confirm eligibility and compliance with exclusion criteria, including financial solvency and legal standing [13].
• Technical Capacity Evidence – Including ISO 9001:2015 quality management certificates, BIM accreditation (if applicable), and compliance documentation regarding workforce diversity obligations under Law 68/1999 [14].

Post-Award Compliance

Awarded contractors have an ongoing obligation to update their contract performance metrics quarterly via the ANAC-managed Public Contracts National Database (Banca Dati Nazionale Contratti Pubblici - BDNCP). Tender modifications exceeding a 10% change in contract value must be published within 5 working days through the Digital Orders Notification Node (Nodo Smistamento Ordini - NSO) integrated with AgID digital infrastructure [15].

Strategic Considerations

Sustainability Criteria

Under Legislative Decree 36/2023 (Article 34), tender awards for construction exceeding €10 million require that at least 30% of evaluation scoring considers energy efficiency, with another 20% dedicated to circular economy solutions. Thus, firms incorporating renewable energy solutions and recycled materials gain significant competitive advantages.

International Participation

Non-EU companies can participate in Italy’s procurement market provided they satisfy EU-equivalent commercial registration criteria and comply with local labor regulations. Strategic international partnerships can facilitate eligibility and compliance.

Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Bureaucratic Delays

The complexity arising from decentralized administrative structures can cause procedural delays. Businesses are advised to utilize qualified local project management specialists who understand regional administrative peculiarities of areas like Lombardy, Veneto, or Piedmont to expedite processes.

Dispute Resolution

Disputes over procurement decisions must be lodged within 10 days of notification to the ANAC Guarantee Board (Collegio di Garanzia). Typically, non-complex cases have median resolution periods of approximately 45 days, according to ANAC statistics.

Navigating public procurement in Italy demands methodical adherence to comprehensive regulatory processes, proactive use of mandatory digital tools, and strategic insight into sustainability criteria. Companies demonstrating responsiveness to these elements can significantly enhance their competitive positioning in Italy’s lucrative public procurement landscape.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_procurement
[2] https://www.un.org/Depts/ptd/sites/www.un.org.Depts.ptd/files/pdf/eoi23445.pdf
[3] https://www.twobirds.com/en/insights/2025/significant-changes-to-the-italian-2023-public-procurement-code-introduced-by-the-corrective-decree
[4] https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/italy-and-the-uae-sign-historic-40-billion-investment-deal/
[5] https://www.linklaters.com/en-us/knowledge/publications/alerts-newsletters-and-guides/2025/february/24/the-uks-new-procurement-act--the-end-of-an-era-and-beginning-of-a-new-journey
[6] https://ensun.io/search/government-contracting/italy
[7] https://piee.eb.mil/sol/xhtml/unauth/search/oppMgmtLink.xhtml?solNo=W912GB25R0019
[8] https://www.ie.edu/insights/articles/the-eu-mercosur-agreement-do-we-have-a-deal/
[9] https://www.agea.gov.it/documents-apigw/documents/d/agea/agea-2025-0011403-allegato-ion172025-pdf
[10] https://publicprocurementinternational.com
[11] https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/italy/corporate/other-taxes
[12] https://wiki.acquistinretepa.it/index.php/Pagina_principale
[13] https://polimi.it/fileadmin/user_upload/allegati_bandi_gara_pnrr/Disciplinare_di_gara_PNRR_PLC_Cryolab_B589452911_20250217.pdf
[14] https://www.gare.rfi.it/it/archivio/bandi-e-avvisi.html
[15] https://www.rgs.mef.gov.it/_Documenti/VERSIONE-I/e-GOVERNME1/apir/NSO-Regole-tecniche-IT.pdf
[16] http://www.comune.torino.it/bandi/all.shtml
[17] https://www.ministeroturismo.gov.it/atti-delle-amministrazioni-aggiudicatrici-e-degli-enti-aggiudicatori-distintamente-per-ogni-procedura/