Under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and Qatar Development Bank, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Qatar Chamber, the third edition of the 2026 Government Procurement Plan Forum was launched yesterday, Monday, which runs from October 20 to October 22 of this year, under the slogan: “One Vision, Multiple Opportunities.” The opening was attended by His Excellency Mr. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Finance, His Excellency Mr. Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Minister of Municipality, and His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, Minister of Trade and Industry, along with a number of senior state officials, representatives of government agencies, and businessmen.
Mr. Nayef Al Ahbabi, Director of the Government Procurement Regulation Department at the Ministry of Finance, confirmed in his speech before the forum that 4,464 tenders had been issued within the country’s government procurement plan for the year 2026, within the framework of new strategic directions aimed at enhancing the efficiency of government spending, supporting the private sector, and achieving sustainable economic growth, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
He added that the plan is distributed among 15 economic sectors and 260 economic activities according to the international industrial classification, compared to 189 activities this year, which reflects a significant expansion in the scope of government projects.
He explained that the tenders will be distributed throughout the year 2026, with 3,143 tenders in the first quarter, 820 in the second quarter, 353 in the third quarter, and 148 in the fourth quarter, while 62% of them are concentrated in five main sectors: information and communications, professional, scientific and technical activities, construction, administrative and support services, and wholesale and retail trade.
Within the framework of supporting the national product, he explained the launch of a mandatory list of more than 1,000 national products that will be given priority in government procurement, in coordination with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the inclusion of an identification code in national factory classification certificates, giving them a 10% preference in tenders, in accordance with Law No. (6) of 1987, indicating that these measures contributed to enhancing the presence of national products in government projects, and achieving tangible results in supporting Local industry.
He added that the local value system has witnessed remarkable growth, as the number of companies obtaining local value certificates increased by 33% during the year 2025 compared to 2024, exceeding the annual target of 10%, indicating that as of July 2026, the local value will be a mandatory condition for participation in government tenders, which reflects the state’s commitment to maximizing the use of national resources and enhancing the contribution of local companies to the national economy.
In supporting micro, small and medium-sized companies, Mr. Al-Ahbabi stated that the total exemptions from temporary and final insurance amounted to about 150 million riyals, in addition to exemptions from tender document fees worth 21 million riyals, pointing to the approval of the Council of Ministers to raise the ceiling of exemptions to 5 million riyals, which is expected to lead to an increase of up to 60% in exemption indicators.
He announced the completion of a study to establish a Center of Excellence for Government Procurement, which aims to unify standards, disseminate best practices, and develop national cadres, in addition to implementing a comprehensive digital transformation to create an integrated electronic system to manage all stages of government procurement, from requesting needs to contracting and following up on implementation.
In order to improve spending efficiency, he said that a study of five group purchasing initiatives had been completed, including security services, food, cleaning, consulting, and computers, which contributes to unifying standards and reducing redundancy in offering processes. The Dispute Resolution Committee was also activated, which decided on 63 disputes during the year 2025, which contributed to accelerating achievement and enhancing confidence in the system.
Khalifa bin Jassim: Supporting the state’s plans to localize supply chains
His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Chamber, praised the importance of the annual forum for the government procurement plan, which represents a strategic platform to enhance communication and integration between the public and private sectors.
His Excellency said in press statements during his participation in the annual forum to present the annual procurement plan for government agencies for the year 2026, that this forum is of great importance because it reviews government projects scheduled to be launched during the next year, which allows the private sector to have early access to the available investment and contractual opportunities, and prepare for active participation in the implementation of development projects, which enhances the contribution of Qatari companies to the development process. Comprehensive state.
His Excellency the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Chamber stressed that the Qatari private sector has today become a major partner in the process of economic development, as it plays a pivotal role in supporting the country’s plans to localize supply chains and increase local content, and contribute to the implementation of national projects in the fields of infrastructure, energy, services and innovation.
His Excellency pointed out that the Qatari economy continues to achieve strong growth rates supported by rational financial and economic policies, and thanks to the state’s strategic approach in diversifying sources of income and enhancing partnership between the public and private sectors, adding that the continued implementation of major projects in various sectors reflects the strength of the national economy and its ability to face global challenges, and also contributes to stimulating the local business environment and supporting national investments.
Bin Towar: The Government Procurement Forum reflects transparency and efficiency
Mr. Mohammed bin Towar Al Kuwari, First Vice President of the Qatar Chamber, stressed the importance of the Government Procurement Forum as it is a major platform aimed at enhancing communication between government agencies and the private sector, and exchanging experiences on mechanisms for developing procurement systems in a way that contributes to achieving transparency and efficiency and enhancing the role of the private sector in implementing national projects.
He said in press statements on the sidelines of his participation in the opening of the forum’s activities that organizing this event reflects the state’s keenness to involve the private sector in the economic development system and enable it to contribute effectively to achieving the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030, pointing out that the forum represents an important opportunity to discuss the challenges facing suppliers and contractors in dealing with the concerned authorities, and to work to find practical solutions that contribute to facilitating procedures and developing the contracting system. Governmental.
He pointed out that the Qatar Chamber pays great attention to the government procurement file, and is working to transfer the comments and suggestions of business owners to the relevant authorities, with the aim of enhancing integration between the public and private sectors and improving the business environment, stressing the Chamber’s readiness to cooperate with various government agencies to develop procurement and supply mechanisms in accordance with the best international standards, and in a way that achieves priority for the national product in government procurement.
Al-Ansari calls for the establishment of a body to empower the national product
During the opening session of the annual forum of the 2026 Government Procurement Plan, Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Ansari, Member of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Chamber, reviewed the Qatar Chamber’s vision on the partnership between the public and private sectors, including the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors in implementing projects, creating new job opportunities through the involvement of the private sector, and the Chamber’s role in empowering entrepreneurs and promoting innovation.
Al-Ansari said during his speech that there are many challenges facing the private sector’s benefit from government procurement, calling for the necessity of sorting out all the tenders that will be offered in the year 2026 and establishing an authority to enable the national product and manage procurement so that this authority is independent and has an employee in each of the ministries, pointing out that the Qatar Chamber is ready to contribute to this authority, which must have experience in studying projects.
Al-Ansari also called for the necessity of the description in tenders so that it literally states the name of the product with the word “Qatari” next to it, pointing out that he proposes holding a special symposium during which the experiences of countries around the world will be reviewed to learn about their experiences in empowering the local product in procurement.
Honoring government agencies that support the private sector
His Excellency the Minister of Finance honored government agencies that provided distinguished models in supporting the local private sector, especially small and medium-sized companies, through their commitment to the best standards and practices in the government procurement system.
This honor comes during the forum in its third edition, which is organized annually by the Ministry of Finance in cooperation with a number of government agencies in the country, as an extension of the efforts made to enhance transparency, facilitate access to contractual opportunities, and support the national product, in a way that contributes to achieving the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The honor included three main categories, during which the spotlight was highlighted on the entities that demonstrated the highest levels of commitment to the unified website for state procurement, the entities that achieved the highest percentage of recommendations for small and medium-sized companies, in addition to the entities that recorded the highest percentage of awards with the local value preference, in confirmation of their role in supporting national supply chains and enhancing the presence of the local product in government projects.
The forum represents a national platform that brings together partners and actors in the government procurement system from the public and private sectors, with the aim of enhancing transparency and efficiency, and integrating efforts towards a more effective and sustainable system.
Trade participates in the Government Procurement Plan Forum
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is participating in the 2026 Government Procurement Plan Forum, which will be held from 20 to 22 October 2025 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
The forum aims to introduce the most important aspects of the government agencies’ procurement plan by sector, and expectations regarding them in order to evaluate the business and needs of government agencies.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry affirmed its keenness to enhance the competitiveness of the national product based on its vision aimed at supporting national industries and enabling Qatari companies to expand in local, regional and international markets. In this context, Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Al-Sayed, Director of the National Product Competitiveness Support Department, explained that the Ministry supports national products by giving priority to local content in government tenders, implementing the list of mandatory national products, in addition to stimulating the use of Qatari products in development projects, with a focus on adhering to international quality standards and combating harmful commercial practices to ensure a fair and transparent business environment.
He also stated that the Ministry’s participation in the forum reflects its keenness to strengthen the partnership with the Ministry of Finance to support the participation of small and medium-sized companies in government tenders, and to provide a business environment that stimulates innovation and industrial investment, which contributes to achieving the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.