How to find and win government tenders in Chile.

Mercado Público is one of Latin America's most mature e-procurement systems, operated by ChileCompra since 2003. It is mandatory for all public entities covered by Law 19.886 (Public Procurement and Contracting Law), including central government, municipalities, and many public enterprises. The platform's framework agreement catalogue (Tienda ChileCompra) lets entities purchase pre-negotiated goods and services directly from registered suppliers. Over a thousand public entities transact through the platform annually.

Chile's procurement law allows foreign companies to participate in open tenders. International suppliers must register on Mercado Público with their foreign legal identification and relevant company documents. For framework agreements, foreign participation depends on the specific catalogue terms. In practice, many open tenders do not restrict by supplier nationality; the bases for each process state the applicable requirements.

Chile's transparent procurement environment and active publishing culture make Mercado Público a valuable source of both current opportunities and market intelligence. Sell to State indexes Mercado Público, with plain-English search and saved tender searches with a daily email alert.