Know which Gulf tenders your agent should bid, and which agents you should appoint.
Every morning we read Saudi government health tenders and the UAE medicines register in Arabic, and write them up in English for export and regulatory managers at medical makers. Each point links to its clause or register entry.
Written for makers in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Switzerland, Korea, Turkey, the United States and India who sell to Saudi Arabia and the UAE through a local agent.
Open your Gulf file
Type your company. See what the Saudi and UAE registers say about you, free.
Open with time to prepare
Tenders with 14 days or more left, of 111 open from Saudi government health buyers, read 5 Nov 2026 at 06:54 Riyadh (04:54 Berlin). A Saudi licensed company bids; a foreign maker takes part through its agent. The Arabic original governs.
One brief, two readers
You decide. Your Saudi agent checks. The clause sits between you, so nobody argues about what the Arabic booklet says. From our brief on NUPCO NPT0048/26, home care devices.
makers with two or more products in the UAE's EDE public directory showed one agent for all of them, read 2 Nov 2026. The directory held 17,083 products and is incomplete at source.
Since 24 February 2026 the Emirates Drug Establishment requires more than one authorised agent per medical product. How many, for which categories and by when is not yet published.
Prices
Invoiced by Banoo Inc. in US dollars, paid by card, PayPal or bank transfer. No contract and no call needed.
Questions makers ask
Can a foreign manufacturer bid on NUPCO tenders directly?
Normally not. NUPCO releases tender documents to agents and distributors accredited and qualified with NUPCO (booklet clause 1.3), and supplier registration runs on a Saudi Commercial Registration. A maker bids through its Saudi agent, or through its own Saudi company if it has one. The maker supplies the agency certificate, its SFDA registrations and the price.
What does a NUPCO framework ask of the maker?
An SFDA marketing authorisation for every product offered, held through the maker's authorised representative; an agency certificate naming the Saudi bidder; samples; and for some lines proof of use in Saudi government hospitals. The price is fixed for three years and carries a lowest price in the Kingdom warranty.
What is the difference between NUPCO and Etimad?
NUPCO is the national unified buyer of medicines, devices and supplies for government health entities and runs its own tender platform. Etimad is the government procurement portal used by other entities, including hospitals and universities.
What is the UAE second-agent rule?
Since 24 February 2026 the Emirates Drug Establishment requires companies to appoint more than one authorised agent for each medical product they market in the UAE, under Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2024. Guidance on numbers and deadlines has not been published, and registered agents keep rights under Federal Law No. 3 of 2022.
What is the Gulf file?
A free lookup of your company in two public registers: the SFDA drug company register in Saudi Arabia and the EDE medicines directory in the UAE. It shows your registrations, your UAE products and the agents who hold them.
How fast is a brief, and what does it cost?
A bid or no-bid brief is delivered within 24 hours of the order and costs USD 350. Your first brief is free. Banoo Inc. invoices, and you pay by card, PayPal or bank transfer.