Tanlo data · Updated: October 28, 2026 · 9 min read

Uzbekneftegaz Tenders: Half of Oil & Gas Bids Fail. How to Get In

Uzbekneftegaz, Bukhara refinery and Uztransgaz tenders look like a closed club for large contractors. The data says otherwise. According to Tanlo data as of 28 October 2026, of 433 oil & gas best-offer selections and tenders on the UZEX exchange whose bidding window has already closed, 225 (52%) were declared failed. Three Uzbekneftegaz lots failed six times in a row, and the seventh attempt is open until 3 November.

For a supplier, this is a signal: these oil & gas tenders often fail to attract even two compliant offers. Below: who buys what in the oil and gas sector, where procurements fail most often, why that happens, and how to prepare so you don't lose money.

Who runs oil & gas tenders in Uzbekistan

We took all buyers in the Tanlo database with "oil" or "gas" in their name — Uzbekneftegaz, Uztransgaz, the refineries, the gas distribution company Hududgaztaminot, oil depots — and removed accidental matches such as newspaper offices. Over 10 weeks this gave 590 procurements. More than a third of them are repeat announcements: the same buyer puts the same purchase out again for the same amount. Without repeats, about 384 lots worth 383.8 bn sum remain (the count is approximate: sometimes a buyer publishes several different lots with the same price at once).

Amounts cover only lots priced in sum (UZS); another 32 lots excluding repeats were announced in US dollars, euros or roubles, mostly by the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex and the Bukhara refinery. The geography is as expected: 268 of 590 procurements (45%) are for sites in Kashkadarya region, 115 (19%) in Bukhara region.

What they buy: not just pipes and turbines

The largest lots are indeed industry-specific: an adsorber for 73 bn sum for the Shurtan oil & gas production department (NGDU, part of Uzbekneftegaz; not to be confused with the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex), a gas turbine engine overhaul for Uztransgaz for 19.2 bn, and a feasibility study for modernising the Khodjaobod gas storage facility for 9.4 bn. But the median procurement is about 239 m sum, and many items are things ordinary mid-sized companies supply.

The rest is catering, IT, workwear, furniture and medical supplies: 3 to 15 procurements in each category. Tanlo assigns categories automatically from the lot title, so the split is approximate.

Why procurements fail

Corporate buyers — companies in which the state holds 50% or more — purchase under the Law "On Public Procurement" (ZRU-684). Oil and gas companies run most of their purchases as a best-offer selection (otbor) on etender.uzex.uz: 460 of 590. Another 28 are tenders and 82 are auctions on xarid.uzex.uz. As a rule, a corporate buyer may use a selection up to 11 bn sum (25,000 BRV — the base calculation amount, currently 440,000 sum; art. 56); above that, a tender is required (art. 64). We covered how the procedures differ in a separate article.

A selection is declared failed if only one offer or none arrives by the deadline; it counts as valid only when there are at least two offers meeting the requirements (art. 61 of ZRU-684). The buyer can then re-announce the selection or buy via the e-shop, an auction or a simplified procurement. The exchange does not publish why a specific lot failed: nobody bid, only one company bid, or the offers were rejected. Here is how the failures break down:

Shares are calculated per announcement, including repeats. Counting lots excluding repeats, about 46% fail on the first attempt, and as of 28 October roughly a quarter remained without a result.

An example: three Uzbekneftegaz lots for Mubarek district — maintenance of railway switches (123.1 m sum), cementing unit services for wells (98.6 m) and liquefied gas for a vehicle workshop (47.3 m). Starting 3–4 September, the buyer re-announced each of them every 7–12 days, and six times in a row the procurement failed. The seventh attempt is now under way, with bids accepted until 3 November. Since the single-bidder rule (below) has applied since January and the lots still failed, most likely nobody bid or the offers were rejected. Before going for such a lot, check whether the starting price is realistic and the conditions are achievable.

Small lots fail more often

You would expect expensive and complex procurements to fail. The reality is different (sum-denominated lots with a closed bidding window, 389 announcements):

For a small company, the 50–500 m sum mid-segment is a real opportunity. But frequent failures can also mean the lot is unprofitable: a starting price below market, delivery to a field site, certification requirements. Calculate your margin including delivery to the site first.

Money: deposit, payment, deadlines

• Bid deposit. In 292 of 488 selections and tenders (60%) it equals 3% of the starting price, in 132 it is 0%, and in the rest it ranges from 0.1% to 2%. It is blocked on your exchange account when you submit. If the winner refuses to sign the contract, the deposit is not returned (ZRU-684). Details are in our article on the bid deposit, and all costs of participation are in our calculation for a 100 m lot.
• Payment. Prepayment is stated in the terms of 353 of 488 announcements (72%), payment on delivery in 114, a letter of credit in 21. The exchange does not show the advance amount in this field: it is usually partial, so check the draft contract in the lot card and plan for working capital.
• How the winner is chosen. In 412 of 488 lots by the lowest price, in 76 by points (price plus technical criteria).
• Deadlines are short. By law, a selection notice is published at least 5 working days before bidding closes (art. 58), a tender notice 12–30 working days before (art. 66). In practice, 270 of 488 oil & gas lots (55%) accepted offers for exactly 7 calendar days. If you learn about a lot on day three, you will not have time to prepare the documents.

Newcomers do win here

The register of concluded deals for selections and tenders on etender.uzex.uz since January 2026 shows 552 deals with these buyers and 334 suppliers (by taxpayer ID). 212 of them (63%) had no previous deals with these buyers on this platform — at least since May 2021, when the register begins. The ten most active suppliers took 87 of 552 deals (16%), while 236 companies signed one deal each. The data shows no monopoly. Auctions and direct contracts are not included in this register.

What to check before bidding

1. EDS and registration. Uzbekneftegaz accepts offers only electronically on etender.uzex.uz; you need an EDS key (electronic digital signature, E-IMZO). No key yet? See how to get one in a day.
2. Money in the account. The deposit must be in your exchange account before you submit.
3. The full technical specification. Read the requirements for brand, standard, certificates and place of delivery. If even one point does not fit, the offer will be rejected, and the single-bidder rule will not help either.
4. Industrial safety. Sites with explosive and flammable substances and pressurised equipment are hazardous production facilities (art. 4 of the Law ZRU-57 "On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities"). Technical devices used there require mandatory certification, and workers require attestation (art. 10 and 13). If you work on site, build this into your price and schedule.
5. The local preference does not always apply. Since 1 July 2026, goods of local manufacture receive a preference of up to 15% against the price of an imported equivalent when offers are evaluated (PP-4812 as amended by UP-85). But if a corporate buyer purchases goods for resale or for commercial production, it does not apply — and in oil and gas that is a common case. Check the lot documentation.
6. Watch for repeats. About 120 lots in our sample were re-announced, some up to 7 times.

Tanlo collects oil & gas procurements in one feed with other platforms: you can save a search for the word "Uzbekneftegaz" or for the energy, equipment and transport categories and receive new lots in Telegram on the day they are published. When you have a week to bid, that makes the difference. Procurements open right now are in the catalogue.

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