Procurement Platforms
What Is the Forsah Platform (فرصة)? A Guide for SMEs
11 October 2026 · 6 min read · By NextBid Bid Experts
Forsah is the Human Resources Development Fund's free platform where government and private buyers post purchase opportunities and small and medium businesses answer with price offers. Here is how it works.
The Forsah platform (منصة فرصة) is an electronic service provided by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), where government and private-sector buyers post purchase opportunities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) respond with price offers. HRDF lists it under its Nine Tenths (تسعة أعشار) programme as a free service, and the platform describes itself as a link between supplier and buyer.
This guide explains who runs Forsah, who can post and who can respond, how to submit an offer step by step, what to check before you apply, and how to follow new opportunities without logging in every day.
Who runs Forsah, and what is it for?
Forsah is a service provided by HRDF, the same body that runs the Nine Tenths programme for entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses. HRDF's service page states the purpose plainly: it lets a beneficiary submit a price offer on a competition posted on Forsah without having to visit the entity that posted it. The platform's own description goes one step further and calls it a link between the supplier and the buyer.
Forsah is a separate platform from Etimad, with its own supplier account. Other websites use similar names, so confirm that the operator is HRDF before you enter company details anywhere.
Who can post opportunities, and who can respond?
| Question | What HRDF's service pages state |
|---|---|
| Who operates the platform? | The Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), under its Nine Tenths programme |
| Who can post an opportunity? | Government and private-sector buyers |
| What do they post? | An opportunity, whose type the publisher chooses: direct purchase or competition |
| Who can respond? | HRDF lists small and medium enterprises as the beneficiary category, and the supplier account must be activated |
| What does a supplier send? | A price offer, with the offer details added to a draft |
| What does it cost? | HRDF lists both publishing and applying as free of charge |
| In which languages? | Arabic and English |
Two points matter in practice. First, the supplier account has to be activated before you can apply, which HRDF lists as a condition of the service. Second, HRDF's guidance says a supplier chooses an opportunity provided the supplier is qualified to apply for it. Because publishers can choose a direct purchase, our guide to direct purchase and limited competition is also worth reading: it explains where small businesses have an edge on Etimad.
How do you respond to an opportunity on Forsah?
HRDF's user guide for suppliers sets out the sequence below. Screens can change, so follow the on-screen prompts if they differ.
- Go to Forsah and open your supplier account. Register first if you have not, and make sure the account is activated.
- Open the opportunities arena (ساحة الفرص), where the published opportunities are listed.
- Identify an opportunity that fits your business and that you are qualified to apply for.
- Read the opportunity details in full: what the buyer wants, in what quantities, and when it closes.
- Create a draft offer and add your price and the details of your offer.
- Submit the offer.
Every stage happens online, so you never have to visit the buyer in person. That is exactly what HRDF says the service is for.
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What should an SME check before applying?
- Fit: do you actually supply the goods or services requested, in the quantities and at the location the buyer states?
- Closing arrangements: read how and when the opportunity closes before you start drafting.
- Documents: keep your commercial registration, tax and social insurance certificates current so you can attach them quickly if the buyer asks. Our document checklist for Saudi government tenders lists the usual ones.
- Price: build it from real costs and include VAT correctly. Our guide to bid pricing strategy shows how to balance margin and competitiveness.
- Effort: a quick quote is still a bid that costs your team time, so decide early whether the opportunity is worth answering.
Where does Forsah fit next to the other platforms?
Saudi suppliers can find opportunities on four platforms worth watching, and Forsah is the one built around price offers from small and medium businesses. The others are separate doors with their own buyers and registration routes, which our comparison of the four Saudi tender platforms sets side by side.
- Government competitions: Etimad.
- Medicines, medical devices and supplies for government health entities: NUPCO.
- Non-profit buyers: Tanafos.
- Government and private buyers asking small businesses for price offers: Forsah.
How do you follow Forsah without checking it every day?
Opportunities appear as buyers post them, so a manual routine means logging in often and scanning the arena. NextBid's Pulse (نبض) follows Forsah alongside Etimad, NUPCO and Tanafos and sends new tenders to you by email. The Free plan covers Etimad only, with a weekly email digest for one sector and up to three keywords, so Forsah needs a paid plan. Pulse Pro covers all four sources with instant email alerts and unlimited sectors, keywords and buying entities. A 14-day free trial is available.
Forsah is HRDF's free platform where government and private buyers post opportunities and small and medium businesses answer with price offers. Activate your supplier account before you need it, because you can only apply to opportunities you are qualified for.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs the Forsah platform?
Forsah is provided by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) and sits under its Nine Tenths programme. It is a separate platform from Etimad, with its own supplier account.
Is Forsah free to use?
HRDF lists both submitting an offer and publishing an opportunity as free of charge, with no payment methods. Check the platform's current terms before you rely on that for budgeting.
Who can apply for opportunities on Forsah?
HRDF lists small and medium enterprises as the beneficiary category. You need an activated supplier account, and you can only apply to opportunities you are qualified for.
Who can post an opportunity on Forsah?
HRDF's publishing service is aimed at government and private-sector buyers. They choose whether the opportunity is a direct purchase or a competition, add the details and publish it.
How do I submit an offer on Forsah?
Open your account, go to the opportunities arena, identify a suitable opportunity, create a draft, add your offer details and submit. The whole process is online.
Does Pulse cover Forsah?
Yes, on the paid plans. Pulse monitors Forsah together with Etimad, NUPCO and Tanafos and sends alerts by email, with instant alerts on Pulse Pro and Pulse Intelligence. The Free plan covers Etimad only, with a weekly digest.
A platform is only useful if you see its opportunities in time. Pulse brings Forsah into the same email feed as your other tender sources, and when a request is worth more than a quick quote, our bid management team prepares the technical and commercial documents to the buyer's requirements.