Procurement Platforms
What Is the Tanafos Platform? Non-Profit Procurement Guide
15 October 2026 · 8 min read · By NextBid Bid Experts
Tanafos is an electronic marketplace where non-profit organisations publish purchase requests as competitions and suppliers submit offers. Here is who publishes, how competitions run and what it costs.
Tanafos (تنافُس) is an electronic platform where non-profit organisations publish purchase requests as competitions and suppliers, such as contractors, consultants and service providers, submit offers. The National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development (NCNP) lists it in its directory of services for non-profits under the private sector, with fees, so treat Tanafos as a private-sector platform, not a government portal.
This guide covers who stands behind Tanafos, who publishes on it, how a competition runs for a supplier, what it costs, and how to follow it alongside your other tender sources.
What is Tanafos, and who runs it?
Tanafos describes itself as an intermediary marketplace that gathers the purchase requests of non-profit organisations and lets suppliers submit offers. Its terms say the name is a registered trademark represented in Saudi Arabia by two companies, and that the platform is neither buyer nor supplier: it does not evaluate offers or decide awards on the organisation's behalf, and the contract is made directly between the organisation and the supplier.
NCNP's listing shows the sector as private sector and the cost as fees. NCNP also states that the services in its directory are provided by other parties, published to help non-profits reach them, and that it takes no financial or legal responsibility for them. In short, NCNP points non-profits to Tanafos but presents it as a service provided by another party.
Who publishes competitions on Tanafos?
Competitions are published by non-profit organisations, such as associations and non-profit institutions, and the platform's donor gateway also lets donors launch competitions for specific types of project. Tanafos's terms require a non-profit organisation to confirm that it holds a valid licence from its competent authority, and to publish competitions in line with the procurement rules approved by the organisation or its official reference.
Some competitions are donor-funded: the organisation marks the competition as donor-funded and brings in the donor, who reviews it before publication and approves the award before it is announced. The platform also offers unified purchasing, where, according to its terms, an intermediary non-profit manages the purchase and buys on behalf of several organisations, and the purchase is published on Tanafos as an announced competition that suppliers bid for like any other. For a supplier, this means each organisation decides what it asks for, and a donor-funded competition can involve an extra approval step.
How does a competition work for a supplier?
Tanafos's FAQ for suppliers explains that the organisation publishing a competition chooses how it closes, and the platform's screens describe the immediate competition as a direct purchase.
| Type | How it runs | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| General competition (منافسة عامة) | The organisation sets a closing date and accepts unlimited offers before it | Use the time to prepare, but do not leave the booklet purchase to the last day |
| Immediate competition (منافسة فورية) | The organisation sets a limit on the number of offers, for example 3, and the competition closes once the limit is reached. The platform's screens call it a direct purchase: the organisation reviews the offers and picks the most suitable one directly, with no award date set | Act quickly and send a complete offer early: it closes as soon as the limit is reached, and the organisation can choose without waiting for an award date |
A typical supplier route, based on the platform's FAQ and screens, looks like this:
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- Register your establishment as a supplier. The FAQ points to the platform's user guide for the steps, and one account can have several managers with permissions set by the account owner.
- Find a competition and read its page: the status, deadlines, booklet price and how offers are submitted.
- Buy the booklet. Its fee is the cost of entering a competition, and some competitions ask for your technical and financial offer before you pay; you can withdraw and resubmit it later.
- Prepare your offer. Enter the price of a single unit without VAT, and the platform calculates the totals including tax.
- Attach what the organisation asks for. Documents such as the zakat and income, social insurance and Saudization certificates, or Chamber of Commerce membership, are requested at the publisher's discretion, and a competition can also require a mandatory financial guarantee with the offer.
- Submit, and edit if you need to. Before an open competition closes, you can change your price offer with the Edit button.
- Wait for evaluation and award. The organisation evaluates the offers and awards the competition; the platform's screens show an award report you can download after buying the competition documents.
What does it cost to use Tanafos?
The platform describes registration as free for suppliers and associations, but taking part has a cost. Its terms describe the service as intermediation for an annual subscription paid by the supplier, and its FAQ says suppliers pay a booklet fee, to which the non-profit may add its own. Free-package users are told when their free attempts, for example to view competition details or to download or buy documents, are used up.
The terms add that prices are shown on the website and may change, and that document fees are returned to bidders if a competition is cancelled because of material errors in its documents or because its procedures breach the applicable regulations. Check the current terms before you budget, and weigh the fee as you would any cost of bidding: our bid or no-bid framework shows how.
Why should suppliers care about Tanafos?
Because non-profit buyers publish their competitions here. Tanafos is a separate platform from Etimad, so a routine built around Etimad alone may miss these competitions.
- Separate registration: an Etimad account does not give you a Tanafos account, so register before a competition you want is open.
- Requirements vary by buyer: documents and guarantees depend on each organisation, so read every competition in full. Our document checklist for Saudi government tenders covers the usual certificates.
- Timing varies by type: an immediate competition can close early, so know the type before you plan.
- It is one of four platforms: our comparison of the four Saudi tender platforms and our Forsah guide show how the others differ.
Tanafos is a private-sector marketplace listed in NCNP's directory, where non-profit organisations publish competitions and suppliers pay a booklet fee to enter. Check each competition's type, documents and guarantee requirement before you buy the booklet, because immediate competitions can close early.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tanafos a government platform?
No. NCNP lists Tanafos in its directory of services for non-profits under the private sector, with fees, and states that the services in the directory are provided by other parties. Tanafos's own terms describe it as an intermediary between non-profit organisations and suppliers.
Who can publish competitions on Tanafos?
Non-profit organisations, such as associations and non-profit institutions, publish them, and the terms require each to confirm that its licence is valid. The platform's donor gateway also lets donors launch competitions for specific types of project. In donor-funded competitions, the donor reviews the competition before publication and approves the award.
Is it free to register on Tanafos?
The platform describes registration as free for suppliers and associations. Entering a competition costs a booklet fee, the non-profit may add its own, and the terms describe the service as paid for by an annual supplier subscription. Document fees are returned if a competition is cancelled because of material errors in its documents.
Do I have to upload certificates before submitting a price?
It depends on the competition. Tanafos's FAQ says documents such as the zakat and income certificate, social insurance certificate, Saudization certificate and Chamber of Commerce membership are requested according to the wishes of the publishing organisation.
Can I change my offer after submitting it?
Yes, while the competition is open. Tanafos's FAQ says you can edit a price offer on an open competition before it closes by pressing the Edit button.
Why did a competition close before its closing date?
Publishers can choose between a closing date with unlimited offers, which is a general competition, and a limit on the number of offers, which is an immediate competition. An immediate competition with a limit of 3 offers closes as soon as it receives 3.
Tanafos is a separate portal, so it is easy to leave out of your tender routine. NextBid's Pulse follows it alongside Etimad, NUPCO and Forsah on the paid plans and sends alerts by email: Pulse Pro covers all four sources with instant email alerts, while the Free plan covers Etimad only, with a weekly digest for one sector and up to three keywords. When a competition is worth pursuing, our bid management team prepares the technical and commercial offer.