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Central portal — register once as a vendor

How to register as a government contractor in New Zealand

New Zealand does not operate an EU-style approved-vendor registry or supplier pre-qualification list. Instead, most large government contracts are advertised on GETS (the Government Electronic Tenders Service, gets.govt.nz), where suppliers create a free account to view tender details, receive notifications, and respond to opportunities. Registration is a single central account (created with a RealMe login) rather than a separate qualification process; suppliers then respond per-tender. Some all-of-government panels and a digital Marketplace channel also exist for specific categories.

Central portal — register once as a vendor
This country runs a single national portal where you register as a vendor. That registration is your standing qualification to bid.

Official portal

GETS (Government Electronic Tenders Service)

New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP), Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE)

Go to portal ↗

Who can register

Foreign companies eligibleNo local entity required to bid

No local entity is required to register on GETS or to bid. GETS registration asks for business name, address, country and time zone, and works for overseas suppliers. NZBN (New Zealand Business Number) is helpful (auto-populates fields and eases Marketplace sign-up) but is NOT compulsory and suppliers must not be excluded for lacking one. Winning suppliers may face NZ tax/GST registration and other local compliance obligations depending on the contract; a human should verify these for a specific award. Source: https://www.nzbn.govt.nz/using-the-nzbn/case-studies/government-procurement-made-easier-with-the-nzbn/

Step-by-step: registering in New Zealand

1

Create a RealMe login

GETS supplier accounts are created using an individual RealMe login. Only a basic RealMe login (username/password) is required; a fully verified RealMe identity is not necessary to register and subscribe to opportunities on GETS.

official link ↗

Required:
  • RealMe login credentials (email/username and password)
2

Register a free GETS supplier account

Register a supplier account on GETS. Registration is free and 'only takes a minute' with your RealMe login. You provide your registered business or trading name, address details, country and time zone, and personal contact information (name, email, telephone). Overseas suppliers can register (country and time zone are captured). Optionally you can search by NZBN or company name to auto-populate details from the NZ Companies Office / NZBN Register, but this is not mandatory.

official link ↗

🔒 Sign up to see the 4 required document(s) for this step.
3

Activate your account via email

After submitting registration, GETS sends a confirmation email. Follow the activation link in that email to activate the account before you can sign in and use it.

official link ↗

🔒 Sign up to see the 1 required document(s) for this step.
4

Subscribe to notifications and respond to tenders

Once registered, sign in to view full tender details, subscribe to notifications for new listings in the categories and/or regions of interest, and respond to advertised opportunities. GETS is an information and tender-management system only; the GETS team does not run or evaluate tenders. Responses are then made per-tender per the individual Notice of Procurement.

official link ↗

🔒 Sign up to see the 1 required document(s) for this step.

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Cost, timeline & legal basis

Cost

Free (GETS registration and use is free; NZBN is also free to obtain)

Typical timeline

Varies per tender — not a fixed registration time.

Legal framework

Government Procurement Rules, 5th edition (in effect from 1 December 2025), issued by MBIE / New Zealand Government Procurement. Rules incorporate non-discrimination obligations under NZ's free trade agreements and the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. See https://www.procurement.govt.nz/government-procurement-framework/government-procurement-rules/

Common pitfalls & restrictions

Treating GETS registration as a vendor-qualification or 'approved supplier list' step: it is not — it only grants access to notices and the ability to respond; each tender is evaluated independently on its own Notice of Procurement. Assuming an NZBN is mandatory (it is not). Overlooking that GETS is information/tender-management only and does not run or evaluate offers.

Find live New Zealand opportunities

GlobalGov tracks open tenders and historical awards for New Zealand. Explore the market and search live opportunities:

Sources & verification

This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-20.

GETS supplier registration is free; register to view opportunity details and respond; RealMe login required; notifications by category/region; GETS is information/tender-management only — https://www.procurement.govt.nz/suppliers/gets/
GETS registration steps: RealMe login (basic, not verified identity), fields required (business/trading name, address, country, time zone, contact), email activation link, enables receiving/subscribing/responding to opportunities; NZBN or company-name search auto-populates from Companies Office/NZBN Register — https://www.gets.govt.nz/RegisterUser.htm
For suppliers: register for GETS as part of planning to tender; supplier code of conduct; overseas opportunities — https://www.procurement.govt.nz/suppliers/
Non-discrimination rule: agencies must treat suppliers from another country no less favourably than New Zealand suppliers and not discriminate on country of origin or foreign ownership — https://www.procurement.govt.nz/government-procurement-framework/government-procurement-rules/core-values/non-discrimination-and-offsets/
Government Procurement Rules 5th edition in effect from 1 December 2025 (updates 4th edition) — https://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/news/new-edition-of-government-procurement-rules-goes-live
NZBN in government procurement: NZBN eases Marketplace sign-up and auto-populates fields but is not compulsory; suppliers should not be excluded for lacking one; free to set up — https://www.nzbn.govt.nz/using-the-nzbn/case-studies/government-procurement-made-easier-with-the-nzbn/
This guide summarizes official requirements for general information and can change. Always confirm current requirements on the official portal before acting. GlobalGov is not affiliated with any government procurement authority.