Tender document translation has to be finished before the bid submission deadline: once that hour passes, the Estonian public procurement register will not accept your bid. We translate bids, technical specifications and qualification documents, and add a sworn translator's certification wherever the contracting authority requires one. For a foreign company bidding in Estonia, the job usually runs in both directions: first understanding an Estonian specification in full, then answering it in Estonian in the authority's own wording.
| Institution | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Registry extracts and certificates | Often a sworn translation; for a foreign document, an apostille as well. |
| Qualification documents | Often a sworn translation — check the procurement documents. |
| Certificates | As the authority requires; some accept an English original without translation. |
| References and letters | A standard translation is usually enough. |
| Bid and technical solution | A standard translation into the procurement language. |
A bidder cannot ask for more time. If an authority changes the deadline, it does so for everyone by amending the procurement documents, not because one bidder is waiting for a translation. Check the language requirements on the day the notice appears in the Estonian public procurement register.
If a requirement is unclear, ask the authority through the register. That is how you find out, for example, whether an English ISO certificate will be accepted without translation, which saves both time and money.
Bear in mind that bidders often confirm their qualification first with the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), and the authority asks for the supporting documents later. The window to respond is then short, so have the translations ready before you are asked.
A large, urgent volume is handled by organisation rather than faster typing: parallel translation, one glossary, one editor. We commit to a delivery date once we have seen the documents.
Documents of a foreign company bidding in Estonia are apostilled in the country that issued them. Only then does a sworn translator translate them into Estonian, including the text of the apostille. Reverse the order and the translation has to be redone.
Documents from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine need no apostille, because Estonia has legal assistance treaties with these countries.
A bid contains prices and technical solutions your competitors must not see. We sign an NDA where required, and only the translators and editor on your order have access to the files. Tenders are one part of our business translation services.
If you send the documents as soon as the tender is published, usually yes. If the volume and the time don't match, we tell you at once and suggest which documents to prioritise.
The ones the procurement documents say must be — usually registry certificates and qualification documents. Certified translations are done by a sworn translator.
Not for an Estonian tender. For a tender abroad it depends on the country: in Estonia apostilles are issued by notaries, the fee is €27.71 including VAT and the processing time is five working days (notar.ee). We can handle the apostille for you.
The translator is responsible for accuracy; your specialist knows your product. The best result combines your glossary, the authority's wording from the requirements and a review by your specialist before submission.
Yes, as a standard translation. It is for your team and needs no certification.
Send us the scans and we will reply with the price, the deadline and the requirements of the institution you are filing with. The form takes a minute: contacts, languages and files.
Or write to info@tradux.ee
