Contract size does little to change the likelihood of a tender receiving exactly one bid in Peru. The overall rate was 10%, with the higher-cost groups recording 8%.
A consistent single-bid rate across Peru
Across 26,105 Peruvian tenders, 10% received exactly one bid. The finding is not confined to a narrow cost category: the comparison by contract size points to a similar likelihood in the higher-cost groups. In procurement terms, exactly one bid means one offer was received at the competition stage, rather than several offers being compared. It does not identify a cause, and it is not evidence of impropriety by the buyer or supplier. Because the overall rate covers 26,105 tenders, it provides a reference against which the cost-band results can be read. The commercial point is limited but clear: the number of bidders does not rise or fall materially with contract size in these figures.
Higher-cost tenders do not attract fewer single bids
The cost bands show a clear contrast between the cheapest quarter and the groups above it. Single-bid tenders accounted for 15% in the cheapest quarter, but 8% in the middle half, 8% in the most expensive quarter and 8% in the most expensive tenth. That makes the share of single bids broadly stable across the higher-cost categories, rather than showing a steady increase or decrease as contracts become more expensive. The median number of bids does vary: 4 in the cheapest quarter, 3 in the middle half, 13 in the most expensive quarter and 7 in the most expensive tenth. This distinction matters. A similar single-bid share does not mean that every band receives the same number of offers when more than one bidder participates.
| Contract size | Single bid | Median bids | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest quarter | 15% | 4 | 6,526 |
| Middle half | 8% | 3 | 13,052 |
| Most expensive quarter | 8% | 13 | 6,527 |
| Most expensive tenth | 8% | 7 | 2,611 |
Buyer counts need a denominator
The buyer figures show where the largest recorded counts of single-bid tenders sit, but they do not by themselves establish a buyer’s rate. ORGANISMO DE EVALUACION Y FISCALIZACION AMBIENTAL recorded 151 such tenders, followed by JURADO NACIONAL DE ELECCIONES and PETROLEOS DEL PERU with 86 each. PROGRAMA SUBSECTORIAL DE IRRIGACIONES – PSI recorded 65 and MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES 59. A count should therefore be read as a measure of single-bid tender volume, not as proof that one buyer faces weaker competition than another; total tender volumes would be needed for that comparison. A single bid, or a repeat win, is not evidence of impropriety. For bidders, the transferable point is to distinguish the tender-level bidding outcome from the buyer-level count before drawing conclusions about market access.
WHY IT MATTERS
10% of 26,105 tenders drew exactly one bid, while the rate was 8% in the middle half, most expensive quarter and most expensive tenth.
Data: Otnox — live procurement intelligence across 56 markets. Basis: 26,105 PE tenders published in the last 180 days that state both a value and a number of bids, 2026-04-12..2026-10-09.
