FAQs

1. What is the difference between the e-services provided by e-Tendering System (e-TS), e-Tender Box (ETB) being used by the Government Logistics Department (GLD) and e-Procurement Programme?

• e-TS is designed to handle tenders of very high-value goods and general services (excluding consultancy services); and services for construction and engineering works under the ambit of the Central Tender Board and the Public Works Tender Board issued by Procuring Departments.
• ETB is designed to handle tenders issued by GLD and high-value tenders for goods and general services (excluding consultancy services) issued by Government bureaux / departments.
• The e-Procurement Programme is designed to handle purchases of low-value goods and services (including non-construction services and consultancy services) of Government bureaux / departments.

2. What e-services can I use in e-TS for high-value non-works tenders?

All visitors of e-TS for non-works tenders (“e-TS(NW)”) can view tender notices and contract award notices without an account. With a single registered account, you can receive tender notifications from Procuring Bureaux/Departments (for suppliers on the tender notification lists of Procuring Bureaux/Departments), download tender documents, subsequent addenda and/or supplementary information, submit tenders and view your related tenders in “My Tender” page including tenders that you are being notified, tenders with new information issued, tenders that you have downloaded tender documents or submitted tenders.

3. How secure is the e-services under e-TS(NW)?

The e-services implemented under e-TS(NW) will comply with the standing and established security guidelines and authentication framework for Government IT systems. Transmission and storage of sensitive data are encrypted, protected and controlled according to the prescribed guidelines and procedures.  Other measures, such as access right control and authorisation, audit logging are in place and periodic system security audit will be carried out to ensure system and data security.

4. Why the time displayed in e-TS(NW) is not the same as my computer?

e-TS(NW) synchronizes with the Hong Kong Standard Time which is maintained by the Hong Kong Observatory.  The time difference may be due to network latency. This effect may become significant over mobile data network and in a congested or distant network.

5. What are the system requirements for using the e-services under the e-TS?

You can access the e-services through a web browser on computers or mobile devices.  The webpages on e-TS(NW) are best viewed with the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome. For details of minimum system requirements, please visit https://www.gov.hk/en/about/helpdesk/softwarerequirement/ .

6. Why can’t I receive notification emails from e-TS(NW)?

Your email service provider may have classified emails sent from e-TS(NW) as spam. Please check if the email has been directed to the junk mail folder of your account mail box and if configuration on the email gateway can be done for receiving emails from e-TS(NW) (email address: etsadmin@egismail.gov.hk).  If the problem persists, please email to info@ets.gov.hk or contact our hotline at (852) 6310 9329.

7. What can I do if I have any questions about e-TS(NW)?

For technical support, please email to info@ets.gov.hk or contact our hotline at (852) 6310 9329. For general enquires on tender notices, please contact the respective Procuring Department direct.

8. How can I register for an account in e-TS(NW)?

You can register for an account with your email address and contact information. Please go to the registration page of e-TS(NW) to register for an account.  After registering for an account, you can click the button “Login” on e‑TS(NW) to log in your account. For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Account Registration and Login”. 

9. I have already registered for an account in e-Procurement Programme or ETB of GLD, do I still need to register for an account in e-TS(NW)? 

As e-Procurement Programme, ETB and e-TS(NW) are different systems, you still need to register for an account in e-TS(NW) in order to use e-TS(NW) even you have already registered accounts in other systems.  You only have to register for a single account for downloading tender documents and/or submitting tenders for high-value non-works tenders of Procuring Bureaux/Departments in e‑TS(NW).

10. I am not a supplier in Hong Kong, can I register as a user in e-TS(NW)?

Yes, you can follow the steps shown in Question 8 above to register as a user in e-TS(NW).

11. What should I do if I cannot receive the PIN for verifying my company email address during account registration?

Your email service provider may have classified emails sent from e-TS(NW) as spam. Please check if the email has been directed to the junk mail folder of your account mail box and if configuration on the email gateway can be done for receiving emails from e-TS(NW) (email address: etsadmin@egismail.gov.hk).  On the other hand, if you cannot receive the PIN after the specific time period, you can click the button “Resend PIN” shown at the bottom of the page during account registration. If the problem persists, please email to info@ets.gov.hk or contact our hotline at (852) 6310 9329.

12. What can I do if I forget my account password?

You can click “Forgot Password” on the login page of e-TS(NW) and follow the instructions to reset your password.  For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Reset Account Password”.

13. What can I do if I forget my email address used for registration?

Please contact the helpdesk of e-TS(NW) by email to info@ets.gov.hk or contact our hotline at (852) 6310 9329 to enquire your email address.

14. What can I do if I cannot log in to e-TS(NW)?

If you cannot log in to e-TS(NW), please check and ensure you have typed in the correct email address and password.  Please also check if you have enabled the “Caps Lock” button when you type in the email address and password.  If you have forgotten the password, you can click “Forgot Password” on the login page of e-TS(NW) and follow the instructions to reset your password.  If the problem persists, please email to info@ets.gov.hk or contact our hotline at (852) 6310 9329.

15. What should I do if I want to update my account information?

You may log in e-TS(NW) and click “Manage Account” to update your account information. For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Update Account and Contact Details”.

16. How can I view the tender notice of high-value non-works tenders?

You do not need an account of e-TS(NW) if you only view tender notices. Please visit e-TS(NW) and click “Tender Notices” to view the tender notices of non-works tenders. 

17. Will I receive tender notifications once I have registered as a user in e-TS(NW)?

You will receive a tender notification only if you are listed on the Tender Notification List of that tender.  Registering an account in e-TS(NW) does not automatically qualify you to be included in the Tender Notification List of the Procuring Bureaux/Departments. For enquiries regarding the inclusion of suppliers in Tender Notification List, please contact the relevant Procuring Bureaux/Departments directly. 

18. I have received a tender notification email, how can I view the tender notice of the tender?

If you have been listed in the Tender Notification List of the respective tender by Procuring Bureaux/Departments, you will receive a tender notification email.  You may click the hyperlink in the tender notification email to view the respective tender notice.  Alternatively, you may log in to e-TS(NW) directly, go to the “My Tender” page and click the radio button “Notified Tenders” to view the list of tenders that you have been notified by the Procuring Bureaux/Departments via e-TS(NW).

19. How can I download tender documents of non-works tenders?

If you wish to download tender documents of a non-works tender, you need to have an e‑TS(NW) account.  If you have not yet registered for an account in e-TS(NW), please follow the steps shown in Question 8 to register for an account.  

After logging in to e-TS(NW), click “Tender Notice” -> “Non-works Tenders” on the menu bar and a list of tender notices of non-works tenders will be shown. Please click on the relevant tender notice and then click the button “Download Tender Document” in the top right-hand corner of the relevant tender notice to download the files.  You may click the button “Download All” to download all tender related documents, including tender documents, tender addenda and supplementary information in one go.  You may also click the button “Download” next to each file of the tender related documents to download individual file.  For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “View Tender Notice and Download Tender Document”.

20. How can I view the tenders that I have downloaded tender documents?

Please log in to e-TS(NW) and go to the “My Tender” page.  You can click the radio button “Downloaded Tender Documents” to view the list of tenders that you have downloaded tender documents.

21. Can I download the tender documents repeatedly?

You can download the tender documents again at any time before the tender closing time.

22. I would like to submit tenders electronically via e-TS(NW).  Do I need to have a recognised digital certificate or activate the Alternative Authentication Method (AAM) in advance?

A recognised digital certificate or activated AAM should be required in advance for submitting tenders electronically through e-TS(NW). However, they are not required when you use other services in e-TS(NW), such as downloading tender documents, submitting no offer, etc.  Please refer to Question 24 and Question 25 for more information on how to submit a tender by using AAM or digital certificate respectively.

23. Can I submit tenders electronically via e-TS(NW) for a tender which I have not downloaded the tender documents via e-TS(NW) before?

Yes. You can submit tenders electronically via e-TS(NW) for a tender which you have not downloaded the tender documents via e-TS(NW) before.

24. How can I submit a tender using AAM?

If you wish to submit a tender using AAM, please follow the steps shown in Question 34 to activate the AAM in advance.  After that, you can follow the steps below to submit a tender using AAM before the tender closing time:

1. Please visit the website of e-TS(NW) and follow the steps shown in Question 8 to register for an account and login to e-TS(NW). 
   
2. Click “Tender Notice” -> “Non-works Tenders” on the menu bar and a list of tender notices of non-works tenders will be shown.
3. Click on the relevant tender notice to view the tender information.  On the tender notice page, click the button “Submit Tender” in the top right-hand corner and proceed to read and accept the terms and conditions of e-TS(NW).
4. Select the option “Alternative Authentication Method” in the page of “Choose Authentication Method”.
5. A password will be shown on the screen of e-TS(NW) shortly and a ZIP file which contains the PIN will be sent to your email address simultaneously.  You can then use the password to open the ZIP file sent to your email and obtain the PIN to submit a tender.
6. Follow the instructions shown on the screen to complete Offer to be Bound, and upload tender or upload technical proposal and price proposal, as appropriate; and
7. An acknowledgement page will be shown on the screen after you submit your tender successfully.

For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Submit Tender or No Offer”. You should allow sufficient time for complete data transmission before the tender closing time when submitting the tenders via e-TS(NW).  To ensure successful submission, you are advised to submit the tenders as early as possible, in particular to avoid hasty submission within an hour before the tender closing time.  Please note that late submission or any file(s) of a submitted tender not meeting the submission conditions [i.e. the files should be (i) free of computer virus; (ii) not embedded of any macros; (iii) able to be opened and printable; (iv) not password protected; (v) submitted in pre-defined sequence/category; and (vi) provided with meaningful filenames] will not be considered further. 

25. How can I submit a tender by using a recognised digital certificate?

e-TS(NW) accepts digital certificate with p12 file issued by a recognised certification authority as defined under the Electronic Transactions Ordinance (Cap. 553) (i.e. as shown in Question 38).  You can follow the steps below to submit a tender by using a recognised digital certificate before the tender closing time and please ensure your digital certificate has not yet expired:

1. Please visit the website of e-TS(NW) and follow the steps shown in Question 8 to register for an account and login to e-TS(NW). 
   
2. Click “Tender Notice” -> “Non-works Tenders” on the menu bar and a list of tender notices of non-works tenders will be shown.
3. Click on the relevant tender notice to view the tender information.  On the tender notice page, click the button “Submit Tender” in the top right-hand corner and proceed to read and accept the terms and conditions of e-TS(NW).
4. Please select the option “Digital Certificate” in the page of “Choose Authentication Method”.
5. Upload the p12 file and insert the password of your digital certificate.
6. Follow the instructions shown on the screen to complete Offer to be Bound, and upload tender or upload technical proposal and price proposal as appropriate; and
7. An acknowledgement page will be shown on the screen after you submit your tender successfully.  

For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Submit Tender or No Offer”. You should allow sufficient time for complete data transmission before the tender closing time when submitting the tenders via e-TS(NW).  To ensure successful submission, you are advised to submit the tenders as early as possible, in particular to avoid hasty submission within an hour before the tender closing time.  Please note that late submission or any file(s) of a submitted tender not meeting the submission conditions [i.e. the files should be (i) free of computer virus; (ii) not embedded of any macros; (iii) able to be opened and printable; (iv) not password protected; (v) submitted in pre-defined sequence/category; and (vi) provided with meaningful filenames] will not be considered further. 

26. How can I submit no offer?

You are not required to have a recognised digital certificate or AAM in order to submit no offer.  You can follow the steps below to submit no offer before the tender closing time:

1. Please visit the website of e-TS(NW) and follow the steps shown in Question 8 to register for an account and login to e-TS(NW). 
   
2. Click “Tender Notice” -> “Non-works Tenders” on the menu bar and a list of tender notices of non-works tenders will be shown.
3. Click on the relevant tender notice to view the tender information.  On the tender notice page, click the button “Submit No Offer” in the top right-hand corner and proceed to read and accept the terms and conditions of e-TS(NW).
4. Indicate the reason for not submitting an offer and click the button “Submit”; and
5. An acknowledgement page will be shown on the screen after you submit no offer successfully.

For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Submit Tender or No Offer”. 

27. How can I submit a revised tender?

You can submit a tender again at any time before the tender closing time.  Please refer to Questions 24 & 25 for details on how to submit a tender using AAM or digital certificate respectively.

28. How can I withdraw a tender submitted via e-TS(NW)?

Any submitted tender cannot be withdrawn from e-TS(NW). You may contact the relevant Procuring Bureaux/Departments for advice.

29. Can I use the same e-TS(NW) account to submit tenders for different companies?

No. Each e-TS(NW) account can only link with one company.  You have to use different email address to register for account for each company and then use the corresponding account to submit tenders.

30. What are the file formats accepted by e-TS(NW)?

The file formats accepted by e-TS(NW) for tender submission are listed below:

1. Adobe Acrobat (.pdf)
2. Microsoft Office documents (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
   
3. Rich Text Format (.rtf)
4. HTML (.htm, .html)
5. ASCII files (.txt)
6. JPEG format (.jpg, .jpeg)
7. GIF files (.gif)
8. TIFF files (.tif, .tiff)
9. PNG files (.png)
10. Encapsulated PostScript format (.eps, .epsf)
11. OpenDocument format (.odt, .odp, .ods)
12. All of the above in compressed format (.zip, .gz, .7z)

31. If any files attached to the tender that I submitted contain virus, will e-TS(NW) remove the virus or inform me to submit a virus-free file again?

e-TS(NW) would neither remove the virus nor inform you to submit a virus-free file again.  If a file is found to be contaminated with virus, the file will not be considered further.

32. Will the submitted files be accessible to others during transmission through e-TS(NW)?

e-TS(NW) complies with the standing and established security guidelines and authentication framework for Government IT systems. Transmission and storage of tender submission files are encrypted, protected and controlled according to the prescribed guidelines and procedures. All tender files received by e-TS(NW) will only be decrypted and opened after the tender closing time.

33. What is Alternative Authentication Method (“AAM”)?

AAM is an alternative secure mean in lieu of a recognised digital certificate for suppliers to submit tenders for non-works tenders via e-TS(NW).  Once you have activated the AAM, whenever you submit a tender using the AAM function, a unique PIN consisting of 8 characters will be generated and sent to your company email address upon your request during each tender submission.   You can then input the generated PIN into e-TS(NW) to complete the tender submission.  

The PIN is not transferable or assignable to any other person. The Government shall not be responsible for any loss or damage whatsoever arising out of or in connection with the use of AAM and PIN.

34. How can I activate AAM?

Please follow the steps below to activate the AAM function for submission of tenders for non-works tenders:

1. Please visit the website of e-TS(NW) and follow the steps shown in Question 8 to register for an account and login to e-TS(NW). 
   
2. After logging in, click the button “Activate AAM” shown in the top right-hand corner of the screen of e-TS(NW).
3. A password will be shown on the screen of e-TS(NW) shortly and a ZIP file which contains the activation PIN will be sent to your email address simultaneously.  You can then use the password to open the ZIP file sent to your email and obtain the activation PIN to activate the AAM function.

The use of AAM is free of charge and you only have to activate the AAM function once for your account for subsequent tender submissions for all Procuring Bureaux/Departments.  For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Activate Alternative Authentication Method (AAM)”.

35. What should I do if I cannot receive the activation PIN during the activation of AAM?

e-TS(NW) will send an email with a ZIP file which contains the activation PIN to your email address. Your email service provider may have classified emails sent from e-TS(NW) as spam or your corporate email gateway may have blocked any emails containing ZIP files. Please check if the email has been directed to the junk mail folder of your account mail box or seek advice from your IT Support Team if it is blocked by your corporate email gateway and if configuration on the email gateway can be done for receiving emails from e-TS(NW) (email address: etsadmin@egismail.gov.hk).  On the other hand, if you cannot receive the PIN after the specific time period, you can click the button “Resend PIN” shown at the bottom of the page during activation of AAM.  If the problem persists, please email to info@ets.gov.hk or contact our hotline at (852) 6310 9329.

36. Do I need to activate AAM again for submitting tenders via e-TS(NW) for other tenders issued by (i) the same Procuring Department; and (ii) other Procuring Departments?

You do not need to activate AAM again in both scenarios.  You only have to activate the AAM function once for your account for subsequent tender submissions for all Procuring Bureaux/Departments.

37. I have activated AAM in ETB of GLD before, do I still need to activate AAM again in e-TS(NW)?

As e-TS(NW) and ETB of GLD are different systems, you have to activate AAM separately in e-TS(NW) by following the steps as shown in Question 34 even you have already activated AAM in ETB of GLD.

38. What are the digital certificates accepted by e-TS(NW) for submitting non-works tenders? 

e-TS(NW) only accepts the following three types of organisational digital certificates issued by the recognised certification authorities of Hong Kong. Details of application for digital certificates accepted by e-TS(NW) are available at the following websites:

• e-Cert (Organisational) issued by the Hongkong Post;
• Organisational ID-Cert Class 2 issued by the Digi-Sign Certification Services Limited; or
• Organisational ID-Cert Class 5 issued by the Digi-Sign Certification Services Limited.

Please ensure the validity of your digital certificate and you are required to select the p12 file of your digital certificate in e-TS(NW) during tender submission.  Please note that the certification authority requires time to process your application for a digital certificate.  You are advised to apply for such digital certificate well in advance of the tender closing time if you have not already done so.  If it appears that a digital certificate will not be obtained in time before the tender closing time, you are advised to submit the tender by either AAM Method or paper-based method in accordance with the tender documents.

39. How can I select the p12 file of my digital certificate in e-TS(NW) during tender submission?

If you choose to use digital certificate to authenticate your tender submission, please follow the steps below to select the p12 file of your digital certificate in e-TS(NW) on the page of “authentication”:

1. Insert the USB token provided by the certification authority into a USB port of your computer.
2. Click the button "Choose File" on the screen; and
3. Browse the drive of the USB and choose the file with file extension of ".p12".

After selecting the p12 file, please input the PIN of your digital certificate and follow the instructions shown on the screen to complete the tender submission.

40. What is "iAM Smart"?

"iAM Smart" is a free account that can be used by all Hong Kong Identity Card holders aged 11 or above. It allows users to perform authentication through personal mobile phones and log in for using the online services of different government departments and commercial organizations.

41. How to register for "iAM Smart"?

For details about registration of "iAM Smart", please visit the designated website of “iAM Smart” (https://www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/faq.html).

42. What is the use of "iAM Smart" in e-TS(NW)?

You can log in e-TS(NW) using “iAM Smart” for viewing tender notices and downloading tender documents. Before using “iAM Smart” to log in e-TS(NW), you shall link up your “iAM Smart” account to your e-TS(NW) account.

43. How to link up my “iAM Smart” account with my e-TS(NW) account?

On the login page of e-TS(NW), click the button “Continue with iAM Smart” and following the instructions shown on e-TS(NW) screen to link up the account. Alternatively, after logging in e-TS(NW), please go to the menu bar “Manage Account” and click the button “Account Details”.  On the account details page, please go to the row “Link with iAM Smart” and click “Continue with iAM Smart”. Please follow the instructions shown on e-TS(NW) screen to link up the account.  For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Link up with iAM Smart”.

44. How to log in e-TS(NW) using “iAM Smart”?

Before using “iAM Smart” to log in e-TS(NW), you shall link up your “iAM Smart” account to your e-TS(NW) account.  On the login page of e-TS(NW), click the button “Continue with iAM Smart” and following the instructions shown on e-TS(NW) screen to log in. For detailed procedures, please refer to the user manual “Account Registration and Login”.