Oman contractor classification grades are Excellent, First, Second, Third and Fourth. The Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority assigns them through Esnad under Tender Board Decision 104/2022. A contracting grade is earned by meeting the applicable project-experience, employee, technical staff, Omanisation and solvency conditions. Each tender notice names the grades it accepts, so check the notice against your classification before deciding to bid.
Contracting conditions for the five grades
The classification appendices set the following contracting conditions. Experience values are in Omani rials, shown as OMR. Only projects from the last 10 years before the application date count.
| Grade | Project experience | Minimum employees | Technical staff | Minimum Omanisation | CBO solvency certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | One project of at least OMR 3,000,000, or projects totalling OMR 5,000,000 with at least one of OMR 1,000,000 | 24 | 4 | 10% | Required |
| First | One project of at least OMR 500,000, or projects totalling OMR 1,000,000 with at least one of OMR 200,000 | 12 | 3 | 10% | Required |
| Second | One project of at least OMR 200,000, or projects totalling OMR 500,000 with at least two of OMR 50,000 each | 8 | 2 | 5% | Required |
| Third | One project of at least OMR 30,000, or projects totalling OMR 150,000 | 3 | 1 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Fourth | No experience condition listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
These project amounts measure experience for classification. They are not maximum tender values. For Fourth grade, the appendix lists no experience, staffing, Omanisation or solvency conditions; confirm the application requirements on Esnad rather than reading those empty cells as an exemption from registration documents.
Extra conditions to check before applying
The appendices also set conditions beyond the table:
- Experience from a project carried out outside Oman by a foreign partner must be double the value in the table.
- The requested grade must not exceed the company's registration grade with the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- Companies licensed under the Foreign Capital Investment Law can be classified only in Excellent and First grades.
- Adding a contracting sub-field requires the conditions in Appendix 2.
The Chamber grade is a separate grade issued by the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Its criteria are outside this guide; confirm those criteria on the relevant portal. Compare the Chamber grade with the Esnad grade you intend to request.
Under the classification regulation, the same sub-field cannot be registered at more than one grade. Confirm the requirements for your particular sub-field on Esnad before applying to add it.
Supply, services and consultancy
Use the relevant classification appendix for your activity rather than applying the contracting table to every business:
- Supply: Appendix 5 lists no per-grade conditions, while the Chamber grade ceiling applies.
- Services: Excellent requires 3 technical staff and First requires 2, with specified qualifications and experience. Second, Third and Fourth list no extra conditions.
- Consultancy: Appendix 3 sets lead-consultant and technical staff qualifications by grade.
Confirm the detailed qualifications and experience requirements on the portal. This guide does not supply consultancy qualification criteria or substitute contracting requirements for them.
What each grade can bid on
The regulation says the classification certificate allows its holder to compete in government project and procurement tenders. Decision 104/2022 does not set a maximum contract value per grade. The accepted grades are stated in each notice on the public tender list.
In the 1 November 2026 hub snapshot, 726 of 870 open tenders accepted Fourth grade, exactly as many as accepted Excellent grade.
Read the accepted grades in the notice you are considering. The snapshot is context for browsing, while the notice provides the grade requirement for that tender. For requirements this guide does not cover, confirm them on the official portal.
Browse tenders by grade
- Excellent-grade tenders
- First-grade tenders
- Second-grade tenders
- Third-grade tenders
- Fourth-grade tenders
How a grade is assigned
The classification regulation provides the document, decision and payment requirements:
- Prepare a commercial registration valid for at least 60 days, a Chamber membership certificate except for individual professional licence holders, a valid municipal licence, a tax certificate, competent-authority licences if any, and the application fee.
- For contracting experience, provide completion certificates for work completed and handed over. Government-project certificates must be issued by the project consultant and approved by the owning entity.
- Submit the complete application through Esnad. The department decides within 15 working days of a complete application; no decision within that period counts as a refusal.
- Pay the fees within 30 days of the acceptance notice. Otherwise, the application is cancelled automatically.
- The certificate is valid for the requested period of 1 to 5 years. Keep that period in view when planning renewal.
Confirm current submission screens and any requirements not described here on Esnad.
Fees listed on the Esnad page
These are the amounts in Omani rials (OMR) listed on the Esnad registration page. Confirm current amounts on the portal before paying.
| Grade | Application (OMR) | Each extra sub-field (OMR) | 1 year (OMR) | 5 years (OMR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 10 | 5 | 200 | 1,000 |
| First | 10 | 5 | 150 | 750 |
| Second | 10 | 5 | 75 | 375 |
| Third | 5 | Not listed | 50 | 250 |
| Fourth | 5 | Not listed | 50 | 250 |
Multi-year fees are the one-year fee multiplied by the number of years. The extra sub-field amount above is listed for Excellent, First and Second; confirm any amount not shown on the portal.
Renewal, upgrade and downgrade
The regulation permits renewal requests up to 60 days before expiry. The Esnad page asks for renewal one month before expiry. These are different stated timings; confirm the applicable submission timing on the portal when arranging renewal.
A request to move to a higher or lower grade in the same field may be made after 90 days from classification, provided the new grade's conditions are met.
If a company breaches its grade conditions, the regulation gives it 30 days to correct the breach. Otherwise, its grade is lowered or its registration cancelled. Review the conditions relevant to the grade you hold when preparing a change request.
Check your tender match
Start with the tender match check. Use your grade as a starting point, then confirm the accepted grades in the official tender notice.
For wider market context, read the Oman tender market report.
Sources
The sources below were verified on 2 November 2026:
- Tender Board Decision 104/2022 and classification regulation.
- Classification appendices.
- Esnad registration page.
- gov.om: Isnad government tender interface.
- Royal Decree 57/2025 renaming the authority.
- Tender Board public tender list.
OmanPro is independent of the official authorities; the official texts prevail.
