# NUPCO Tender Radar — Saudi Health Procurement with Item Lists (`dottti/nupco-tenders`) Actor

Tenders and direct purchases from NUPCO, the Saudi national unified procurement company for health. Deadlines, fees in SAR, document links, and every line of the XLSX item sheet: item code, description, unit, quantity and delivery warehouse.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dottti/nupco-tenders.md
- **Developed by:** [Dottti](https://apify.com/dottti) (community)
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 tender delivereds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## NUPCO Tender Radar — Saudi Health Procurement with Item Lists

Get the open tenders and direct purchases of [NUPCO](https://www.nupco.com) as clean JSON, CSV or Excel. NUPCO is the national unified procurement company for health in Saudi Arabia. It buys medicines, medical supplies and devices for the Ministry of Health and other government health sectors.

Each record carries the tender ID, title, type, status, sale start, bid deadline, opening date, days left, the participation fee in SAR, and links to the tender page, item sheet and terms. When the item sheet is an Excel file, the Actor reads it for you. You get every line: item code, description, unit, quantity and the delivery warehouse.

### Who uses this

- **Medical suppliers and distributors** check every morning which NUPCO purchases include their item codes.
- **Pharma sales teams** search item descriptions for their molecules, for example `PACLITAXEL` or `FILGRASTIM`.
- **Bid teams** see the deadline, the fee and the delivery warehouses before they open the sheet.

For tenders from all other Saudi government agencies, see [Etimad Tender Radar](https://apify.com/dottti/etimad-tender-radar).

### Daily alert in 3 steps

1. Enter your keywords, for example `syringe`, `catheter` or `مستلزمات`. Keep **Include item lists** on so keywords are also matched against item descriptions.
2. Click **Save as a new task**, then add a daily schedule, for example 07:00 Riyadh time.
3. Connect the task to email, Slack or Google Sheets from the **Integrations** tab. New tenders then arrive every morning.

NUPCO direct purchases often close within 1 to 7 days of publication. A daily schedule catches them in time.

### Output

One record per tender. This record comes from a local run on 20 October 2026; the `items` array is cut to 2 of its 75 rows, and the `documents`, `statuses` and empty fields are left out here.

```json
{
  "tenderId": "NDP0941/26",
  "tenderIdRaw": "NDP0941/26",
  "title": "تأمين مستلزمات طبية",
  "titleAr": "تأمين مستلزمات طبية",
  "titleEn": null,
  "titleRaw": "تأمين مستلزمات طبية",
  "tenderType": "direct-purchase",
  "tenderTypeAr": "الشراء المباشر",
  "tenderTypeEn": "Direct purchase",
  "status": "direct-purchase",
  "statusEn": "Direct purchase",
  "statusAr": "الشراء المباشر",
  "saleStart": "2026-10-20",
  "saleStartRaw": "الثلاثاء, 20/10/2026",
  "bidDeadline": "2026-10-26",
  "bidDeadlineRaw": "الأثنين, 26/10/2026",
  "openingDate": "2026-10-26",
  "openingDateRaw": "الأثنين, 26/10/2026",
  "daysLeft": 6,
  "isOpen": true,
  "fee": null,
  "feeCurrency": null,
  "url": "https://www.nupco.com/tender/%d8%aa%d8%a3%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%86-%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%84%d8%b2%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b7%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a9-5/",
  "itemSheetUrl": "https://www.nupco.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/NDP0941-26.xlsx",
  "itemSheetFormat": "xlsx",
  "termsUrl": "https://www.nupco.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/NDP0941-26-Terms-Conditions.pdf",
  "purchaseUrl": "https://tenders.nupco.com/redirect/redirect.jsp?url=https://srm.nupco.com/sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/zsrm_sadad_supplier_app?tenderid=NDP0941/26",
  "items": [
    {
      "lineNumber": 1,
      "itemCode": "4016150002200",
      "description": "FILTER MILLEX-GS SYRINGE UNIT 0.22 µM",
      "unit": "EA",
      "quantity": 200,
      "deliveryLocation": "مستودع جدة - وزارة الصحة; مستودع نوبكو المدينة - الصحة",
      "deliveries": [
        { "plant": "W2C1", "address": "مستودع جدة - وزارة الصحة", "quantity": 100 },
        { "plant": "W2C2", "address": "مستودع نوبكو المدينة - الصحة", "quantity": 100 }
      ],
      "rfxNumber": "3000036023"
    },
    {
      "lineNumber": 2,
      "itemCode": "4110292500000",
      "description": "PEN MARKER PERMANENT LABORATORY USE",
      "unit": "PC",
      "quantity": 2000,
      "deliveryLocation": "مستودع الرياض - وزارة الصحة",
      "deliveries": [
        { "plant": "C2C1", "address": "مستودع الرياض - وزارة الصحة", "quantity": 2000 }
      ],
      "rfxNumber": "3000036023"
    }
  ],
  "itemCount": 75,
  "keywordMatchedIn": ["title", "items"],
  "matchedItemCount": 1
}
```

Notes on the fields:

- **Dates.** NUPCO publishes dates only, with no time of day. `bidDeadline` is the date in ISO form (`YYYY-MM-DD`). `bidDeadlineRaw` keeps the text exactly as the site shows it.
- **daysLeft** counts whole days from today's date in Riyadh. `0` means the deadline is today.
- **isOpen** is `true` when the deadline is today or later and the status is not under evaluation, results or cancelled.
- **fee** is the participation fee (سعر الاشتراك في المنافسة) in Saudi riyals, with `feeCurrency: "SAR"`. Most direct purchases show no fee, so the field is `null`. Some pages show a placeholder such as `-2`; that value stays in `feeRaw` and `fee` stays `null`.
- **tenderId** uses one spelling. The site writes the same ID as `NDP0940-26` or `NDP0941/26`; the Actor returns `NDP0940/26`. `tenderIdRaw` keeps the original.
- **deliveries** lists the per-warehouse split when the sheet has one. `deliveryLocation` joins the warehouse names.
- **Closed tenders** (with **Only open** off) carry `preliminaryResultUrl` and `finalResultUrl` when NUPCO has published result announcements. Those are PDF files and are linked as they are.

### Input

| Field | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `keywords` | Words matched against title and tender ID, and against item descriptions and item codes when item lists are on. Arabic is normalised first: alef and hamza forms, ة/ه, ى/ي and Persian ی/ک all match. English ignores case. |
| `matchMode` | `any` (default) or `all`. |
| `onlyOpen` | Keep only tenders still open for bids. On by default. |
| `includeItems` | Download and read each XLSX item sheet. On by default. |
| `maxItems` | Hard cap on delivered tenders. Default 50. |
| `requestDelayMs`, `maxRetries` | Pacing and retries. The defaults suit nupco.com. |

#### Example: syringes and catheters in open tenders

```json
{
  "keywords": ["syringe", "catheter"],
  "onlyOpen": true,
  "includeItems": true,
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

#### Example: closed tenders with result announcements, no item rows

```json
{
  "onlyOpen": false,
  "includeItems": false,
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

- Tender: $0.01 each ($10 per 1,000)
- Item row: $0.002 each ($2 per 1,000)

You pay for each tender stored in your dataset. When **Include item lists** is on, you also pay for each item row read from the sheet. Item lists vary a lot in size. On 20 October 2026 the open sheets held between 1 and 359 rows, 808 rows across 16 sheets. Turn item lists off for a tender-only feed. `maxItems` and the run's maximum cost cap the spend. If the cost cap cannot cover a full sheet, the record keeps the rows the budget covers and sets `itemsTruncatedByBudget: true`.

### How it works

- The Actor reads the public tender list on nupco.com page by page. Each page holds 24 tenders. It stops at the first short or empty page.
- For each tender that passes the filters, it reads the tender page for sale start, fee and document links.
- It then downloads the item sheet when it is an XLSX file. Requests are spaced out, and 429 and 5xx answers are retried with exponential backoff.

### Notes and limits

- **Volume.** On 20 October 2026 the list held 118 tenders on 5 pages, and 20 of them were open. The last page had 22 cards and page 6 was empty, so the 5 pages were the whole list. Expect tens of open tenders on a given day.
- **Older tenders.** The site's sitemap names about 216 tender pages, while the list shows 118. Tenders that have dropped off the list are not returned.
- **PDF item lists.** Formal tenders (IDs starting `NPT`) publish their item list as a PDF. The Actor links it in `itemSheetUrl` and sets `itemsNote`, and `items` stays `null`. Only XLSX sheets are read, and so only those are charged as item rows.
- **Sheet layouts.** Direct purchases (IDs starting `NDP`) use several column layouts. All layouts seen on 20 October 2026 are handled. A new layout returns `itemCount: 0` with a note in `itemsNote` and costs nothing for items.
- **Winners.** The closed tender pages checked on 20 October 2026 show no winners in the page text. Result announcements are PDF files, and some closed tender pages are password-protected (`detailProtected: true`).
- **No times.** Deadlines carry a date only. Check the terms PDF for the closing hour.
- **Public data only.** No login, no credentials and no personal data. Buying a tender booklet and submitting offers happen on NUPCO's own platforms, linked in `purchaseUrl`.

### Development

```bash
npm install
npm test                 # parser tests against pages and sheets saved from nupco.com
apify run --purge        # local run, reads storage/key_value_stores/default/INPUT.json
```

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Words matched against the tender title and ID. When item lists are on, they are also matched against every item description and item code. Arabic is normalised first, so alef/hamza, ة/ه, ى/ي and Persian ی/ک spellings all match. English is case-insensitive. Leave empty to return every tender the other filters allow.

## `matchMode` (type: `string`):

any: keep a tender when at least one keyword matches. all: keep it only when every keyword matches somewhere in the title or items.

## `onlyOpen` (type: `boolean`):

Keep tenders whose bid deadline is today or later (Riyadh date) and whose status is not under evaluation, results or cancelled. Turn off to also get closed tenders with their result announcement links.

## `includeItems` (type: `boolean`):

Download and parse each tender's XLSX item sheet into items (item code, description, unit, quantity, delivery warehouse). Each parsed row is billed as an item-row event. Item lists published as PDF are linked but not parsed.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on delivered tenders. You are charged per tender and per parsed item row, so this is also your cost cap.

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Pause before each request to nupco.com. Three tender pages are fetched in parallel.

## `maxRetries` (type: `integer`):

Retries with exponential backoff when nupco.com answers 429 or 5xx, or the connection fails.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "syringe",
    "مستلزمات"
  ],
  "matchMode": "any",
  "onlyOpen": true,
  "includeItems": true,
  "maxItems": 10,
  "requestDelayMs": 500,
  "maxRetries": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `tenders` (type: `string`):

Matching tenders: ID, title, type, status, sale start, bid deadline, opening date, days left, participation fee in SAR, tender page, item sheet and terms links, and the item rows (code, description, unit, quantity, delivery warehouse).

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "syringe",
        "مستلزمات"
    ],
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dottti/nupco-tenders").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "keywords": [
        "syringe",
        "مستلزمات",
    ],
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dottti/nupco-tenders").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "syringe",
    "مستلزمات"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call dottti/nupco-tenders --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,dottti/nupco-tenders"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/JIVbOmONfCSQ2wSdU/builds/K29fjynqbsGub5oc7/openapi.json