How Expo 2027 Belgrade buys its works and services became a public debate again on Monday. The Serbian government's Anti-Corruption Council published an analysis of the legal framework behind the exhibition and asked the government and the state company Expo 2027 to publish all available information on procurement. The company replied the same day that it follows Serbian law and that its tenders and contracts are already public.
For contractors, suppliers and event firms bidding for Expo work, the exchange is more than politics. It shows that there are two quite different ways in which Expo-related jobs are being handed out, with different rules and different levels of protection for bidders.
What the Anti-Corruption Council said
The Council stressed that it had not established any case of corruption. Its concern, as reported by Južna Srbija Info on 2 November, is that the legal framework and weak controls could open the door to it and reduce transparency. The main points:
- A special law. The Expo lex specialis allows some procedures, including public procurement and planning and construction, to bypass the regular legal framework. The Council argues that urgency alone does not justify this.
- Weaker bidder protection. According to the Council, the special procurement regime does not give bidders the same legal protection as the regular Public Procurement Law, and some works are carried out under international agreements or direct arrangements.
- Costs. Citing the Fiscal Council, the analysis says Expo and related infrastructure could cost around €3.4 billion in total. Expo director Danilo Jerinić has said the Expo activities will stay within the planned €1.3 billion.
- Use without a permit. Under the special regime, buildings can be put into use without a usage permit, on the basis of a positive report from a technical inspection commission formed by the investor. The Council wants the usage permit restored as a safety check.
Its recommendations include aligning the project with the national anti-corruption strategy for 2024–2028, publishing all procurement data and limiting the special law more precisely in space and time. The same analysis also covers the spatial plan for the National Stadium, which it says has grown from 119 to 813.6 hectares.
The organiser's answer
Expo 2027 d.o.o. said in a statement carried by Tanjug and B92 that it "does not carry out procurement under international agreements". All tenders and signed contracts within its remit are published on the Public Procurement Portal, in a dedicated Expo 2027 section, and it reports on them in press releases.
The company also drew a line around its role: it was set up to prepare and run the exhibition, and building infrastructure and facilities is not part of its job. In other words, the big construction contracts the Council is worried about are not the company's procurements.
Two routes into Expo 2027 Belgrade work
For a Serbian firm, this distinction is practical:
- Expo 2027 d.o.o. tenders cover services and fit-out around the event itself: technical production, finishing works on halls and outdoor zones, logistics, ceremonies and similar. These are published on the Public Procurement Portal, under ordinary Serbian rules. A good example is the tender for the opening and closing ceremonies, published in December 2025, which asked for experience of at least five ceremonies at international mega-events, as N1 reported at the time.
- Construction of the site and infrastructure is handled by other public investors and their main contractors. If the Council is right that part of it runs under international agreements or direct deals, the realistic way in for local firms is subcontracting rather than open bidding.
What contractors should do now
- Check the Portal regularly for the Expo 2027 section, and read the tender documentation for references, staff and guarantee requirements before deciding to bid.
- Know your legal remedies. If a procurement falls under the special regime, ask in writing which rules apply and what complaint options exist before you submit an offer.
- Fit-out crews should ask about handover documents. Since buildings may be used on the basis of an investor's technical commission report, ask your client for a copy of that report and the fire safety documentation before starting work inside a pavilion. Your insurer may ask for it too.
- Expect more scrutiny. Questions about costs and transparency are unlikely to go away before the opening on 15 May 2027. Clean paperwork, clear subcontracts and documented payments will protect your company if a contract is later reviewed.
The government has not yet responded publicly to the Council's recommendations. We will follow up when it does.
Sources
- www.juznasrbija.info
- www.tanjug.rs
- www.b92.net
- n1info.rs
Photo: Anton Lukin / Unsplash licence / source
