Housing Ministry Invites Foreign Construction Firms to Join Contractor Registry

The Ministry of Construction and Housing has issued a call for foreign construction companies to join Israel’s official contractor registry. Eligible companies will need to commit to residential construction projects amounting to hundreds of thousands of square meters and demonstrate proven international experience in high-rise construction. Registered firms will remain in the database for five years, with an option for extension. This move follows a similar tender published in 2024, which brought ten foreign companies into the program.

By Doron Breitman, Nadlan Center

The Ministry of Construction and Housing announced today (Sunday) a public call for foreign construction companies to apply for inclusion in the registry of approved foreign contractors authorized to build residential buildings in Israel. A foreign company included in the registry will be permitted to construct and manage residential projects in Israel, taking full responsibility for all engineering and execution aspects. Companies must commit to building residential projects totaling hundreds of thousands of square meters during their operation in Israel. The deadline for submitting proposals is October 30, 2025.

Currently, ten foreign companies are listed in the registry, employing around 10,000 foreign workers. According to the Ministry, companies will be registered for a period of five years, with a possible three-year extension, subject to meeting the tender’s criteria. The Ministry will conduct ongoing monitoring to ensure each company fulfills its residential construction commitments in Israel, either independently or in partnership with an Israeli firm.

This new call is a continuation of the July 2024 initiative, incorporating several changes following lessons learned from earlier rounds. Key updates include granting preference to companies with significant experience in residential and high-rise construction, prioritizing firms with broad international building expertise—particularly to encourage participation from leading Western companies—and permitting the recruitment of workers from countries where the company has already completed major projects, not just from its country of origin.

Minister of Construction and Housing Haim Katz stated: “This initiative is designed to ensure continuity, maintain high execution standards, and accelerate the pace of construction. It is another tool in our arsenal to tackle the housing crisis, alongside expanded land tenders and faster project execution, all of which will help shorten timelines and improve building quality in Israel.”

Director General of the Ministry, Yehuda Morgenstern, added: “Publishing this call and widening the circle of participating countries is part of the Ministry’s comprehensive policy to sustain construction levels. This year, we increased quotas of foreign workers and expanded the private recruitment model, which has proven to be a groundbreaking pathway in the industry, already supplying tens of thousands of skilled workers to construction sites.

“At the same time, we advanced regulatory easements that enable companies to operate more efficiently and remove bureaucratic barriers. Together, these steps contributed significantly to the impressive 2024 housing start figures, and I anticipate they will continue to boost both housing starts and completions in the years ahead.”