Strengths of 'K-procurement' system shared with diplomats from 13 Asia-Pacific countries

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Finance

Wed, November 29, 2023 | 04:13

Companies

Strengths of 'K-procurement' system shared with diplomats from 13 Asia-Pacific countries

Posted : 2023-09-07 16:46

Updated : 2023-09-08 11:28

Public Procurement Service (PPS) Administrator Kim Yoon-sang delivers a congratulatory message during the Public Procurement Policy Session at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of PPS

Procurement agency to further strengthen international cooperation

By Anna J. Park

The Public Procurement Service (PPS), a government department that oversees and manages the public procurement activities of Korea, has stepped up its efforts to strengthen global cooperation with overseas counterparts, aiming to further promote the excellence of what it calls "K-procurement."

On Thursday, the PPS held the Public Procurement Policy Session for foreign diplomatic corps at the Korea Press Center in Seoul. The event was the first of its kind ever hosted by the PPS. It was organized in order to share the systems and experiences related to the public procurement administrations of each participating country, while strengthening international cooperation in the field.

Altogether, 16 members of the diplomatic corps from 13 Asia-Pacific countries attended the event, including ambassadors of Vietnam, Cambodia and Timor-Leste. The participants showed particular interest in the Korean government's overall public procurement operational system as well as its effective digitalization, which has long been considered a main forte of the Korean procurement system.

In 2002, the PPS first launched the Korea ON-line E-Procurement System (KONEPS), which innovated the entire public procurement process, ranging from bidding and orders to payment, through to complete digitalization. The electronic procurement system has since been benchmarked by major international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Bank.

The U.N. presented the Public Service Award to the PPS in June 2003, in recognition of the procurement system's innovativeness, transparency and efficiency. Furthermore, the U.N. selected KONEPS as the best practice model in the category of e-procurement systems in November 2004. The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) also recognized KONEPS' e-procurement procedure as a global standard.

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From left, Ambassador of Timor-Leste to the Republic of Korea Gregorio de Sousa, Ambassador of Vietnam Nguyen Vu Tung, Public Procurement Service (PPS) Administrator Kim Yoon-sang and Ambassador of Cambodia Chring Botum Rangsay, stand next to one another at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of PPS

During Thursday's event, the PPS gave a briefing on the agency's latest innovative procurement policies focusing on achieving quality and safety management, as well as fair procurement implementation.

"Goods procured without ensuring quality can directly threaten the safety of the people. For procurement of goods related to public safety, such as life protection and health and hygiene, we should systematically and meticulously manage quality in line with the standards of the people," PPS Administrator Kim Yoon-sang said.

He also picked fairness as the top value in public procurement.

"The most important value to prioritize in the public procurement market is the establishment of fair competition. We will actively prevent unfair or illicit acts in the procurement market, and deal severely with violations."

Furthermore, the session unveiled some new features that will be included in the next-generation KONEPS, slated to be launched in 2024, showcasing the Korean digital procurement system's excellence.

Participants also discussed how to intensify international cooperation in the public procurement sector. On top of that, they discussed their views on the roles and contributions that Korea can undertake to strengthen global cooperation in the procurement field.

Kim said cooperation between countries can be an opportunity to share global standards and improve public procurement by comparing the procurement systems, regulations and practices of each country.

"Taking this procurement policy session as an initial step, the PPS plans to continue promoting its globally recognized KONEPS and sharing Korea's advanced procurement policies with various countries," the PPS chief said.

"Starting with this briefing, we plan to exchange and share not only Korea's world-class electronic procurement system but also our advanced procurement system with various countries that acknowledge its excellence."

Public Procurement Service (PPS) Administrator Kim Yoon-sang, front row center, poses for a photo with participants of the Public Procurement Policy Session at the Korea Press Center in downtown Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of PPS

The PPS plans to strengthen cooperation with the international community, expanding official development assistance (ODA), inviting foreign diplomatic corps and dispatching teams to open up the U.N. procurement market.

annajpark@koreatimes.co.kr