PPS signs an MOU with the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan

- Shared PPS’s experience in establishing the Next-Generation KONEPS and strengthened bilateral cooperation to expand business opportunities 

The Public Procurement Service (Administrator Lim Kikeun) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan held a bilateral meeting in Tashkent on April 11 (11:00 AM local time) and signed an MOU to promote mutual development in the field of public procurement. 

Administrator Lim’s visit to Uzbekistan is a follow-up to his bilateral meeting with Deputy Minister, Gulnora Raximova, at the ADB High-level Policy Workshop for the Asia-Pacific Region held in Korea in September 2024. 

The MOU outlines the following key areas of cooperation. 

①Information sharing on legal frameworks and public procurement systems, including e-procurement; ②Provision of knowledge and expertise necessary for the establishment and upgrade of e-procurement systems; ③Promotion of businesses participation in public procurement markets. 

Through this agreement, bilateral cooperation is expected to become more tangible. 

Administrator Lim shared PPS’s experience in building the Next-Generation KONEPS, and presented a blueprint for the Uzbekistan’s e-procurement development roadmap. 

Both sides committed to sharing their best practices in procurement administration through knowledge exchange and capacity building efforts. 

Meanwhile, both sides agreed to actively cooperate on a demonstration project of Korean innovative products. PPS is currently carrying out this project worth KRW 14 billion, targeting 29 countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. 

A case in point is that Uzbek Border Guard Forces of the State Security Service launched pilot operations of using multi-purpose lighting broadcasting drone for surveillance of critical infrastructure as well as  disaster and wildfire monitoring, demonstrating the technological competitiveness of korean companies. In line with this, the Korean government will continue to actively support domestic suppliers’ efforts to expand market access abroad.

Administrator Lim stated, “Exports of e-procurement system began in full-earnest this year, following the MOU signed with Kyrgyzstan last year. Building on the momentum of this agreement with Uzbekistan, PPS plans to further expand its public procurement cooperation across Central Asia.” He added “We will work closely with Uzbekistan to establish a new public procurement silk road throughout Central Asia, going forward.”