PPS finalizes “2026 Overseas Public Procurement Market Entry Support Plan,” expanding the scale and scope of support- Expanding overseas demonstration and export voucher programs and launching new support programs for early-stage companies  - Providing focused support for innovative, technologically excellent and G-PASS enterprises to build an export base  - Supporting market diversification centered on international organizations’ procurement markets and expanding whole-of-government cooperation The Public Procurement Service (Administrator Baek Seung-bo) announced that PPS has finalized the 2026 Overseas Public Procurement Market Entry Support Plan to substantially step up support for SMEs, innovative companies and technologically excellent companies so that they can grow into global enterprises by entering overseas public procurement markets.   The overseas public procurement market, estimated at around KRW 2,700 trillion –approximately 13 times the size of Korea’s domestic public procurement market –is attracting attention as a promising alternative to the saturated domestic market, and the number of suppliers expressing a clear intention to enter this market has been increasing every year. * Number of G？PASS designated companies: 341 in 2016 →1,422 in 2025The new plan not only concentrates support on innovative and technologically excellent suppliers to ensure that they can build a stable export base, but also sets out concrete measures to help them diversify their sales channels and enhance their export competitiveness. The main measures are as follows:   First, PPS will lay the groundwork for suppliers, particularly innovative and technologically excellent companies, to expand their access to overseas public procurement markets.   PPS will expand the scale of its comprehensive support project, a procurement？specialized voucher program tailored to overseas public procurement market entry, and raise the ceiling of support per company and per service type.   * Total budget: KRW 880 million in 2025 →KRW 1.8 billion in 2026 (support ceiling per company: KRW 30 million →40 million; per service: KRW 15 million →20 million)   In line with this, PPS will significantly expand the budget for overseas demonstrations of innovative products to KRW 20 billion in 2026 (from KRW 14 billion in 2025), helping companies secure early overseas performance records and covering costs incurred during demonstration and in the subsequent export process.For companies with excellent technology, PPS will actively promote their technological and quality strengths through various channels, including the K？Procurement platform, and will support their entry into overseas public procurement markets by offering advantages such as additional points when they participate in export support programs.   Second, PPS will build the foundation for G-PASS enterprises to strengthen their export competitiveness and grow into global enterprises.   PPS will newly establish an Intensive Support Program for G-PASS Enterprises (tentative title) and provide newly designated G-PASS enterprises (around 200 firms) with a package of support – including capacity？building, marketing and dedicated export partnering services – so that they can quickly build an export base.   PPS will also link early export support vouchers, in？service training courses and a two-year Strategic Enterprise Fostering Program along the growth stages of promising procurement suppliers, thereby supporting their growth into global companies.   In addition, PPS will redesign the G-PASS designation and management system with a stronger focus on performance. Export capabilities, efforts and outcomes will be reflected more comprehensively in grading and re-designation reviews to enhance differentiation, and the incentive scheme for designated companies will be improved so that export efforts and performance are more centrally rewarded.     Third, PPS will enhance strategic support by industry and by market, while improving the quality of its support program operations.   Building on its existing network with international organizations and its whole？of？government cooperation platform, PPS will provide concentrated support for Korean suppliers seeking to enter the procurement markets of international organizations such as the United Nations and multilateral development banks (MDBs).   By expanding cooperation with sector-specific expert institutions such as the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), PPS will jointly identify promising companies and more effectively assist exporters by linking PPS programs with those of partner organizations.   PPS will also increase the scale of export consultation events and related support activities, while providing more comprehensive information on overseas public procurement markets. At the same time, it will streamline its support system by curbing overlapping and repetitive programs and reinforcing tailored, on-the-ground support.   Kang Sung？min, Vice Administrator of PPS, stated, “Overseas public procurement markets offer high potential, with a wide variety of country？specific demand being created, and interest from Korean procurement suppliers continues to grow.” He added, “PPS will continue to provide broad？based, end-to-end support so that suppliers with outstanding technological capabilities can look beyond the domestic market, seize new opportunities abroad and translate them into tangible results on the global stage.”

PPS-KOTRA join forces to help SMEs enter global public procurement markets- The two agencies co-host a briefing session on support programs for global procurement markets - The procurement attaché in China and an officer seconded to the International Trade Centre(ITC) share practical insights on participating in global procurement markets. On 14 January, PPS held a briefing session on support programs for Korean suppliers seeking to enter global procurement markets at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel, inviting procurement attachés and around 60 domestic suppliers.   The briefing session, held as a follow-up to the 2025 Global Public Procurement Market (GPPM) event, was designed to encourage domestic suppliers to enter global public procurement markets and to share detailed information on related support programs.   PPS presented its key support schemes, including the G-PASS (Government Performance ASSured) designation program, a tailored comprehensive support program providing up to KRW 40 million per company, and an intensive support program for newly designated G-PASS companies, and outlined the main features, application procedures and recruitment schedule for each project.   In addition, PPS invited the procurement attaché in Beijing and a procurement officer seconded to the International Trade Centre (ITC), who provided briefings on China’s public procurement system and shared practical know-how on using the ITC Procurement Map to gather overseas bidding information.   KOTRA also took part in the briefing, presenting key programs essential for overseas expansion—such as the Export Voucher Program, the Overseas Branch Office Program and logistics support schemes—and explaining how to apply, thereby providing strong backing for procurement companies seeking to enter global public procurement markets.   Director General Lee Hyong-sik of PPS stated, “Uncertainty in the global trade environment is expected to persist this year, making proactive support for businesses more essential than ever. PPS will actively support Korean suppliers in diversifying their export markets by helping them enter public procurement markets of foreign governments and international organizations, and will continue to work closely with specialized agencies such as KOTRA to address the difficulties they face when venturing overseas.”