Kyrgyzstan passes law to improve public procurement

The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, has signed a law that aims to improve public procurement in the country. The law, which was adopted by the Jogorku Kenesh, the Kyrgyz parliament, on June 29, 2023, aims to simplify public procurement procedures and eliminate corruption, Turanews.kz reports.

The law amends 13 laws of the Kyrgyz Republic, including the Law on Public Procurement and the Law on State Purchases. Key provisions of the law include:

• Simplification of public procurement procedures: The law eliminates the need for tenders for certain types of procurement, such as small-value purchases and procurements that are urgent or necessary to meet public needs. The law also shortens the time period for procurement procedures.
• Elimination of corruption: The law establishes new rules for the evaluation of bids and for the selection of contractors. The law also prohibits the use of intermediaries in public procurement.
• Strengthening of oversight: The law establishes a new system for oversight of public procurement. The law requires procuring entities to create procurement committees and to report on their procurement activities. The law also gives the authorized state body for public procurement the power to conduct investigations into allegations of corruption in public procurement.

The law is a significant step forward for Kyrgyzstan in its efforts to improve public procurement. The law is expected to reduce corruption and to make it easier for procuring entities to meet the needs of the state and the population.

In addition to the above, the law also provides for the following:

• Expansion of the cases of application of the method from one source: The law expands the cases in which procuring entities can use the method of direct procurement from one source. This method can now be used for procurements that are worth less than 5 million soms (about US$60,000).
• Provision of written explanations on requests for the application of legislation in the field of public procurement: The law provides for the authorized state body for public procurement to provide written explanations on requests for the application of legislation in the field of public procurement. This will help to clarify the law and to ensure that it is applied consistently.

The law is a comprehensive attempt to improve public procurement in Kyrgyzstan. It is expected to have a positive impact on the efficiency and transparency of public procurement in the country.