Koo Yun-cheol, deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, announced the measures at an Emergency Economic Headquarters meeting and a National Startup Era Strategy meeting on the 24th.
The plan aims to lower entry barriers and expand participation for non-capital region firms by widening the scope of small negotiated contracts for companies based in depopulating areas.
For firms in those regions, the government will raise the ceiling for single-quote negotiated contracts to 50 million won from 20 million won, matching the treatment given to women-owned, disabled-owned, social enterprises and youth startups. For small negotiated contracts targeting companies in depopulating areas, the Public Procurement Service will act as a purchasing agent even when the amount is under 100 million won.
The government will also revise the two-stage competition structure under the Multiple Award Schedule, or MAS, used for online shopping-mall listings. For products made by companies in depopulating regions, it will raise the threshold amount for two-stage competition, expanding exemptions and improving purchasing convenience. When requesting proposals for two-stage competition, the system’s automatic recommendations through the shopping mall will include two non-capital region companies. In concluding MAS contracts, authorities will give non-capital region firms priority review to speed processing and broaden early participation.
In bid and award evaluations for goods and services, the government will introduce new bonus points favoring local companies and, when conditions are the same, will buy goods from local firms first to expand contract opportunities for non-capital region businesses.
Separately from existing bonus points tied to the location of the ordering agency, the government will create new bid preferences for non-capital region companies, focusing on depopulating areas. It will add preferential items for non-capital region firms to credibility bonus points used in qualification reviews for goods and services and in MAS contracting.
When bids are tied or performance-capability reviews produce the same results, the revised standards will give priority awards to companies in depopulating regions and other non-capital region firms. In MAS two-stage competition, companies in depopulating regions and other non-capital region firms will be selected ahead of lower-priced bidders.
The government also plans to strengthen support for domestic and overseas sales channels for non-capital region firms. Working with local governments, it will focus on identifying innovative local products and will include outstanding products from depopulating-region companies among those eligible for extended designation periods.
It will provide tailored consulting, especially for early-stage non-capital region companies, and expand participation by holding regional editions of innovative product exhibitions previously held in the capital area.
Companies designated as promising firms for entry into overseas procurement markets under the G-PASS program will receive bonus points. If selected for support programs, their priority allocation share will rise to 60% from 50%.
The government plans to revise the Enforcement Decree of the National Contract Act and the Public Procurement Service’s instructions and guidelines within the second half of this year. A ministry official said the government will build a legal framework to support a major shift toward a “local era” and prepare bold preferential policies for non-capital region firms, adding that it will gather sufficient opinions and conduct deliberations to finalize detailed implementation plans and move them into legislation and制度ization.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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