Report Unfair Procurement Practices without Hesitation

The Public Procurement Service(PPS) is making efforts to enhance the reporting of unfair procurement practices by introducing an anonymous reporting center and expanding the scope of reward payments.

□ PPS(Administrator Jong Wook Lee) will provide revamped services from the unfair procurement reporting center starting from the 30th of this month to promote reporting of unfair practices in the public procurement market. The target for reward payments will also be expanded.

□ Initially, the reporting centers on unfair practices, procurement price violations and illegal brokers were operated separately. However, they will now be consolidated into a single channel called the “Unfair Procurement Reporting Center.” This is expected to provide more accessible reporting means for concerned citizens who have submitted their reports as mere complaints due to difficulties in finding the appropriate reporting channel for unfair practices such as violation of origin, preferential pricing, and broker intervention.

○Furthermore, an “anonymous reporting” feature will be established within the integrated reporting center, allowing anyone to report unfair procurement practices without the burden of revealing their identity.

* In the case of anonymous reporting, personal information such as name or phone number will not be required.

○ Additionally, a pilot “power trip” complaint and reporting center will be opened, where complaints can be filed against officials from user entities who impose unfair demands on suppliers. This will provide a channel to address the difficulties faced by suppliers which are on the relatively vulnerable end.

□ In addition, the scope of reward payments will also be expanded.

○ Previously, reward payments were made only when unfair procurement practices were detected through investigation, resulting in disqualification of the reported company from bidding, imposition of fines and recovery of unjust gains.

○ However, from now on, reward payments will also be made to the reporters who contributed to the detection of unfair practices in case the reported company has been subjected to a trading suspension on the KONEPS Shopping Mall.

□ PPS Administrator Jong Wook Lee stated, “PPS will continue to improve the related systems and regulations to ensure that anyone can easily and conveniently report unfair practices in the ppublic procurement market.” He emphasized, “We hope for active public interest and reporting to eradicate unfair practices in the public procurement market and enable suppliers to compete fairly and transparently.”