Learning from K-Procurement;Mongolian Members of Parliament Delegation visits PPS.- PPS Administrator, LIM Kikeun, discussed public procurement cooperation with Mongolian Parliament Members and Representatives from Ministry of Finance and State Procurement Agency- PPS shares ‘Next-Generation KONEPS’ and ‘Strategic Procurement Initiatives’PPS Administrator, LIM Kikeun, met with a high-level Mongolian delegation on March to share public procurement experiences and discuss future cooperation. The Mongolian delegation consisted of 15 high-level officials, including Bayarbaatar, Member of the Parliament, and representatives from Ministry of Finance and the State Procurement Agency. They visited PPS to exchange insights on procurement policies and study Korea’s experience in operating KONEPS, Korean ON-line E-Procurement System. The Mongolian government and PPS have continuously cooperated to advance Mongolia’s public procurement. In 2012, Mongolia established ‘KONEPS’ through an ODA project and a recent study is underway to assess current status of e-procurement operation in Mongolia as part of an effort to review follow-up projects. The government of Mongolia enacted the Public Procurement Law in 2000 and established the State Procurement Agency in 2012 to develop the country’s public procurement system. Recently, Mongolia has been pursuing revisions to the Public Procurement Law to facilitate large-scale projects and enhance transparency in procurement. PPS Administrator, LIM Kikeun, introduced the two key catchphrases, “A Friend of SMEs, Ventures and Innovative Enterprises”, and “Back to the basic”, which are strategies spearheaded by PPS. He also highlighted the excellence of “K-Procuremet” to the members of the Mongolian Parliament, showcasing major procurement policies such as “Next-Generation KONEPS” and the “Enactment of the Public Procurement Act” - the two core procurement infrastructures designed to prepare for the future. PPS Administrator stated “Sharing Korea’s public procurement policies with Mongolian high-ranking officials will serve as a valuable opportunity to further enhance bilateral procurement cooperation. We will actively cooperate to ensure that Korea’s advanced procurement experience contributes to procurement innovation in Mongolia, including the revision of its Public Procurement Law.”The Administrator added, “PPS Korea will continue to strengthen cooperation with Mongolia so that its government can take advantage of Korea’s excellent procurement infrastructure.”

PPS is launching “Public Procurement Regulatory Reset”, a comprehensive review of procurement regulations- ①Comprehensive review of 760 regulations and guidelines②Full-scale reassessment and Zero-based overhaul of procurement systemsuch as MAS and the Excellent Product ③Identification and incorporation of on-site demands from businesses,industry associations and suppliers through all available channels - Operation of the Regulatory Reset Task Force and evaluation by the Public-Private Regulatory Committee to assess the necessity of regulatory retentions from a perspective of suppliersThe Public Procurement Service (PPS) conducts “Public Procurement Regulatory Reset“, a comprehensive of 760 regulations, guidelines and major procurement systems such as Mauliple Award Schedule (MAS), Excellent Product and Innovative Product. Last year, PPS identified and improved 102 regulations, including reducing the scope of stamp tax obligations, by streamlining “killer regulations”. Through these efforts, PPS alleviated an estimated 98 billion KRW in annual financial burdens for suppliers. Building on this, PPS plans to implement comprehensive regulatory reset of reviewing all procurement-related regulations and guidelines, encompassing approximately 16,600 provisions. While previous regulatory improvements focused on incorporating feedback from the field, public procurement regulatory reset introduces a new approach that PPS takes the lead in a full-scale reassessment and overhaul of procurement regulations.“Public procurement Regulatory Reset” is implemented through three key approaches : ① A comprehensive survey of approximately 760 regulations and guidelines (16,600 provisions) ② A full-scale review of major systems ③ A demand survey for regulatory improvement, incorporating feedback from businesses, industry associations, and suppliers through roundtables and briefings. Additionally, PPS announced that it has launched a dedicated Regulatory Reset Task Force on March 12, comprising Director General for Planning and Coordination and directors of divisions. The Regulatory Reset Task Force will conduct a full-scale review of 760 regulations, starting with core regulations - including the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), Excellent Product, Innovative Product, IT contracts and construction contracts – as well as general regulations and guidelines to evaluate validity and appropriateness. The Public-Private Regulatory Innovation Committee, chaired by PPS Administrator and composed of suppliers and experts, conducts the final review on whether regulations should be retained or not. If PPS fails to justify the necessity of regulations, it will be either relaxed or abolished, ensuring demand-driven regulatory reforms. Furthermore, regulations deemed necessary for retention will also be subject to periodic review under a continuous regulatory reset mechanism. The detailed implementation plan for the “Public Procurement Regulatory Reset” is as follows:  ① Identifying regulations embedded in core and general regulations, as well as guidelines, through a comprehensive survey.PPS will categorize 760 regulations (approximately 16,600 provisions) at the provision level and identify hidden regulatory constraints within individual provisions.  ② The Task Force will conduct in-depth reviews on the necessity of retaining regulations from the perspective of suppliers For core regulations, external experts will be involved from the initial review stage. Meanwhile, the final decision on regulatory retention will be made by the Public-Private Regulatory Innovation Committee, which includes 10 external committee members, further reinforcing the validity. ③ A dedicated Task Force for incorporating on-site feedback will be established to actively accept supplier needsRegulatory improvement demands will be proactively identified from suppliers through various channels, including on-site visits, roundtable discussions with businesses and associations and citizen suggestions. ④ A continuous regulatory reset mechanism will be established to ensure periodic review of regulationsEach provision will be assigned a code based on its regulatory characteristics and managed in a data base. Additionally, an internal reassessment timeline will be set to ensure that even regulations that have been decided to remain in place undergo periodic review. PPS Administrator LIM Kikeun stated, “The second season of ‘To become a friend of SMEs, Ventures and Innovative enterprises’  and ‘Back to the Basic’ has now begun in full swing”.He emphasized “As a friend of SMEs, Ventures and Innovative enterprises, PPS will leverage a ”Regulatory Reset“ as a key policy tools to revitalize the economy and reduce burdens on businesses. Moving forward, PPS will eliminate unreasonable regulations and boldly push ahead with future-oriented regulatory reforms that ensure qualitative improvements”.