The Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers has restricted purchases from a single supplier

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has revised the rules governing public procurement, narrowing the list of cases in which contracting authorities may award contracts without a competitive bidding process. The procedure, approved by Resolution No. 489, excludes 10 grounds for using the “single-source” procurement method.

These are subparagraphs 22, 32, 38, 42, 44, 46, 48, 53, 54, and 56 of paragraph 24. These provisions allowed for the procurement of a wide range of services and assets without a tender—from social services and mandatory medical examinations to transactions involving state funds, securities, and property sold at auction.

Removed subparagraphs:

• 22 — services for the storage and transportation of narcotic drugs;
• 32 — services for the management of apartment buildings;
• 38 — purchase of securities and shares in companies;
• 42 — government-commissioned services in education;
• 44 — purchase of information from international agencies;
• 46 — trust management of property;
• 48 — purchase of property at auctions (bankruptcy, tenders, etc.);
• 53 — procurement of precious metals and stones for state funds;
• 54 — mandatory medical examinations of employees;
• 56 — procurement of social services (for persons with disabilities, the elderly, the homeless, etc.).

Thus, the government is effectively narrowing the scope of non-competitive procurement, shifting most procedures into the general framework of electronic auctions.

The “single-source” procurement method is traditionally used in cases where holding a competitive bidding process is difficult or impractical. However, in practice, it has often been criticized for its low level of transparency.

The elimination of a number of grounds means that government agencies will enter into direct contracts less frequently, the share of procurement via the web portal will increase, and businesses’ access to government tenders will expand.

The changes are aligned with plans to implement the “Single Window” system and a unified procurement analytics dashboard. Reducing the number of special cases simplifies the standardization of procedures and their subsequent digitization.