DAEJEON — Public Procurement Service Commissioner Baek Seung-bo said on the 8th that the agency will seek procurement policies that companies can feel on the ground, pledging to support what he called the real growth of small but strong technology developers. He spoke at a meeting with the heads of 16 companies that make excellent and innovative products, held at the offices of the Korea Association of Government Procurement Technology Advancement in Seoul.
Participants called for improvements to the direct production verification system for excellent products, wider entry opportunities for artificial intelligence products into the excellent product category, stronger post-designation management of innovative products, and a longer window to apply for extensions of innovative product designations.
Lee Hyung-gak, chairman of the association, asked the agency to expand institutional support so that excellent and innovative companies can grow steadily in a better environment, urging it to press ahead with rule changes that reflect views from the field and with efforts to widen sales channels.
Baek said excellent and innovative products that combine technological capability with quality are a core driver that leads innovation in the public procurement market and raises competitiveness.
The agency plans to create an AI technology category in its screening for excellent product designation, a step intended to spur the AI industry in the public procurement market. It will also revise the direct production system so that applicants comply with a manufacturing process chart, centered on the production process tied to the core technology they present, from the application stage through post-designation management.
The agency will also extend the application window for innovative product designation extensions to 60 days from the current 30 days to prevent companies from missing the deadline, and will remove proposal items that may appear duplicative to ease the burden on applicants and help them present their cases smoothly.
