Ministry of the Interior and Safety Nationwide Local Government Evaluation
Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon) was selected as an exemplary case in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s (hereinafter referred to as MOIS) “2023 3rd Quarter Improvement of Shadow and Behavioral Regulations through Proactive Administration” evaluation for breaking the conventional practice of selecting subcontractors for household waste collection and transportation.
MOIS selects outstanding cases quarterly each year from local governments nationwide that contribute to ▲resolving difficulties faced by businesses and residents ▲revitalizing the local economy ▲improving residents’ quality of life. In the 3rd quarter of this year, 717 cases were submitted from local governments across the country, and 8 cases with high necessity for sharing and spreading to other local governments were selected as exemplary cases.
Among them, Gangseo-gu’s case titled “Budget Savings by Removing Business Area Restrictions on Household Waste Collection and Transportation Subcontractors” was selected. By introducing a competitive system to the entrenched monopolistic position of household waste collection and transportation subcontractors that had continued for decades, it was recognized as an exemplary case in the field of “simplification and efficiency of administrative procedures,” considering the budget savings effect and ripple effects on other local governments nationwide.
Although the district deleted the clause restricting business areas to the respective autonomous district through amendments to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Waste Management Ordinance, the habitual selection of subcontractors located within the jurisdictional area by each district resulted in concerns about the increase in subcontracting project costs and the damage to a healthy competitive system caused by the long-term monopolistic position of subcontractors.
Accordingly, in May, through consultations among autonomous districts (District Mayors’ Council), an agreement was reached to delete the “restrictions on the location of the company and business area within bidder qualification conditions” in the service bid announcement.
In addition, in June, the district proposed to the Ministry of Environment to expand the business area to a metropolitan unit through amendments to the Enforcement Rules of the Waste Management Act. As a result, it was recognized for contributing to breaking the long-term monopolistic position of subcontractors and reducing the financial burden of subcontracting fees, which had been aggravated by the strengthening of competition in household waste collection and transportation.
The district plans to continue actively identifying cases where unreasonable regulations or practices cause inconvenience to residents or harm the business environment of companies and submit them to MOIS.
Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon said, “Proactive administration to improve residents’ inconvenience and revitalize the local economy is more important than ever,” and added, “We will do our best to eliminate outdated practices and create results that residents can feel in their daily lives.”
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