‘K-Robot’, Entry into Public Procurement Market through Multiple Supplier Contracts

The government will include ‘K-Robot’ in the multiple-award contract (MAS) targets to support entry into the public procurement market and expand sales channels.

The Public Procurement Service plans to include companion (talking) robots and indoor delivery robots in the MAS targets next month. Until now, robots have been supplied to the public market under lump-sum contracts or classified as innovative products.

However, going forward, companion robots and indoor delivery robots will also be able to enter the public procurement market as MAS products (announcements).

By contracting through MAS, demand institutions will be able to purchase companion robots and indoor delivery robots more conveniently through the Korea ON-line E-Procurement System (KONEPS), and the Public Procurement Service expects the demand for robot products to increase in the future.

The companion robots supplied through MAS contracts are life-support robots that mainly provide emotional support and information, serving as talking companions.

As society enters a super-aged phase and the demand for emotional care for the elderly increases, the demand for companion robots to replace professional social welfare personnel is also on the rise. The main demand for companion robots supplied through MAS contracts is expected to come from welfare centers, senior citizen centers, and welfare facilities.

Indoor delivery robots are mobile helper robots that transport objects to destinations within indoor spaces, including serving robots (mainly transporting food) and delivery robots (transporting items other than food).

Indoor delivery robots are expected to be supplied mainly to libraries, medical institutions, post offices, and other places, playing a role in improving the efficiency and productivity of logistics operations.

The Public Procurement Service held meetings with the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement and the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association to reflect various opinions from robot companies in order to promote new MAS contracts for robot products, finalized the purchase specifications, and proceeded with the final MAS announcement.

In the future, the MAS contract targets will be expanded to include multi-purpose robots such as guide robots, quarantine robots, and security and surveillance robots.

Jeon Tae-won, Director of New Growth Procurement Planning, said, “Taking this opportunity to promote MAS contracts for companion robots and indoor delivery robots, we will expand the development of new products in promising future robot fields, and focus on discovering and managing advanced and new growth promising products with high growth potential to promote the spread of new growth product procurement.”