Public Procurement Service Expands Participation of 'Sinjin Architects' in Architectural Design Competitions

Opportunities for emerging architects to participate in public sector architectural design competitions are expanding.

On the 31st, the Public Procurement Service announced that starting next month, only emerging architects will be allowed to participate in design competitions with design fees under 300 million KRW through a 'restricted competition' method.

The restricted competition became possible through the revision of the 'Public Procurement Service Architectural Design Competition Operation Standards.' The revised standards define emerging architects as operators of architectural offices aged 45 or younger and include a procedure for prior consultation between the demand agency and the Public Procurement Service to prioritize the application of restricted competitions for emerging architects.

In particular, during restricted competitions, the proposal submission has been simplified from 10 pages to 4 pages, and the submission timing of the joint supply agreement has been adjusted from 'before proposal submission' to 'after the selection of the winning entry,' thereby reducing the costs and procedural burdens of participating in the bidding.

Through this, the Public Procurement Service expects that demand agencies will be able to shorten project schedules with simplified procedures and reflect the creative designs of emerging architects.

Lim Byung-cheol, Director of the Technical Services Bureau, stated, “The revision of the operation standards is significant in that it lowers the barriers to public procurement projects and expands participation opportunities for emerging architects.” He added, “We hope that this will lead to the incorporation of fresh and sophisticated designs by emerging architects in public buildings, enhancing the value of the architecture.”