Regulatory Streamlining for Item Cataloging, the First Gateway in Public Procurement

The Public Procurement Service announced on December 29 that it has completely revised the regulations on item cataloging (Public Procurement Service directive), which will take effect from January 1 next year. Item cataloging is the first gateway in public procurement. The amendment focuses on reducing the burden on companies during the item cataloging stage.

The main changes include: transitioning to a mandatory item information management system, reducing the obligation to submit cataloging documents, introducing a fast track for cataloging artificial intelligence (AI) products, rationalizing procedures by systematizing administrative processing periods, clarifying responsible parties, and restructuring the directive with clear and easy-to-understand language.

Starting next year, the item grading system, which assigned grades 1 to 3 based on the amount of attribute information (such as material, size, power consumption) provided, will be abolished. Instead, a "mandatory information management system" will be introduced, allowing approval as long as only the required attribute information for each item name is entered.

The regulation requiring mandatory submission of specific item cataloging documents, such as specifications, will also be removed. Companies will now be able to selectively submit only the documents that support the information they wish to reflect in the catalog. The amendment also allows OEM registration of convergence products and eliminates the requirement for notarized documents when registering imported goods.

The Public Procurement Service will reorganize administrative processing periods according to the nature of the work, reducing the processing period for resubmitting item catalogs by item from the current 8 days to 5 days. In addition, for areas that require policy support, such as artificial intelligence (AI) products, a fast track will be applied to enable cataloging within 5 days.

The predictability of the item cataloging process has also been enhanced by making it mandatory to specifically notify the reasons for supplementation and to inform the applicant when classification is transferred.

Furthermore, under the "Making Laws Easy to Understand" standard, complex sentences have been divided and ambiguous expressions and terms have been clarified, so that even companies encountering the item cataloging regulations for the first time can easily understand the relevant information at a glance.

No Joonghyun, Director of the Public Goods Bureau, said, "The revision of the item cataloging regulations aims to reduce the paperwork burden for companies while increasing the speed and predictability of administrative processing, thereby supporting the entry of innovative and small and medium-sized enterprises into the procurement market. The Public Procurement Service will continue to regularly review and improve the catalog system and catalog information system, and strengthen communication with the field to create a trustworthy public procurement environment for companies."