Competition Committee Uncovers Public Procurement Violations Worth 17 Billion Soums

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan has uncovered violations of competition legislation in public procurement procedures totaling over 17 billion soums. The infractions were established by the committee's territorial departments following comprehensive monitoring of procurement processes and reviews of citizen appeals. Enforcement measures have been initiated for all identified facts.

The largest volume of violations was recorded in the Jizzakh region, where the total non-compliant amount exceeded 3 billion soums. These infractions were found in the operations of the Arnasay Water Supply Service, the regional departments of veterinary medicine and agriculture, the Bakhmal district administration, the Zarbdor district beautification department, the Gallyaaral district medical association, the Administration of the Southern Mirzachul Main Canal, and the academic lyceum under the Jizzakh State Pedagogical Institute.

In Tashkent, violations were detected in two procurement processes conducted by Mikrokreditbank JSCB, with a total value of approximately 2.8 billion soums. In the Namangan region, infractions were flagged in a procurement process by the Republican Center for Medical Rehabilitation of Phthisiology and Pulmonology worth nearly 2.5 billion soums. Meanwhile, the Samarkand region accounted for around 2 billion soums in violations across procurements by the Akdarya district branch of the Mahalla Association of Uzbekistan, the Kattakurgan district beautification department, and Samarkand International Airport LLC.

In the Andijan region, non-compliance was established in procurements by the regional children's phthisiology hospital (500 million soums) and the Bustan district medical association (nearly 1.2 billion soums). In the Republic of Karakalpakstan, violations were found in procurements by the Nukus Kurash Masters School under the Ministry of Sports (530 million soums) and the Administration of Pumping Stations and Energy (900 million soums).

The Khorezm region saw infractions across 45 procurements conducted by the Administration of Pumping Stations and Energy under the "Chapkyrgan" Basin Management of Amudarya Irrigation Systems, totaling about 1.3 billion soums, as well as a procurement process by the Urgench district medical association worth nearly 50 million soums.

In the Tashkent region, violations were identified in procurements by a specialized state forestry enterprise for sapling cultivation (380 million soums) and the "Saksonota" state timber production enterprise (over 1.3 billion soums).

Additionally, legal infractions were recorded in several other regions:

• Bukhara region: Two procurements by the Kagan district road operation institution totaling around 260 million soums.
• Ferghana region: 15 procurement processes by the Rishtan district branch of the Mahalla Association of Uzbekistan worth about 300 million soums.
• Navoiy region: A procurement by the Kyzyltepa district medical association valued at 250 million soums.
• Syrdarya region: Two procurements by the regional branch of the State Philharmonic of Uzbekistan worth 430 million soums.

Committee representatives reported that an analysis of the procedures for selecting the best proposals revealed a failure to comply with the requirements of Article 29 of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Competition." According to the department, the state customers engaged in actions that restricted competition or created conditions for its limitation.

Consequently, the Committee's territorial branches have initiated legal cases against the state customers that showed signs of breaching competition laws. Following reviews, statutory enforcement measures were applied to the entities, and mandatory instructions were issued to remedy the violations and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

The Committee emphasized that ensuring legality in the public procurement sector, ensuring the efficient use of budget funds, and maintaining equal competitive conditions for all market participants remain primary focus areas for the agency.