KOICA Supports K-Quarantine Companies Entering the International Procurement Market

Support for Emergency Procurement Participation of COVID-19 Healthcare Supplies and Equipment
Lowering Barriers to UN Procurement Market Participation and Hosting Online Briefing on International Procurement Markets

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) announced on the 29th that it plans to support Korean companies wishing to participate in the "Emergency Procurement of COVID-19 Health and Medical Supplies and Equipment," a cooperative project with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), to enter the international procurement market.

As part of the "Development Cooperation Initiative for a Safe World Together (ODA KOREA)" promoted by the Korean government, KOICA signed a cooperation agreement with UNOPS last August and decided to provide $17.69 million worth of quarantine and medical supplies to seven countries and one organization this year (Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

According to the agreement, UNOPS will carry out the emergency procurement of health and medical supplies and equipment for COVID-19 response, such as PCR test kits and ventilators, until October and plans to deliver them to the supported countries and organizations within this year. KOICA is currently accepting letters of intent from Korean companies wishing to participate in this bidding until the 29th and plans to support these companies to enter the UNOPS procurement market.

Specifically, KOICA plans to lower the entry barriers for Korean companies to participate in UN procurement market bidding. Generally, the UN conducts evaluations only for a few companies with long-term contracts during emergency procurement, but with KOICA's support, Korean companies will be able to obtain pre-bidding participation qualifications for this emergency procurement even if they have no prior transaction records with the UN.

Meanwhile, on the 28th, KOICA held an online procurement briefing session in cooperation with UNOPS to enhance Korean companies' understanding of the international procurement market. During this briefing, KOICA introduced the COVID-19 response program, and officials from the UNOPS headquarters and the Thailand regional office directly participated to guide Korean companies on how to participate in the UN procurement market.

Through this support, KOICA hopes that Korean companies will overcome the high initial entry barriers of the UN and international procurement markets and discover new opportunities on the international stage despite the COVID-19 crisis. Although 2,356 Korean companies are registered on the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM), a procurement platform commonly used by all UN agencies, the number of contracts won by Korean companies remains relatively low compared to the market size and the number of registered companies.

Jae-shin Park, Director of KOICA's Asia Headquarters for Business Strategy, said, "There is increasing demand for cooperation in non-face-to-face and medical quarantine areas in the development cooperation sector, including KOICA projects, and now that K-Quarantine is receiving positive evaluations from the international community, Korean companies are facing a golden time to turn the crisis into an opportunity. We hope Korean companies actively participate in the international procurement market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.