Disclosure of New Technology and Patent Construction Method Selection Process in Local Government-Commissioned Projects

Establishing Construction Method Selection Committee to Ensure Evaluation Transparency ... Eradicating Preferential Treatment of Contracts

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] From now on, when local governments select new technologies and patented construction methods for public works projects, external experts will participate, and the evaluation criteria, methods, and scores will be disclosed.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 29th that it will revise the "Standards for Local Government Bidding and Contract Execution," which includes improvements to the selection procedures for new technologies and patented construction methods, to expand opportunities for excellent companies to participate in projects ordered by local governments. The revised standards will take effect from April 1 next year.

Accordingly, local governments must disclose information about the bidding schedule, details, and evaluation methods related to the selection of new technologies and patented construction methods on their websites and the Korea ON-line E-Procurement System (KONEPS) for at least seven days. Previously, most local governments selected construction methods based on undisclosed internal evaluation criteria, but from now on, the announcement must include necessary information such as evaluation items and methods for proposals related to the selection of new technologies and patented construction methods.

The revised standards also require local governments to form a "Construction Method Selection Committee" composed of experts to ensure that the application of new technologies and patented construction methods and the evaluation of proposals are conducted fairly and transparently. The committee will consist of 7 to 10 external experts who will advise on the necessity and validity of applying new technologies and patented construction methods, as well as considerations for selecting construction methods.

When selecting proposals, the names of the committee members and the scores for each evaluation item by each member will also be disclosed to ensure transparency in the evaluation process.

Additionally, local governments as ordering parties will be granted sufficient discretion to establish evaluation criteria that consider the purpose and characteristics of the construction object, and the new standards also include provisions for the project department, which accurately understands the construction details and has expertise in construction, to lead the evaluation of new technologies and patented construction methods rather than the contract department.

Park Jae-min, Director of the Local Finance and Economy Office at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "By securing transparency and fairness in the selection process of new technologies and patented construction methods, we expect to lower entry barriers for excellent companies and thereby create safer construction sites."

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