Social enterprises to gain wider access to public procurement in construction sector

Social enterprises will gain expanded access to the public procurement market as the government moves to strengthen social value through contracting policy.

The Public Procurement Service revised its detailed qualification review criteria and contract processing rules for facility construction projects, with the changes taking effect Tuesday.

The revisions are designed to support the revitalization of social enterprises in line with government policy aimed at easing polarization and achieving sustainable growth. Social enterprises will be added alongside women-owned and disability-owned businesses as eligible parties for small discretionary contracts — covering general construction projects valued at 200 million won ($129,000) or less, specialty construction at 100 million won or less, and electrical, telecommunications and fire safety construction at 80 million won or less.

The revisions also widen the range of projects in which social enterprises and similar organizations receive bonus points during the management-condition assessment in facility construction qualification reviews — from contracts below 5 billion won for general construction and below 1 billion won for specialty and other construction, to contracts below 10 billion won for general construction and below 5 billion won for specialty and other construction.

"We will continue to push for system improvements so that social enterprises have greater opportunities to enter the public procurement market, and so that socially responsible procurement can help ease polarization and contribute to sustainable growth," said Im Byeong-cheol, director general of the PPS facility projects bureau.