Event aims to spread know-how on complex overseas purchasing and expand access for regional agencies and procurement firms
The Public Procurement Service held its first foreign-procurement briefing in Busan on Thursday, aiming to help public institutions navigate the complex process of purchasing goods from overseas more easily and efficiently.
About 50 purchasing officials from national and public institutions in the Busan and Gyeongsang regions, along with procurement company representatives, gathered at a conference room inside Busan KTX station for the "2026 Second-Half Foreign Procurement Briefing."
The event was designed to reduce the administrative burden and procedural complexity involved in overseas purchasing and to provide practical guidance to frontline staff. While the agency had previously held such briefings in the Greater Seoul and Chungcheong regions, this year marked the first time the event was held in Busan, broadening participation opportunities for regional institutions.
The briefing covered practical topics that procurement officials find most challenging, including how to prepare purchase specification documents and specification compliance review forms, as well as contract procedures and key precautions at each stage of the overseas purchasing process. Participants also had the opportunity to raise difficulties encountered in the field and share suggestions for system improvements.
"Foreign procurement" refers to the overseas purchase of goods that are difficult to produce or supply domestically — such as supercomputers, large helicopters and container scanners — and requires specialized expertise across complex procedures including international bidding, contracting, shipping and customs clearance.
The Public Procurement Service provides overseas goods procurement services to more than 1,000 institutions each year. Over the past five years, the total value of overseas procurement stood at 605.4 billion won ($453 million) in 2021, 428.2 billion won in 2022, 473.1 billion won in 2023, 481.7 billion won in 2024 and 654.8 billion won in 2025, for an annual average of 528.6 billion won.
Jang Eui-sun, director general of the Public Procurement Service's Public Goods Bureau, said the briefing was "a forum for communication to improve access to foreign procurement for regional institutions and procurement firms, and to work through the difficulties they face on the ground together." Jang added that the agency would "continue to hold regional briefings on a regular basis and work to make foreign procurement services easier and more convenient through system improvements that reflect the voices from the field."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
