2024.07.17. The Fair Economy — The Public Procurement Service said on the 16th that it will minimize certification requirements and expand the range of optional accessories, such as bags, for personal computers (PCs) under multiple-award schedule (MAS) contracts.
Under MAS, suppliers sign unit-price contracts for items of equivalent or similar quality, performance and efficiency and register them on the National Procurement Service's comprehensive shopping mall. Demand agencies can then select and purchase the items directly from the mall without going through a separate contracting procedure.
The improvements are expected to reduce the costs and time associated with obtaining optional certifications, easing a corporate burden of about 3.52 billion won (about $2.5 million) per year. For laptop accessories, demand agencies will be able to select only the items they need, which is expected to save as much as 6.53 billion won (about $4.6 million) in their budgets.
First, the number of certifications required to register PCs on the KONEPS mall will be reduced.
Laptops and tablets previously required six certifications, while desktop PCs and all-in-one PCs required four. Going forward, suppliers will only need to hold three legally mandated certifications: broadcasting equipment suitability, electrical safety certification and standby power reduction.
The Public Procurement Service said it is excluding the other three certifications — noise, temperature and humidity reliability, and Q or K marks — because quality has been secured through improvements in office environments and technological advances.
Laptop accessories will become available for purchase according to preference when needed.
Until now, buyers had to purchase three accessories, such as bags, regardless of demand when buying a laptop. The service will switch to optional purchasing and diversify the items to six: lightweight pouches, handbags, heavy-duty backpacks, wired mice, wireless mice and wired LAN extenders.
The exclusion of optional certifications will take effect after an amendment notice is published on the 16th. The improvements to laptop accessories are scheduled to take effect in January 2025, with a six-month grace period to allow for inventory clearance and industry preparation.
"We expect these improvements to save about 10 billion won (about $7 million) per year in certification acquisition and maintenance costs for the PC industry and in demand agency budgets," said Lim Gi-geun, head of the Public Procurement Service. "Going forward, we will continue to improve regulations by listening to procurement companies so that businesses and citizens can feel the benefits."
As of June, 3,611 specifications from 123 companies are registered on the National Procurement Service's comprehensive shopping mall. The categories include desktop PCs, all-in-one PCs, laptops and tablets, and monitors. The supply scale in 2023 was about 758 billion won (about $534 million).
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