The system
| Term | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 공공조달 | gonggong jodal | Public procurement. |
| 조달청 (PPS) | jodalcheong | The Public Procurement Service, the central procurement agency. |
| 나라장터 (KONEPS) | Nara Jangteo | The national e-procurement system (g2b.go.kr). |
| 국가계약법 | gukga gyeyak-beop | The Act on Contracts to Which the State is a Party. |
| 지방계약법 | jibang gyeyak-beop | The Local Contract Act, for local governments. |
| 특정조달 특례규정 | — | The special decree for international (WTO GPA-covered) bidding. |
| 국제입찰 | gukje ipchal | International bidding, above the GPA thresholds (2025–26: KRW 230m for central-government goods and services, KRW 8.8bn for works). At least 40 days. |
| 고시금액 | gosi geumaek | The gazetted (GPA) threshold amount. |
Procedures
| Term | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 일반경쟁입찰 | ilban gyeongjaeng ipchal | General competitive bidding, the default. |
| 제한경쟁입찰 | jehan gyeongjaeng ipchal | Limited competitive bidding. |
| 지명경쟁입찰 | jimyeong gyeongjaeng ipchal | Designated competitive bidding. |
| 수의계약 | suui gyeyak | Negotiated contract: small amounts or special cases. |
| 협상에 의한 계약 | hyeopsang-e uihan gyeyak | Contract by negotiation, common for IT. |
| 다수공급자계약 (MAS) | dasu gonggeupja gyeyak | Multiple Award Schedule: price agreements ordered through the online shopping mall. |
| 종합쇼핑몰 | jonghap syoping-mol | KONEPS’s online shopping mall. |
| 중소기업자간 경쟁제품 | — | Products reserved for competition among SMEs, closed to foreign bidders. |
Bidding and award
| Term | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 입찰공고 | ipchal gonggo | Bid notice. |
| 국외소재업체 | gugoe sojae eopche | Overseas supplier. Can register with the PPS. |
| 공동인증서 | gongdong injeungseo | Korean joint digital certificate (formerly 공인인증서); next-generation KONEPS also accepts simpler authentication methods. |
| 입찰보증금 | ipchal bojeunggeum | Bid bond, at least 5%. |
| 계약보증금 | gyeyak bojeunggeum | Performance bond, at least 10%. |
| 예정가격 | yejeong gagyeok | Reserve price. |
| 적격심사 | jeokgyeok simsa | Qualification review of the lowest bidders. |
| 종합심사낙찰제 | jonghap simsa nakchalje | Comprehensive evaluation, for works of KRW 10bn or more. |
| 직접생산확인 | jikjeop saengsan hwagin | Confirmation of direct production, for SME-reserved products. |
| 공동수급 / 공동수급체 | gongdong sugeup | Joint contracting / joint contracting entity (consortium). |
| 공동이행 / 분담이행 / 주계약자관리 | — | Joint execution (jointly and severally liable), split execution, and the main-contractor model. |
| 지역의무공동도급 | jiyeok uimu gongdong dogeup | Mandatory regional joint contracting: a local member is required on many works below the GPA threshold. |
After the award
| Term | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 낙찰자 | nakchalja | The successful bidder. |
| 검사 / 대가지급 | geomsa / daega jigeup | Inspection (within 14 days), then payment within 5 days of the claim. |
| 물가변동 | mulga byeondong | Price adjustment for inflation, after 90 days and a 3% change. |
| 이의신청 | iui sincheong | Objection: within 30 days of the decision, or 25 days of learning of it (since June 2026). |
| 국가계약분쟁조정위원회 | — | The State Contract Dispute Mediation Committee. |
| 부정당업자 제재 | bujeongdang eopja jejae | Debarment of an unfaithful contractor. |
Questions
What is 나라장터?
Nara Marketplace, Korea’s national e-procurement system (KONEPS) at g2b.go.kr. Bid notices must be published on an e-procurement system, and KONEPS carried 61% of Korean public procurement in 2025; a next-generation version opened in 2025.
What is 적격심사?
Qualification review: bids at or below the reserve price are ranked from the lowest, and the lowest bidders are checked for capacity, such as track record, finances and past performance, before award.
What is 국외소재업체?
An overseas supplier: a company with facilities outside Korea that registers with the Public Procurement Service to bid, with documents in Korean or with notarised Korean translations.
Sources
- Act on Contracts to Which the State is a Party (law.go.kr)
- Public Procurement Service (English)
- KONEPS (나라장터)
This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.