Authorities in Uzbekistan’s Karakalpakstan region have uncovered violations in 317 public procurement tenders worth a total of 32.1 billion soums. The audit covered 345 tenders valued at approximately 41 billion soums, including contracts where specialists found signs of collusion between buyers and participants.
According to the Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights, the inspections were conducted from January to June 2026. In addition to the general analysis, specialists separately examined 200 tenders worth 1.6 billion soums related to laboratory testing of construction materials and quality assessment of road works.
It was in these procurements that specialists discovered signs of collusion between customers and certain participants. In particular, companies divided regions among themselves, and some regularly participated in bidding together, allowing the same executor to become the winner.
The participants’ price offers also indicated coordinated actions. The bids contained identical and synchronous pricing approaches.
During the document review, specialists also identified other violations. In several cases, laboratory test reports were drawn up before the tenders and the conclusion of contracts. For some contracts, invoices were issued on the day of registration with the Treasury or the following day.
Based on the inspection results, a special commission established a violation of Article 29 of the Law “On Competition,” which prohibits actions restricting competition. Those responsible were issued mandatory orders to eliminate the violations and prevent their recurrence.
In addition, administrative protocols were drawn up against officials responsible for the identified violations. The materials were sent to courts.
Earlier, it was reported that a tender for the purchase of medical equipment with an initial value of 14 billion soums was canceled after the Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights identified violations in its terms.
Source: podrobno.uz