A proposed overhaul of Uzbekistan’s public procurement rules has exposed a sharp regulatory dilemma: how to keep tenders moving when only one supplier is ready to bid without weakening competition or opening new space for corruption.
Single-bid procedures under scrutiny
The draft law on improving the public procurement system was considered by the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis in its second reading on October 13. One of its central proposals concerns cases in which a procurement procedure attracts only one supplier.
Under the current rules, a selection procedure is declared unsuccessful if only one bid is submitted for the best-offer selection process, or if no bids are received. The state customer may then launch a new selection or use another procurement method permitted by law.
The bill would allow a repeated selection to be recognised as successful even if it again attracts only one supplier, provided that the supplier had also submitted an offer during the first procedure. The procurement terms and evaluation criteria would have to remain unchanged, while the bidder’s offer would still need to meet all established requirements.
Similar amendments are proposed for tenders. The draft also seeks to recognise an electronic auction for reducing the starting price as successful when only one participant is present.
Lawmakers demand further revision
The proposals triggered an extended debate among lawmakers. Deputies warned that allowing procedures to proceed with a single supplier could restrict competition, increase corruption risks and create contradictions in the wording of the legislation.
During the discussion, deputy Saydullo Azimov focused on an amendment to Article 61 of the Public Procurement Law, which regulates the selection of the best offer. “This creates conditions for corruption,” he said.
Following the discussion, the draft law was returned for revision rather than advancing in its current form.
For international companies operating in furniture, construction, interior and exterior manufacturing, design, architecture and related supply chains, the debate is an important signal about the direction of Uzbekistan’s procurement environment. A final framework that prevents unnecessary delays while preserving transparent competition could improve access to public-sector projects, whereas unresolved single-supplier rules may increase compliance, reputational and market-entry risks.
