Discusses the legal requirements for selling to the host government, including whether the government has agreed to abide by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement or is a party to a government procurement chapter in a U.S. FTA. Specifies areas where there are opportunities.
Last Published: 7/3/2019

Government agencies and large state-owned enterprises are the major importer of goods and services.  By law, government and public sector procurements require clearance from the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade and the Center for Comprehensive Expert Examination of Projects and Import Contracts under the Ministry of Economy and Industry.

Potential opportunities: Key opportunities for selling to the Government of Uzbekistan are in the following areas:

  • Information and communication technology, hardware and software, digital fixed-line telephone stations and switches for state-owned operators; wireless communication equipment for law enforcement agencies; telecom equipment for the state-owned railway company;
  • Power generation and transmission equipment;
  • Oil and gas-related industrial materials and supplies;
  • Commercial vehicles, including specialized trucks, city and tourist buses, ambulances, and railway trains and cars;
  • Construction equipment, including road construction machinery and equipment, cranes, agricultural machinery, concrete carriers, and industrial vacuum machines; and
  • Medical equipment for hospitals and clinics.
Competitiveness factors: Officially, the selection of foreign suppliers and contractors for each contract, project or assignment is to be conducted through:
  • Electronic shopping
  • Reverse auction
  • Competitive bidding
  • Public tender
  • Single supplier public procurement
However, foreign businesses note that public procurement procedures are not always transparent.  A bidder with an attractive financing proposal, such as long-term loans, can apply for exceptional preferences in the tender. 
There are no formal differences in rules, regulating central, regional, and local procurements.  The Law on Public Procurements (effective from April 1, 2018) defines the terms used to refer to parties involved in public procurement, as well as their rights and responsibilities:
  • State customers – budget-funded agencies and state-owned enterprises;
  • Participants of procurement procedures – firms, both domestic and foreign, which participate in the procurement procedure as candidates for procurement;
  • Contractor – the bidder selected as the winner based on the results of the procurement procedures, with whom a contract is signed;
  • Procurement commission – a collegial body authorized to select a contract winner from the participants.  The commission consists of an odd number of members; its composition and number of members depends on the procurement method and may vary depending on the nature of procured goods;
Legal requirements: The Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Public Procurements (ZRU-472) regulates trade with the government.  State-owned enterprises may have their own procurement rules.  Uzbekistan is not a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and is not a party to a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. 

Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from Multilateral Development Banks.  Please refer to “Project Financing” Section in “Trade and Project Financing” chapter for more information.

 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.


More Information

Uzbekistan Business to Government Legislation