Chen Chin-te: Consensus on Government Procurement Act Amendment to Continue; Re-announcement Estimated Before Year-End
An extensive amendment to the Government Procurement Act, pre-announced last year by the Public Construction Commission, has sparked controversy, particularly over the removal of the three-bidder requirement. Commission Chairman Chen Chin-te stated that due to accusations of favoring contractors, they will seek further consensus and aim to re-announce the draft by the end of this year.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 12:46
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 12:51 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 13, 2026 at 14:47 (1h 56m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA reporter Kao Hua-chien, Taipei, 13th) The Public Construction Commission (PCC) pre-announced a major amendment to the Government Procurement Act last year, which drew attention for, among other things, removing the restriction requiring bids from at least three vendors. PCC Chairman Chen Chin-te stated that the outside world's focus on changing the bidding restriction is seen as an attempt to favor contractors, calling this accusation 'too great.' He hopes to gather opinions from all sectors before proceeding and estimates a re-announcement before the end of this year.
To improve procurement efficiency, protect vendor rights, perfect the debarment system, enhance fair competition, and refine operational processes, the Executive Yuan's PCC pre-announced a major amendment to the Government Procurement Act in November of last year. The most notable change was the removal of the restriction for public tenders requiring at least three vendors to bid for the tender to be opened. To increase procurement efficiency, it also added a provision requiring agencies to announce annual procurement plans above a certain amount within a specified period, to allow businesses to prepare in advance and shorten the bidding period.
However, lawmakers have expressed reservations about removing the three-vendor bidding restriction.
The Transportation Committee of the Legislative Yuan today invited PCC Chairman Chen Chin-te to report on the commission's business. KMT Legislator Lu Ming-che questioned the progress of the Government Procurement Act amendment. Chen Chin-te stated that the procurement law has been under consideration for a long time, and inquiries with procurement agencies revealed no major objections. After the pre-announcement, supporters were in the majority, but unexpectedly, public focus centered on changing the vendor restriction from three to one, which was perceived as favoring contractors and the PCC being lax. 'This accusation is too great,' he said.
Chen said that rather than pushing through with differing opinions, it is better to build consensus. He also seriously considered whether changing the rule from three to one would indeed create certain loopholes or make it easier for unscrupulous procurement personnel. Therefore, he humbly believes it requires serious thought.
Chen stated that the amendment involves many articles, some of which came from lawmakers' suggestions. It is quite regrettable that the focus has been on changing the rule from three to one. He would rather gather more opinions from all sectors before proceeding and hopes to complete the relevant work before the end of this year, with a re-announcement expected before year-end.
Regarding recent controversial cases such as the procurement of bulletproof vests and the Army's purchase of 26 sets of anti-drone systems, Chen said that this amendment to the Government Procurement Act also aims to solve these problems. For example, in the past, there were no controls on companies changing their names or the same individual registering multiple companies. This amendment hopes to expand the scope of debarment.
Chen said they want to block the paths that these bad vendors have repeatedly used to win bids through speculation. He hopes these issues will be addressed in the amendment to the procurement law and receive the support of the Legislative Yuan.
The PCC added in a written statement that the amendment to the Government Procurement Act will adjust the current Articles 101 to 103 to prevent bad apples from driving out the good, and to improve the quality of procurement and public construction by strengthening the debarment mechanism. Firstly, for vendors who participate in bidding by setting up or using existing companies with the same representative after being debarred, the amendment will clarify that all those with the same representative are subject to debarment controls, to close a systemic loophole.
The PCC said that, in addition, for a single vendor with multiple violations, the debarment periods will be accumulated separately and cannot overlap, with a maximum limit of 5 years. If a debarment is already in effect, the debarment period for a new case will be executed consecutively to ensure the system's effectiveness. (Editor: Su Chih-tsung) 1150413
(CNA reporter Kao Hua-chien, Taipei, 13th) The Public Construction Commission (PCC) pre-announced a major amendment to the Government Procurement Act last year, which drew attention for, among other things, removing the restriction requiring bids from at least three vendors. PCC Chairman Chen Chin-te stated that the outside world's focus on changing the bidding restriction is seen as an attempt to favor contractors, calling this accusation 'too great.' He hopes to gather opinions from all sectors before proceeding and estimates a re-announcement before the end of this year.
To improve procurement efficiency, protect vendor rights, perfect the debarment system, enhance fair competition, and refine operational processes, the Executive Yuan's PCC pre-announced a major amendment to the Government Procurement Act in November of last year. The most notable change was the removal of the restriction for public tenders requiring at least three vendors to bid for the tender to be opened. To increase procurement efficiency, it also added a provision requiring agencies to announce annual procurement plans above a certain amount within a specified period, to allow businesses to prepare in advance and shorten the bidding period.
However, lawmakers have expressed reservations about removing the three-vendor bidding restriction.
The Transportation Committee of the Legislative Yuan today invited PCC Chairman Chen Chin-te to report on the commission's business. KMT Legislator Lu Ming-che questioned the progress of the Government Procurement Act amendment. Chen Chin-te stated that the procurement law has been under consideration for a long time, and inquiries with procurement agencies revealed no major objections. After the pre-announcement, supporters were in the majority, but unexpectedly, public focus centered on changing the vendor restriction from three to one, which was perceived as favoring contractors and the PCC being lax. 'This accusation is too great,' he said.
Chen said that rather than pushing through with differing opinions, it is better to build consensus. He also seriously considered whether changing the rule from three to one would indeed create certain loopholes or make it easier for unscrupulous procurement personnel. Therefore, he humbly believes it requires serious thought.
Chen stated that the amendment involves many articles, some of which came from lawmakers' suggestions. It is quite regrettable that the focus has been on changing the rule from three to one. He would rather gather more opinions from all sectors before proceeding and hopes to complete the relevant work before the end of this year, with a re-announcement expected before year-end.
Regarding recent controversial cases such as the procurement of bulletproof vests and the Army's purchase of 26 sets of anti-drone systems, Chen said that this amendment to the Government Procurement Act also aims to solve these problems. For example, in the past, there were no controls on companies changing their names or the same individual registering multiple companies. This amendment hopes to expand the scope of debarment.
Chen said they want to block the paths that these bad vendors have repeatedly used to win bids through speculation. He hopes these issues will be addressed in the amendment to the procurement law and receive the support of the Legislative Yuan.
The PCC added in a written statement that the amendment to the Government Procurement Act will adjust the current Articles 101 to 103 to prevent bad apples from driving out the good, and to improve the quality of procurement and public construction by strengthening the debarment mechanism. Firstly, for vendors who participate in bidding by setting up or using existing companies with the same representative after being debarred, the amendment will clarify that all those with the same representative are subject to debarment controls, to close a systemic loophole.
The PCC said that, in addition, for a single vendor with multiple violations, the debarment periods will be accumulated separately and cannot overlap, with a maximum limit of 5 years. If a debarment is already in effect, the debarment period for a new case will be executed consecutively to ensure the system's effectiveness. (Editor: Su Chih-tsung) 1150413