Politics · South Korea · 18 hrs ago
Yangsan reports 14,608 no-bid contracts in three years, with repeat awards
Yangsan City in South Korea made 14,608 no-bid contracts from August 2023 to August 2026, worth 482.9 billion won in total.
No-bid contracts are awarded without a competitive bidding process.
One construction-related company received 136 contracts worth 2.808 billion won, while an electrical and design firm received 78.
The number of contracts in Yangsan was about 3.5 times Gimhae's over the same period, although Gimhae is larger in population and administrative scale.
South Korea's interior ministry set limits on repeat contracts with the same company: for local governments, no more than five contracts a year or 200 million won a year.
Yangsan's city council raised concerns about the concentration, and the city said it can be difficult to find alternatives in some specialized fields.
The city plans to create its own rules and advance checks to help ensure contracts are handled fairly.
Yangsan recorded 14,608 no-bid contracts worth 482.915 billion won from August 2023 through August 2026.
A local construction-related company received 136 of those contracts, worth 2.808 billion won.
A second company, in electrical work and design, received 78 contracts.
A city council member called for measures to address contracts repeatedly going to particular companies.
Yangsan said it plans to set its own standards and advance review procedures to promote fair contracting.
- Who
- Yangsan City and companies receiving its no-bid contracts.
- What
- The city recorded 14,608 contracts worth 482.915 billion won, with repeated awards to particular companies.
- When
- From August 2023 through August 2026.
- Where
- Yangsan, South Korea.
- Why
- The city said limited numbers of qualified companies in some fields can make it difficult to find alternatives.
Yangsan City
Kim Seok-gyu, Democratic Party city council member
Repeated awards
Yangsan City
The city said limited numbers of qualified firms in some fields can lead to repeat contracts with local companies.
Kim Seok-gyu, Democratic Party city council member
Kim said repeated contracts should not be treated as inevitable just because specialist firms are limited.
Proposed response
Yangsan City
The city said it would develop its own standards and advance procedures to handle concentrated awards fairly.
Kim Seok-gyu, Democratic Party city council member
Kim called for management standards and prior checks to improve the contract structure.
The period covered by the reported contract figures began.
The reported period ended, with 14,608 contracts recorded.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced guidance limiting no-bid contracts with the same firm.
Kim Seok-gyu raised the concentration of contracts at a city council meeting and urged the city to act.
- Contracts
- 14,608 from August 2023 through August 2026
- Total value
- 482.915 billion won
- Construction-related company A
- 136 contracts worth 2.808 billion won
- Electrical and design company B
- 78 contracts
- Ministry guidance
- Local governments: no more than five contracts or 200 million won per year with the same firm
1 source
What people are saying
Repeated contracts should not be treated as inevitable just because specialist firms are limited.
There are limitations in selecting alternative companies because the number of companies with specific qualifications is limited by contract field or industry.