New Ordinance Ends Mandatory Newspaper Notices for E-Procurement Tenders

Kathmandu. The government has introduced sweeping changes to the ‘Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2083,’ recently published in the Nepal Gazette, easing requirements for notice publication and promoting digital procurement. 

Under the previous provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2063, public entities were required to publish tender and pre-qualification notices in a national daily newspaper. The new ordinance has amended this requirement, stating that such publication is no longer necessary if procurement is conducted through the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system. 

Section 7 (1) of the new ordinance revises subsection (1) of Section 14 of the Act by adding a restrictive clause, allowing notices for tenders or pre-qualification proposals issued via the electronic system to be published exclusively on that platform, without the need for newspaper advertisements. 

The amendment is expected to significantly reduce expenditure on newspaper notices, which previously cost public entities millions of rupees. 

Further, Section 7 (2) replaces subsection (2) of Section 14, introducing new provisions for cases where the electronic system is not used. In such instances, public entities are required to publish procurement notices on the website of the Public Procurement Monitoring Office, as well as on their own official websites. If an entity does not have a website, the notice must be displayed on its notice board. 

Similar provisions have been extended to consultancy service procurement. Section 12 (1) of the ordinance amends subsection (1) of Section 30, clarifying that when letters of intent are invited through the electronic procurement system, publication through other media, including newspapers, is not required. 

The ordinance also relaxes rules for low-value procurement through sealed quotations. Section 14 reduces the minimum notice period from 15 days to 7 days. It further stipulates that when such quotations are invited through the electronic system, there is no obligation to publish notices through additional channels.

The changes are aimed at accelerating procurement processes, reducing administrative costs, and strengthening the shift toward a fully digital procurement system. 

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