KRG launches electronic procurement system  

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Sunday launched a newly developed digital system for its procurement affairs, a top official announced.

Deputy Minister of Planning Zagros Fatah announced the new system developed in cooperation with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA) of South Korea in Erbil in a ceremony, attended by the Asian country’s envoy to Erbil Cho Kijoung.

In the first phase, six KRG entities including health, agriculture, electricity, reconstruction, housing, and the Erbil governorate are set to implement the new system of procurement for all the projects that government announce.

Employees from the public offices have been trained on the system, Fatah told Kurdistan 24 in an interview.

Companies can benefit from the system in all aspects related to tendering processes, including application and project announcement.

As part of the KRG efforts to reduce red tape and boost transparency, the project has been implemented, the Kurdish official said.

The new endeavor marks the 18th project that has been implemented in cooperation with the KRG, Kijoung said in his speech.

Seoul’s contributions to the KRG since 2004 are worth 150 million US dollars, the diplomat highlighted.

“Kurdistan Region of Iraq should not wait any longer to invest in,” in the digitalization efforts that are widely regarded as a solution to the reduction of carbon emissions, the envoy added.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in October announced the KRG Digital Transformation Strategy, in which the government is set to become fully paperless by 2025. 

The government is also set to issue visas electronically as part of its digitalization efforts.