Uzbekistan finds violations in 317 Karakalpakstan state procurements worth 32.1 billion soums

September 30, 2026 at 11:35 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Uzbekistan's Competition Committee found violations in 317 state procurements in Karakalpakstan worth 32.1 billion soums. Inspections from January to June 2026 covered 345 tenders totaling about 41 billion soums. Officials face administrative cases and court referrals.

Key Facts

The Competition Committee analyzed 345 tenders worth about 41 billion soums in Karakalpakstan from January to June 2026.
Violations were found in 317 state procurements totaling 32.1 billion soums.
A separate review of 200 tenders worth over 1.6 billion soums for laboratory testing of road construction materials found signs of collusion.
The committee recorded 842 violations of competition law in the 317 procurements.
Officials responsible for the violations face administrative protocols and court referrals.

Inspection Scope

The Competition Committee conducted inspections in Karakalpakstan from January to June 2026. The review covered 345 tenders with a total value of about 41 billion soums. Specialists separately examined 200 tenders worth over 1.6 billion soums related to laboratory testing of construction materials and road work quality assessment. These tenders were conducted through the etender.uzex.uz electronic platform during 2025.

Collusion and Document Fraud

The committee found signs of collusion between customers and individual participants in the laboratory testing tenders. Companies divided regions among themselves, and some regularly participated together in bids, allowing the same contractor to win repeatedly. Bid documents showed identical and synchronized pricing approaches, indicating coordinated actions. In several cases, laboratory test reports were prepared before tenders were held and contracts signed. Some contracts had invoices issued on the day of registration with the Treasury or the following day.

Legal Consequences

A special commission established a violation of Article 29 of the Law on Competition, which prohibits actions restricting competition. Responsible parties received mandatory orders to eliminate violations and prevent recurrence. Administrative protocols were drawn up against officials responsible for the violations. The materials were sent to courts.