Uzbekistan to use AI for fraud prevention in public procurement

"In general, there are more than 50 types of goods and services that can be purchased directly. However, no leader has proposed removing these from the list and allowing competition, which would lower prices," said the president.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance, along with the Accounts Chamber and the parliamentary budget committees, has been tasked with reducing direct procurement by half. By the end of the year, an electronic system utilizing artificial intelligence will be launched to detect and prevent illegal activities in public procurement.

Additionally, an Expert Commission will be established. This commission will develop an electronic platform based on best practices, where the average market prices of goods in public procurement will be displayed and regularly updated.

The price of goods and services purchased through public procurement must not exceed the average market price by more than 20%. Violations of this requirement will be subject to legal accountability and fines.

It was also emphasized that it is time to regulate purchases made using extrabudgetary funds. Stricter requirements will be introduced for purchasing fixed assets using both budgetary and extrabudgetary funds.

The need to significantly reduce the use of service vehicles in government agencies and transition to national automobiles and furniture was highlighted.

It was noted that large projects should be evaluated based on high-level anti-corruption standards.

Officials have been instructed to implement international anti-corruption standards in investment projects, ensure that major auction conditions undergo competitive expertise, and expand the coverage of the "Transparent Construction" platform, gradually integrating it into projects funded by international organizations.

These measures will start with subcontracting in construction projects involving international financial institutions and projects worth up to $1 million.