The Ministry of Finance and the State Administration for Market Regulation issued guidance to advance high-quality development of local government procurement e-marketplaces. The guidance defines e-marketplaces’ role: primarily to host second-stage transactions under framework agreements for goods listed in the centralized procurement catalogue under the Government Procurement Law; they may, per local circumstances, facilitate small-value off-catalogue goods purchases but purchasers cannot be fo

The Ministry of Finance and the State Administration for Market Regulation issued guidance to advance high-quality development of local government procurement e-marketplaces. The guidance defines e-marketplaces’ role: primarily to host second-stage transactions under framework agreements for goods listed in the centralized procurement catalogue under the Government Procurement Law; they may, per local circumstances, facilitate small-value off-catalogue goods purchases but purchasers cannot be forced to buy via the e-marketplace. Provincial finance departments must coordinate regional e-marketplace build-out, establish management systems, designate managers (centralized procurement agencies or other entrusted bodies), engage third-party providers for operation, maintenance and price monitoring, and implement supervision together with market regulators. E-marketplace managers are responsible for platform construction, operation and maintenance, drafting service agreements, improving product reference-price formation mechanisms and providing basic transaction support.