The Government Procurement Law was promulgated in 2002 and amended in 2014 respectively. The latest revision entered into force on August 31, 2014.

There are 88 articles in total.

The key points are as follows:

1.The government procurement as mentioned in the present law refers to the procurement of goods, projects and services within the lawfully made centralized procurement lists or above the procurement limits by the state organs, public institutions and bodies with public fiscal funds.

2.No entity or individual may, by any means, obstruct or restrict providers to enter freely into the government procurement market of the local place or the industrial sector concerned.

3.Domestic goods, projects and services shall be procured for government procurement, except in the following circumstances:

(1) the required goods, projects or services are not available in China, or are not available upon reasonable commercial conditions;

(2) the objects of procurement are for use outside China; or

(3) it is specified otherwise in other laws or administrative regulations.

4.A government procurement may be made in any of the following ways:

(1) public invitation of bids;

(2) private invitation of bids;

(3) competitive negotiations;

(4) single-source procurement;

(5) requests for quotations; or

(6) other ways. Public invitation of bids shall be the principal method of government procurement.