Summary of Ugandan Public Procurement Guidelines for Supporting Local Businesses and Marginalized Groups

The Ugandan government has established public procurement guidelines to promote participation from local providers and associations representing women, youth, and people with disabilities.

Local Providers:

• Priority for Ugandan Products: Government entities must prioritize procuring products manufactured in Uganda from national and resident providers.
• Subcontracting: In cases where a foreign company is the main contractor, at least 30% of the value of the work must be subcontracted to local providers.
• Locally Made Inputs: All inputs manufactured in Uganda must be procured from national and resident providers.

Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities:

• Reservation of Budget: A minimum of 15% of an entity's annual procurement budget must be reserved for awarding contracts to registered associations representing women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
• Procurement Thresholds:

  • Central government entities: Procurement opportunities valued at or below 30 million shillings will be reserved for these associations.
  • Local government entities: Procurement opportunities valued at or below 10 million shillings will be reserved for these associations.

These guidelines aim to achieve two key goals:

1. Boosting the Local Economy: By prioritizing locally made products and services, the government is supporting Ugandan businesses and creating jobs.
2. Empowering Marginalized Groups: Reserving a portion of the budget for associations representing women, youth, and people with disabilities creates opportunities for these groups to participate in the economy.