President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the plans on November 9 at a meeting with representatives of the electrical engineering industry, entrepreneurs and investors.
Under the existing rules, energy projects implemented through public-private partnerships must source at least 25% of their electrical equipment locally. The minimum share rises to 70% for cable products.
The government intends to apply the same thresholds to investment projects worth more than $10 million if they receive the specified forms of state support. This would extend local-content requirements to large projects in sectors beyond energy, including those benefiting from tax breaks or preferential access to state resources.
Public procurement to favor life-cycle costs over lowest price
The president also outlined changes to public procurement of electrical equipment, where state organizations spend around UZS 10 trillion annually.
Until now, manufacturers seeking government orders have had to track procurement announcements by state-owned enterprises across four or five separate platforms. A new system has been introduced to consolidate these orders on a single platform.
From January 1, 2027, government agencies will also publish their procurement plans three years in advance. The longer planning horizon is intended to give manufacturers a clearer picture of future demand and help them plan production, invest in equipment and secure financing.
Another proposed change concerns how bids are evaluated. Rather than awarding contracts primarily on the basis of the lowest purchase price, procuring organizations will be required to consider the costs of operating and maintaining equipment over its service life.
The meeting presented a comparison of two 40-kilowatt transformers to illustrate the issue. The imported model cost UZS 400,000 less than its locally manufactured counterpart but consumed 10% more electricity and incurred four times higher maintenance costs over its operating life.
Under the planned life-cycle cost assessment system, procurement decisions will factor in electricity consumption, repairs, servicing and other operating expenses alongside the initial purchase price.
