Digital Agency Opens Bidding for Government Common Systems Backend Support

The Digital Agency announced a general competitive bid in the Official Gazette (Government Procurement Notice edition) dated November 4, revealing that it will procure a complete set of support for the development of GSS in-house applications (GSS AMS, etc.) (backend business application development). The certifying officer is Nobuhiro Komoto, Counselor for Accounting, Digital Agency. As a general rule, the bidding instructions will be delivered via the electronic procurement system from the date of the announcement.

This project is listed in the Government Procurement Notice edition, which includes procurements subject to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement. The procuring entity number is 027, and the location number is 13. The English title is “Backend Engineering support for the development of GSS in-house business applications and the GSS Account Management Services,” and the quantity is listed as one set. The successful bidder will be determined using a comprehensive evaluation method from among those who propose a bid amount within the limit of the estimated price based on Article 79 of the Budget, Settlement of Accounts and Accounting Order, and whose proposals meet all the criteria for mandatory items.

Procuring in-house app development as a set with a performance period of approximately 4 years and 2 months

The procurement seeks integrated backend technical support for a group of business applications and account management services developed in-house by the government. The conditions indicated in the announcement are as follows:

• Procuring Entity: Digital Agency (Procuring Entity Number 027)
• Subject: Support for the development of GSS in-house applications (GSS AMS, etc.) (Backend business application development), one set
• Item Classification Numbers: 71, 27
• Performance Period: From February 1, 2027, to March 31, 2031
• Performance Location: As per the bidding instructions
• Contract: Requires the creation of a written contract; bid bonds and performance bonds are waived

The estimated price is not listed in the announcement. The language to be used for bidding and contracting procedures is Japanese, the currency is Japanese Yen, and the method of stating the amount in the bid shall include the equivalent of consumption tax and local consumption tax.

Technical proposals due December 25 at noon, bid opening on January 20, 2027

The procedure is a two-stage process where technical proposals and bid documents are accepted separately, with the schedule divided as follows:

• Bidding Briefing: November 17, 2026
• Deadline for submission of technical proposals: December 25, 2026, 12:00 PM
• Deadline for submission of bid documents: January 19, 2027, 3:00 PM
• Bid Opening: January 20, 2027, 2:00 PM, Digital Agency Bidding Room
• Bidding Method: Comprehensive Evaluation Award Method (requires submission of technical proposals)

This project is subject to the electronic bidding function of the Government Electronic Procurement System (GEPS). In cases where electronic bidding is difficult, a paper bidding method may be used in accordance with the forms specified in the bidding instructions. The contact for the delivery of bidding instructions and inquiries is the Contract Section, Accounting Group, Strategy and Organization Group, Digital Agency (Rei Koizumi, Tel: 070-7416-9924, 20th Floor, Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho, 1-3 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo).

Participation Requirements Set Based on Unified Qualifications for All Government Ministries and Absence of Suspension from Bidding

Eligibility for competitive participation is determined based on both accounting laws and unified qualification ratings.

• Must not fall under Article 70 or Article 71 of the Budget, Settlement of Accounts and Accounting Order.
• Must be rated Grade A, B, C, or D for “Provision of Services, etc.” in the Unified Qualifications for All Government Ministries for FY2025, 2026, or 2027.
• Must not be under a period of suspension from bidding based on the suspension measures guidelines of the Digital Agency or other ministries.
• Must possess the qualifications determined by the Expenditure Burden Officer based on Article 73 of the Budget, Settlement of Accounts and Accounting Order.

The public notice explicitly states that bids submitted by persons without participation qualifications, or bids from those who failed to fulfill the obligations required of bidders, shall be invalid.

Regarding GSS, other notices in the Official Gazette have shown a succession of procurement related to the migration. In a notice dated October 2, the Accounting Division of the Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice, opened a general competitive bid for requirements definition support for the GSS migration of CO-NET and the optimization of correctional business systems based on the Correctional Digitalization Promotion Plan. Since the performance period for this project is long-term, extending until the end of March 2031, and involves selecting a contractor to handle the backend development of the government common platform over multiple years, it carries significant weight in the order-acquisition strategies of major IT providers. Businesses considering participation must proceed with preparations starting from the briefing session on November 17 and the proposal submission deadline on December 25.

Source: Official Gazette dated November 4, 2026 (Government Procurement Notice Edition), Bid Notice, Procurement Agency Number 027, Digital Agency (https://www.kanpo.go.jp/20261104/20261104c00203/pdf/20261104c002030001.pdf). Related: Official Gazette dated October 2, 2026, Bid Notice, Accounting Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice.