METI and AIST to Upgrade Industrial Safety and Semiconductor Inspection Equipment

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced in the Official Gazette dated November 9 (Extra Edition for Government Procurement) that it will enter into a contract amendment via a discretionary contract for the outsourcing of design, development, operation, and maintenance work related to the renewal of the industrial safety system. The scheduled contract date is November 30, and the counterparties are listed as two companies: Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc. and Accenture Japan Ltd. The Ministry cited “compatibility” under the provisions of the “Agreement on Government Procurement” as the reason for the discretionary contract.

The public notice was issued in the name of Yuko Tamai, Director of the Accounting Division of the Minister’s Secretariat at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, who serves as the expenditure authorizing officer. The procurement agency number is 019, the item classification numbers are 71 and 27, the subject is the contract amendment regarding the FY2023 METI Digital Platform Construction Project (outsourcing of design, development, operation, and maintenance work related to the renewal of the industrial safety system), and the quantity is one set.

Details of the Contract Amendment and Reason for Choosing a Discretionary Contract

• Procurement Subject: Contract amendment regarding the FY2023 METI Digital Platform Construction Project, one set
• Scheduled Date of Discretionary Contract: November 30, 2026
• Reason under the Agreement: c “Compatibility”
• Counterparties: Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., Accenture Japan Ltd.
• Department in Charge: Contract Section, Accounting Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Takune Nagata, Tel: 03-3501-1616)

Since this is a contract amendment based on the renewal work of an existing system, the need to ensure the integrity of performance and connectivity with the existing environment is presented as the basis for excluding competition.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Procures Semiconductor Inspection Equipment via Discretionary Contract

The same Official Gazette dated November 9 included a public notice (AIST No. 225) regarding a discretionary contract for the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) (Procurement Agency Number 808, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba City). Issued in the name of Takuya Hashimoto, Director of the Procurement Department, the item classification number is 24, the subject and quantity are “SiC Wafer Quality Non-Destructive Inspection Equipment, one set,” and the scheduled date for the discretionary contract is November 30, 2026.

• Reason under the Agreement: b “Absence of competition due to technical reasons”
• Procurement Subject: SiC Wafer Quality Non-Destructive Inspection Equipment, one set
• Scheduled Contract Date: November 30, 2026
• Contact: Daiki Yonekawa, Procurement Department (Tsukuba Center, Tel: 050-3522-3383)

Equipment for the non-destructive inspection of silicon carbide (SiC) wafer quality is a specialized item with limited available suppliers; therefore, the absence of competition due to technical reasons is cited as the basis for the procurement method.

Component Procurement Related to Silicon Carbide Also Already Announced

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) also announced in the Official Gazette dated October 15 that it will procure SiC-related equipment components through a discretionary contract (AIST No. 205). With item classification number 24, the subject is “Set of components for 6-inch conversion of SiC epi equipment,” the scheduled date for the discretionary contract is November 4, 2026, the reason under the agreement is c “compatibility,” and the counterparty is Tokyo Electron Ltd.

• Subject: Set of components for 6-inch conversion of SiC epi equipment
• Scheduled Contract Date: November 4, 2026
• Reason: c “compatibility”
• Counterparty: Tokyo Electron Ltd.

This is a procurement of components tailored to the specifications of existing crystal growth and epitaxial equipment, and ensuring compatibility based on the equipment serves as the grounds for the discretionary contract.

Points of Interest Regarding Procurement Methods

In cases where agreements on government procurement apply, discretionary contracts are announced with limited reasons such as “compatibility,” “absence of competition due to technical reasons,” or “protection of exclusive rights.” As seen here, there have been continuous examples where compatibility or the absence of technical competition are cited as grounds for semiconductor-related equipment and components, and the room for new entrants is strictly judged on a case-by-case basis. The two contracts scheduled to be concluded on November 30 are both positioned as procurements predicated on connection with existing systems or specialized equipment.

Source: Official Gazette November 9, 2026 (Extra Edition Government Procurement) Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry “Public Notice Regarding Discretionary Contracts” (Expenditure Burdening Officer, Director of Accounting Division, Minister’s Secretariat, METI, Yuko Tamai, Procurement Agency Number 019) / Official Gazette November 9, 2026, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology “Public Notice Regarding Discretionary Contracts” AIST No. 225 / Official Gazette October 15, 2026, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology “Public Notice Regarding Discretionary Contracts” AIST No. 205.