Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731 – 742

www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon

A framework of electronic tendering for government procurement:

a lesson learned in Taiwan
T.S. Liao, M.T. Wang, H.P. Tserng*
Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan

Accepted 20 February 2002

Abstract

To render government procurement efficient, transparent, nondiscriminating, and accountable, an electronic government
procurement system is required. Accordingly, Taiwan Government Procurement Law (TGPL) states that suppliers may employ
electronic devices to forward a tender. This investigation demonstrates how the electronic government procurement system
functions and reengineers internal procurement processes, which in turn benefits both government bodies and venders. The
system features explored herein include posting/receiving bids via the Internet, vender registration, certificate authorization,
contract development tools, bid/Request For Proposal (RFP) development, online bidding, and online payment, all of which can
be integrated easily within most existing information infrastructures. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Certification authority; Payment gateway; Government electronic procurement system; Public key infrastructure

1. Introduction larly, obtaining and submitting tenders are also costly

Taiwan spends more than US$12 billion on public
works annually. Only 2% of public work tenders are
valued at more than US$1.7 million, which accounts
for 60% of the total public works investment and
often becomes the target of bid collusion. This not
only damages the government’s image but also costs
taxpayers US$0.36 billion in annual losses.
Preparing tendering documentation and conducting
tender obtaining processes requires much labor. Simi-
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +886-2-2364-4154; fax: +886-2-
2366-1640.
E-mail addresses: tsliao@moea.gov.tw (T.S. Liao),
mtwang@ce.ntu.edu.tw (M.T. Wang), hptserng@ce.ntu.edu.tw
(H.P. Tserng).
for suppliers. The Electronic Tender Obtaining and
Submitting System simplifies original administration
procedures and, therefore, the government and suppli-
ers can save US$14 and US$26 million, respectively,
each year. To accelerate the procurement process,
reduce administration cost, and incorporate the use of
the Internet, this paper reviews electronic tendering of
government procurement. An electronic system is
introduced to obtain, submit, and open tenders. Nota-
bly, the system promotes government procurement
efficiency as well as prevents bid collusion.
The electronic government procurement system can
be combined with electronic commerce and prevent
bid collusion effectively. With our system, venders can
download tender documents through the Internet and
hence eliminate the paperwork and inconvenience of
conventional procurement processes. Furthermore,

0926-5805/02/$ - see front matter D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 2 6 - 5 8 0 5 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 0 1 3 - 4
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tender authorities can invest less labor and resources
into tender document preparation. Bid collusion, which
typically occurs in conventional procurement pro-
cesses, can also be suppressed. It is beneficial to both
the government as well as law-abiding venders.
Fig. 1 illustrates the electronic procurement sys-
tem. In addition to the three major participants: the
networking center, the government, and venders. Our
system also incorporates other members including the
certification authority (comprised of the government
and government procurement system CAs) and the
payment gateway. The former is the third party for
tender authority and vender identity verification. The
latter serves as the means for receiving and refunding
application fees as well as bidding deposits. Notably,
the procurement process can be divided into tender
documentation preparation subsystem, document
uploading subsystem, tender obtaining subsystem,
Fig. 1. Framework of the electronic procurement system.
tender submitting subsystem, and tender opening sub-
system.
The electronic procurement system provides a fair
and open environment to reduce the overall workload.
Tender authorities can upload tender documents to the
networking center billboard, which enables venders to
browse current government cases. All procurement
processes can be accomplished via the Internet.
Through public key infrastructure (PKI) and security
module protection, venders can complete the tender
obtaining and submitting processes anonymously and,
therefore, prevent criminal interference. The security
infrastructure of the system is based on procurement
laws as well as the requirements of government author-
ities. Vender identity is protected during the tender
submitting process. Authority and responsibility of
government agencies are therefore defined clearly.
Furthermore, the system provides a paperless, environ-
 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742
mentally sound process. Descriptions regarding sys-
tem design, possible problems, and applicable counter
acts for the transition from conventional to electronic
procurement process are given below as tender invita-
tion process, tender obtaining process, tender submit-
ting process, and tender opening process, respectively.
2. Tender invitation process
During the transition from a conventional procure-
ment process to an electronic one, possible limitations
and preventive measures are listed below.
2.1. Immunity of electronic files of tender document
toward computer virus
Generally, tender documents prepared by govern-
ment authorities are in text or image files. The text or
image files will be changed to electronic forms, which
tend to be infected by computer viruses and therefore
should be scanned prior to opening. If the networking
center is really affected by computer viruses, server
attendants must perform emergent measures such as
canceling the case, interrupting venders from down-
loading files, and informing government authorities to
restart the case.
2.2. Undeniableness and complicity of electronic
documents
Conventionally, tendering documents are sealed
with government stamps, which can be identified
easily. However, to prevent altering on electronic
documents, coding techniques and public key infra-
structure are required. Also, by enforcing electronic
signature law, public confidence as well as the rights
of all parties are assured via the ability of undeni-
ableness of electronic documents. In fact, electronic
signature laws can identify document senders and
determine their legitimacy. That is, when documents
are received, the sender’s identity and complicity of
the document can be verified.
2.3. Identity certification
Conventionally, tenders must visit the govern-
ment authorities to obtain tender documents and there-
733
fore verify their identity. Within an electronic
procurement process, government authorities and ten-
ders can employ the third party CA to verify identi-
fications.
Notably, CA certification applications must be
submitted through certification organizations (net-
working centers, venders, and government authori-
ties). Issued electronic certification is the identification
(ID). It is stored in unduplicated IC chips, which are
more reliable than ID cards. Chunghwa Telecom has
developed complete CA techniques and the govern-
ment certification administration center (GCA) is also
in operation. These two organizations provide suffi-
cient support for our electronic procurement system.
Also, the system described herein employs the GCA
developed and managed by Chunghwa Telecom. Prior
to uploading documents, authorities should request
authorization for identity verification. Subsequently,
the networking center receives the uploading request
with the authorization from the government authority,
which is identified via the GCA center. Similarly,
vender identification can be ascertained through the
CA devoted to electronic procurement exclusively.
2.4. Paper-based documents
The management of paper-based documents, such
as product samples and confidential information,
presents an obstacle. Thus, two approaches were
devised to resolve this problem. In addition to a
written description, paper-based information can be
displayed via multimedia, such as high-resolution
images transformed from pictures, as well as video
and audio files prepared by digital cameras. Other-
wise, conventional approaches such as preparing a
showroom for interested venders to examine can be
established. In the next subsequent stage, this system
is coordinated with post office or document preparing
center to relay paper-based documents.
2.5. Document digitalization [10]
Generally, tender documents can be categorized
into two categories: text and figures. Conventional
text documents include deed documents, spreadsheets,
and lists. Typically, government procurement systems
provide sample tender documents in DOC and TXT
files for downloading, which can be transformed into
734 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742

alternate formats. To generate text documents, editing 2.7. Network bandwidth

tools, such as MS Word, Word Perfect, and Excel can
be employed. Furthermore, figures such as pictures,
drafts, and diagrams (described in Section 2.10) are
often required. Text documents, including contracts,
bid regulations, and declaration forms can be trans-
formed easily into electronic formats. These digital-
ized text documents can be applied to similar jobs
without extensive modification.
2.6. Electronic file formats [2,3]
Basically, this system should be invariant to file
formats. Users can select the sort of editing tool to use
in preparing and browsing tender documents. MS
Word, MS Excel, and Lotus Notes are examples of
common editing tools.
Construction cases may contain hundreds or thou-
sands of figures, which may be sizeable. Time
required for uploading depends on Internet stability
as well as connection speed. Hence, to facilitate the
use of the electronic procurement system, Chunghwa
Telecom, for example, upgraded their networking
infrastructures with T1 or ISDN connections to reduce
uploading time. In the future, broadband ISP services
will be available from various providers and resolve
the bandwidth problem.
2.8. Case progress updates for government authorities
Eventually, this system will enable a government
authority that oversees the case to request case pro-

Fig. 2. Flow chart of obtaining of tender documentation.

 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742
gress information, such as the number of tender
browses, awards, and submissions.
2.9. System requirements
To execute the proposed system, a 486 or higher
PC with minimum 32 MB RAM, floppy disk, and
online equipment, such as modem and Ethernet card
are recommended. Windows 98/NT operating systems
are also recommended. Furthermore, this system
requires a web browser, such as Netscape Communi-
cator 4.X, Internet Explorer 4.0, or later versions.
2.10. Transformation of image formats [2]
Electronic procurements were divided into three
groups, which are property, service, and construction
works. The construction works may contain a large
number of drafts. In order to minimize uploading time,
Fig. 3. Flow chart of tendering.
735
images should be stored in compressed formats. Digital-
ized images can be created, transformed, and printed by
other institutions. Procurement authorities can acquire
digitalized images via the following four strategies.
(1) Images created and transformed by procure-
ment authorities. Procurement authorities can design
and produce digitalized images or create drafts first,
then transform them into digitalized images such as
Tiff G4 format files via image transform software.
(2) Drafts created and transformed by an outside
institution. If procurement authorities do not possess
image transform software, another institution can
transform drafts and figures into Tiff G4 format.
(3) Drafts and transformed images prepared by
consultant companies. Procurement authorities can
hire consultant companies to design construction
drafts. If the consultant company possesses or has
access to image-transforming services, Tiff G4 format
images can be forwarded to procurement authorities.
736 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742

(4) Consultants design drafts without image trans- Internet. Anonymity is secured and hence reduces the
formation. If the consultant companies cannot provide possibility of bid collusion, which is notably the
transformation service, the procurement authority can primary purpose of this system. However, to block
convert the drafts and non-Tiff G4 format images. hackers, documents transferred on this system must be
coded due to the openness of the Internet. Additionally,
as electronic signatures aid in source verification and
3. Tender obtaining process determine document reliability, each tender document
must bear the private key of the managing institution.
Rather than conventional approaches, such as Disputes are still resolved in the conventional fash-
obtaining tenders in person or through the mail, ion. Restated, if questions or disputes occur, corre-
tenders can be obtained electronically via the Internet. sponding paper documentation is required. Fig. 2
Venders can also submit deposit and download tender illustrates the flow chart of the tender obtaining process.
documents online. PCs, Internet equipment, and cor-
responding software are required equipment.
The traffic problems exist throughout the Internet. 4. Tender submittal process
One significant feature of the system is its transfer
speed. That is, to increase downloading speed. It is Rather than the postal system, electronic tender
recommended that tender authorities prepare docu- submitting process uses the Internet to deliver bidding
ments in a concise format, such as Tiff G4 image materials. Therefore, transmission speed is critical.
format. Also, faster Internet connections, such as Compared to the tender obtaining process, bidding
ISDN and ADSL are recommended. Moreover, the documents are submitted primarily through uploading.
user’s system should support downloading in seg-
ments, which assists venders to download parts of
the documents when the traffic is busy and download Table 1
Limitations and solutions of electronic tender system
the remainder when the traffic is low.
Items Limitations Solutions
Also, conventional paper documents should be
transformed into electronic formats. It is recommended (1) undeniable and using the signature private
confidentiality of key of tenders
that tender authorities employ commonly used editing
tender documents
tools, such as MS Office, to enable ready opening and (2) confidentiality of private key for tender opening
reading without requiring additional software. tender documents is available only when opening
Obtaining tender documents electronically reduces prior to opening commences
printing costs. Furthermore, once documents are (3) security of tender opening key is shared
preserving tender between the host and
uploaded, the tender obtaining process is complete
opening key the supervisor
and venders only need to download documents when (4) networking documents can be downloaded
needed. The cost of producing documents for tender bandwidth in segments with faster
authorities can be included into designing fees. connections, such as ADSL
An HTML index, which is included in download- (5) fairness of opening private key is held separately to
tender document ensure fairness
able documents, is designed to facilitate electronic
(6) verification tender documents can be
procurement document browsing. Notably, this file lists of tender reviewed through monitors
the corresponding document’s filename and includes documents or printed in paper format
hyperlinks to select files. Via our system, venders can (7) bidding deposit enable electronic deposits
browse the contents of tender documents quickly, verification
(8) verifying tender the system stores qualification,
which is a convenient feature of electronic documents.
documents specification, and bid information
Anonymity is the most prominent feature of elec- in multistage separately; information can be
tronic tenders. Conventionally, venders had to obtain decoded in multistage depending
tender documents in person, which may result in bid on case requirement
collusion. Alternately, via the electronic process, vend- (9) updating tender display online
progress
ers can execute all required processes through the
 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742
The system also permits segmented file uploading.
Similarly, bidding documents must be in an electronic
format. Some specific documents, such as business
registration forms and tax receipts, can be scanned
initially into an electronic format and stored for future
use [4,5]. Furthermore, Government Electric Procure-
ment System (GEPS) CA can help recognize vender
qualification. These certificates are equivalent to qual-
ification documents. Thus, vender qualification is
examined upon GEPS certificate application.
Bidding deposit submission is another significant
step in tender submitting process. Vender can go to the
banks providing this service to get an electronic file
confirming deposit submission. Notably, this file must
be submitted along with other bidding documents.
Electronic procurement documents use electronic
signatures to represent vender acknowledgement. This
process is accomplished via GEPS CA. Upon certifi-
cate receipt, venders are granted a corresponding
Fig. 4. Flow chart of opening of tenders.
737
private key, which is employed to sign tender docu-
ments. Owing to its unduplicated property, the private
key is more secure than traditional stamps. Coding
techniques are applied to achieve security. Triple DES
Key, which is RSA coded with government authorities
public key, must code all documents. Therefore, only
the owner of the very private key can access file
contents. Moreover, electronic bidding documents
forwarded to the networking center contain no vender
information. Prior to tender opening, bidders are
anonymous and venders’ rights are secure.
One limitation, which is common in both conven-
tional and electronic procurement processes, is deter-
mining whether or not the tender document meets
tender authority requirements. That is, tender author-
ities require venders to fill empty columns but not to
alter conditions and regulations text. Unless the docu-
ment bears official stamps, venders within the tradi-
tional process can duplicate files and alter its contents.
738 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742
In electronic processing, documents may be changed in
editing process no matter if the vender is doing that on
purpose or not. This problem remains unsolved. Thus,
the only preventative measure is to examine documents
manually when opening tenders. Since the networking
center retains the original documents as well as elec-
tronic signatures that were uploaded by tender author-
ities, the networking center can examine and compare
files as the third party if disputes arise. Fig. 3 presents
the flow chart of tender submitting process.
5. Tender opening process
Table 1 lists limitations and corresponding solu-
tions that may occur during the transition from con-
ventional to electronic tender opening. The system
downloads bidding documents both completely and
partially. Tender authorities can choose their prefer-
ence according to their connection speed and require-
ments. When tenders are opened, both tender host and
supervisor must be presented to engage the process.
Therefore, in our system, four parties share the private
key. Any two of the four parts can reconstruct the
original private key. The tender opening host, super-
visor, and two correspondents hold these four key
parts. When bidding documents are opened, tender
authorities will request the bid-opening keys from the
networking center. Once the networking center
receives the request, it will determine whether it is
due. If overdue, the networking center will refuse to
deliver bid-opening keys from venders; otherwise,
files containing venders’ bid-opening keys will be
forwarded to tender authorities via e-mail. Tender
authorities can employ their key to open these files
and use venders’ keys to disclose bidding information.
Based on various tender opening procedures, bids can
be opened immediately or in several stages. Hence,
the system is designed to open tender qualification,
specification, and bids individually. Depending on the
specifications of each case, the tender authority can
therefore disclose this information in whole or in part.
Once the bidding documents are decoded, bidding
information can be reviewed via browsers. The system
enables document viewing and printing.
Prior to submitting bidding documents, venders
must apply for the electronic deposit certificate from
banks and enclose this file in the qualification docu-
ments. When opening tender, tender authorities must
download related details regarding deposit certificates
from a networking center. Tender authorities can then
compare the serial numbers of the deposit certificate
issued by banks and the one included in the qualifi-
cation documents. Also, the electronic signature of the
deposit certificate will be examined to ensure its
validity. Fig. 4 displays the flow chart for the tender
opening process.
6. Comparison of electronic procurement systems
with other countries
This research collects the information about func-
tion charts of electronic procurement systems used in
the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Aus-
tralia, and EC as tabulated in Table 2. According to
the table, most systems are used on providing procure-
ment information, receiving bidding information and
venders’ catalogs, and using purchase cards on pro-
curement of small items. The electronic procurement
system used in the R.O.C. has similar features like
other countries such as electronic catalogs, price
inquiring/submitting system, and the government pro-
curement information publishing system. In addition,
this system further enhances its functionality by con-
necting the procurement authorities, GCA, financial
institutions, payment interface, and venders through
the network service center to process jobs online such
as bidding receiving/submitting, deposit withholding,
and bidding opening. The whole governmental pro-
curement process can be totally digitalized into a
paperless environment regardless of procurement
budget amount. It is not only easy for use and main-
tenance, but is also expendable with a high efficiency.
It secures information with multiple protecting meas-
ures and stops criminal actions such as bid collusion.
Since the establishment of the electronic procure-
ment system on January 1, 2001, the subsystem of
obtaining tender documentations has been operated.
Until September 28, 2001, 18,015 tenders have been
registered to the network service center from govern-
ment entities nationwide and 58,558 bidding docu-
ments have been received via Internet. Furthermore,
our government requires that the rates of electronic
bidding receiving/submitting cases should meet 15%
and 5% increases before the end of 2002 for the central
 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742
Table 2
Comparison of governmental electronic procurement system
Country Governmental electronic
procurement system
United States FACNET
FACNET applies to open procurement
processes if simplified procurement
process requirement is met [1]
Electronic catalogue [4]
Canada MERX
MERX applies to open procurement
processes and some limited procurement
processes [8]
Australia Transigo
Transigo applies to open and limited
procurement processes [4,7]
Singapore GTS
Venders are not required to use GTS and
GTS is used for open procurement only
GITIS
GITIS applies to all new procurement
information accessing and bidding
submitting services, including open,
selected, and limited procurement
processes [6]
MIPS
MIPS applies to defense related open,
selected, and limited procurement
processes [6]
Japan JETRO
JETRO applies to open and limited
procurement processes [4]
Euro SIMAP
SIMAP applies to open and limited
procurement processes
TED database
TED database also applies to open and
limited procurement processes [3,9,11]
R.O.C. Electronic tendering system
(Taiwan) This system applies to open,
selective, and limited procurement
739
Functions
(1) Announcing governmental procurement opportunities
(2) Providing related governmental procurement information
(3) Accepting bidding electronically
(4) Processing online payment toward venders
(5) Collecting related governmental procurement information
(1) Contracts with pre-established business arrangements with industry
(2) A way to identify and order goods and services
(3) Sufficient and timely information to compare the items offered by
performance, price, and delivery
(4) Mechanisms for vender payment, including, where possible,
government purchase cards
(1) With built-in procurement matching system, venders can be
informed immediately with appropriate procurement cases and receiving
related information
(2) Accepting bidding electronically
(3) Providing documents to venders, confirming orders online, and
inquiring buyers’ ordering history
(1) Publishing federal government procurement gazette and process
electronically
(2) Inquiring related information about federal government procurements
(3) Accepting online orders
GTS: supply government procurement bidding invitation, publishing
updated procurement news, bidder name, and bidding submission,
as well as winning bidder and price (in 1998, GTS stopped operation
because Teleview system was no longer in use)
GITIS: providing online procurement information, bidding processing,
government procurement handbook, and application form government
procurement vender registration
MIPS: the defense department online procurement system provides
browsing, price inquiring, bidding submission, and receives buying
orders according to encoded defense department public key with
digital certificate identity confirmation
Supplying information such as government procurement announcement,
item category, construction category, procurement institution and
location, announcement publication date, application deadline, bidding
winner announcement dates, and procurement announcement dates
SIMAP: providing government procurement related information and
new procurement cases
TED database: providing database of electronic bidding news,
digitalized procurement announcement, procurement information,
winning bidder information. It contains all procurement data files
since 1986 and is updated daily during weekdays
Electronic tendering system: digitalizing procurement and bidding
submission documents, which can be retrieved and submitted online
(continued on next page)
740 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742
Table 2 (continued)
Country Governmental electronic
procurement system
Electronic catalogue system
applies to equipment procurements
below budget NT$1,000,000
Government procurement
information system
this system applies to open,
selected, and limited procurement
and the local governments, respectively. We believe
that the Electric Signature Act will be enacted in the
near future and therefore put the bidding submitting/
opening system into action.
Contents about the system’s technical issues will
be shown in Fig. 5.
7. Lesson learned in Taiwan
The number of Internet users in Taiwan is more than
7 million, which is about 32% of the total population.
Taiwan is going to join the WTO as a member and will
sign GPA to build a non-boundary purchasing environ-
ment among other countries. For the purpose of admin-
istration innovation, the Taiwan government is
computerizing the purchasing system of the public
construction through the progress of Information Tech-
nology in order to be more efficient and open. The
problems that the system might be facing and the
solutions to the problems have been stated in Section
2. The electronic procurement system is basically a
digitalized format of the conventional procurement
process and works in a more open and more efficient
fashion.
The range of the system will be expanded. The
subsystem of tendering and opening of tenders will
be in use, soon after the approval of Electronic Sig-
nature Act from the Legislation Yuan. By comparing
the electronic information system, electronic cata-
Functions
Electronic catalog system:
(1) Electronic catalog information about product descriptions,
specifications, prices, and features. It not only saves paper cost but
can also be updated quickly. Furthermore, products can be categorized
for quicker inquiring
(2) Electronic price inquiring/submitting system publishes
governmental equipment procurements, which has budget amount
below NT$1,000,000
(3) Venders can submit price directly through the Internet to the
procurement entity
Government procurement information system: providing information
about government procurement announcement, classification,
procurement entity and address, deadline for requesting tender
documentation and bidding, means of requesting tender documentation,
vender requirements, contract deadline, budgets,
winning bid price, winning venders, and debarred venders
logues, and purchasing cards of others countries, the
electronic procurement system presented here has
several advantages as follows [4,5]:
(1) it establishes an open, fair, transparent, and
efficient environment for government procurement;
(2) it renders the procurement process more open
and transparent, and thus reduces the possibility of
bid collusion;
(3) it simplifies the procurement process, reduces
paperwork, and enhances procurement efficiency;
(4) it facilitates business opportunities and encour-
ages suppliers’ participation in government pro-
curement;
(5) it encourages venders’ participation and
reduces transaction costs;
(6) it enhances the application of electronic
techniques.
The system needs the followings to become more
effective.
(a) Legislation of Electric Signature Act: this Act
should be done as soon as possible to solve legal
issues about electronic signatures and procurement
paper documents.
(b) Establishment of online certificate authorization
system: there are many CAs established in Taiwan.
However, Root CA is needed to integrate existing
CAs. For governmental procurement, the Chunghwa
Telecom CA (GCA) is used temporarily.
 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742 741

Fig. 5. System framework of software environment.

(c) Network environment requires further upgrade:
a high-speed network is critical in avoiding network
jams and has not been fully constructed in Taiwan.
(d) More training is needed: the security measures of
this system are pretty complete. However, it depends on
how well the users (including government authorities
and venders) can accept and use information technol-
ogy to fully utilize this system. Therefore, it is impor-
tant to take more training and marketing measures.
8. Conclusions
Several conditions are required to ensure the suc-
cess of the tender obtaining and submittal processes of
the system proposed herein. Firstly, the electronic
procurement process must resemble conventional pro-
curement processes. Secondly, complete measures
should be developed to digitalize documents. Thirdly,
security control measures must adhere to government
procurement regulations. Fourthly, measures must
ensure application fee and deposit submitting process
security. However, the most significant step is con-
stant avocation and training to guide procurement
associates to operate the electronic system. In this
study, the system’s operation was described compre-
hensively. Solutions for relevant problems to execute
electronic procurement were presented, and the intro-
duction of electronic commerce was adopted. In
addition, this system integrates the structure of various
742 T.S. Liao et al. / Automation in Construction 11 (2002) 731–742
electronic commerce services, including tender invita-
tion document preparation, uploading, tender obtain-
ing, submitting, and opening subsystems. Owing to
this system, procurement efficiency is increased and
bid collusion possibility is reduced. Thus, vender
participation is encouraged and nation competitive
ability is increased. In the future, business-to-business
electronic commerce applications can be developed
furthermore.
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