China Issues Interim Measures on Emergency Procurement Management
财政部 应急管理部联合印发《紧急采购管理暂行办法》
What happened
On 11 September 2026, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management jointly issued the 《紧急采购管理暂行办法》 to strengthen the capacity to respond to emergencies and other force majeure events and to standardize emergency procurement conduct source. The document, dated 7 September 2026, defines emergency procurement as budget-funded purchases of goods, engineering and services within the centralized procurement catalogue or above the procurement limit by state organs, public institutions and group organizations when existing emergency reserves and transfers are insufficient to meet urgent needs source. The rule clarifies that purchasers shall mainly implement emergency procurement projects on their own and encourages the use of electronic systems, including online direct purchasing and electronic reverse auctions, to improve efficiency and transparency source.
Who is affected
The measures broadly affect Chinese government procurement entities—specifically state organs, public institutions and group organizations at all levels—that may use budget funds for emergency procurement, as well as suppliers and procurement agencies participating in the government procurement market source.
What to do
Review internal emergency procurement protocols to ensure alignment with the internal control, collective deliberation and risk-management requirements introduced by the 《紧急采购管理暂行办法》 source.
Assess whether existing electronic procurement platforms can support expedited procedures such as online direct purchasing and electronic reverse auctions, which the rule encourages to enhance efficiency and transparency source.
Clearly distinguish genuine emergency procurement—triggered only when existing reserves and emergency allocations are insufficient—from pre-arranged contingency or reserve procurement, because the latter remains subject to the 《中华人民共和国政府采购法》 and, for engineering tenders, the 《中华人民共和国招标投标法》 source.
Monitor supplementary guidance or localized implementation rules from provincial finance and emergency management departments, including the possible creation of dedicated emergency-procurement columns on electronic marketplaces source.
Key dates
7 September 2026 – issuance date of the 《紧急采购管理暂行办法》 by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management source.
11 September 2026 – publication date on ccgp.gov.cn source.