ENHANCING FISCAL EFFICIENCY THROUGH PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IN UZBEKISTAN: COMPETITION, PRICE BENCHMARKING, AND DIGITAL FINANCIAL CONTROL

Public procurement is a key mechanism through which public financial resources are converted into goods, works, and services. Its efficiency directly influences budget expenditure, fiscal discipline, and the quality of public financial management. This study examines Uzbekistan's public procurement system from the perspective of fiscal efficiency, with particular emphasis on competition, market-based price formation, digitalization, and risk-based financial control. The analysis draws on national legislation and official information available as of March 2026, supplemented by international empirical research on public procurement. Particular attention is given to the transition from conventional electronic procurement systems to market-price benchmarking and data-driven financial control mechanisms. The findings indicate that Uzbekistan's regulatory framework increasingly integrates procurement procedures with competitive practices, budgetary savings, supplier participation, and price monitoring. The introduction of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based average market-price determination mechanism represents an important transition from evaluating procurement savings against administratively established starting prices to assessing procurement prices using market-based information. The study concludes that the fiscal effectiveness of this mechanism will depend on the reliability of pricing data, the development of effective competition, and the integration of procurement processes with public financial control systems.