BISHKEK – Kazakhstan is ready to share its experience in government e-contracting with Kyrgyzstan, a Kazakhstani specialist September 12 said during a Bishkek business forum, media reported the Kyrgyz Finance Ministry press office as saying.

Kazakhstan began using e-contracting about five years ago, Kuat Sultan, methodology director of the Centre for Electronic Commerce (the Kazakhstani government's e-contracting operator), said, according to Vecherny Bishkek, adding that the EU and the World Bank have endorsed the Kazakhstani model. Making government purchases electronically has saved Kazakhstan US $1.3 billion (199.4 billion KZT) since 2009, Sultan said. The government makes about US $15 billion (2.3 trillion KZT) in purchases every year, Sultan said.

Having bidding go through an e-portal eliminates the possibility of bribing a bureaucrat, Sultan said.