The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Cabinet Office have published draft rules for hiring private firms to support field engineering on national land improvement projects. Public comment runs from 2 October to 15 October 2026. The draft is a proposal, not an award.
What is on offer. The draft covers two service types. Supervision support has the firm assist the ordering office with design and cost-estimate documents, site checks and inspection attendance. Project promotion adds coordination with survey and design contractors, builders and local stakeholders, with the final decision left to the ordering office. The selection of this work for private competitive bidding traces to a July 2020 cabinet decision on public-service reform.
How bids are scored. Contracts go to the highest combined price and technical score, with the price weighting set at 1.0 times the technical score, adjusted by service content. The proposal portion of the technical score is multiplied by a delivery-certainty factor, a trial feature. Bids below the investigation base price trigger extra documents and a hearing. Winners at those prices must keep the managing engineer on site during outdoor surveying or investigation, and a written warning on that costs five points on the performance rating. Firms that pledge wage rises earn extra points: 3% in average pay per employee for large companies, 1.5% in total payroll for smaller ones. Missing the pledge brings deductions for one year.
The neutrality limit. The winner, and construction or manufacturing companies it is linked to by capital or personnel, cannot enter tenders for the related construction work.
Timetable. Bid notices are planned for late December 2026 to mid-January 2027, with bid opening from mid-February to early March 2027. Contracts start on or after 1 April 2027 for two, three or five years, conditional on the budget for the year starting April 2027 passing.
A companion draft from the Hokkaido Development Bureau covers supervision support in Hokkaido, and requires bidders to have a business base in the region.