State Procurement Agency announced that Georgia’s National Wine Agency plans to allocate GEL 1.4 million in 2026 for laboratory testing and related services through a simplified (direct) procurement procedure.
The agency explains that standard competitive tenders are unsuitable due to the specific nature of wine laboratory testing. Under current regulations, wine producers independently select accredited laboratories to carry out mandatory analyses required for product certification. To effectively supervise compliance, the Wine Agency must analyze control samples in the same laboratories used by producers, as testing methodologies and technical parameters can differ significantly from one laboratory to another.
The agency stated that conducting tests in different laboratories could produce discrepancies large enough to hinder the accurate detection of violations. Competitive tender procedures, which typically result in contracting a single laboratory, would therefore limit the agency’s ability to verify results generated across multiple facilities.
The documentation also shows capacity constraints. During peak production periods, the number of samples collected is so high that no single laboratory could process them within required deadlines, potentially delaying certification and regulatory oversight.
In addition, the agency plans to engage experienced international organizations to support data analysis and strengthen monitoring mechanisms. Taking these operational, technical, and timing considerations into account, the National Wine Agency concludes that simplified procurement is essential for the effective implementation of its ‘Wine Laboratory Research’ subprogram.
