Why the 4th Round Opening September 21 Demands Preparation Now
Performance Certification (EPC) is a program through which the government verifies the performance of technology-developed products made by Korean SMEs. The 4th round of 2026 runs from September 21 to October 14, and because document review, on-site inspection, and performance testing typically take around 90 days, certificates are expected to be issued in January 2027.
Under a system with four intake rounds per year, missing this one pushes your application to the first round of the following year and delays certification by roughly six months. That delay hurts because public institutions finalize their procurement plans early in the year. Most agencies establish annual purchasing plans in January and February and allocate their mandatory SME product purchase ratios then. A certificate received in January can make it into that year's plan; one received in June waits for the next. The right way to choose your round is not "when will we be ready" but working backward from which year's procurement plan you need to be on.
One more point deserves attention. EPC review follows a different logic from R&D project evaluation. Where R&D evaluation asks how innovative a technology is, EPC asks whether you can prove you actually achieved the performance you claim. Companies that submit a proposal emphasizing technical novelty frequently receive requests for supplementation.
Eligibility: Which of the 13 Technology-Developed Product Categories Applies to You
EPC covers technology-developed products created by SMEs, and the qualifying categories are defined in advance. The most common types are:
Excluded from application are pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, agricultural and fishery products, firearms and explosives, and products assembled entirely from imported core components. These are rejected before review even begins, meaning all preparation time is lost. The first step in any application should always be category determination and exclusion screening.
The most frequently cited weakness at the document stage is what practitioners call the technology-to-product linkage argument. If you cannot show, through drawings and a mapping table, which component of the product embodies which patent claim and how that embodiment contributes to performance, reviewers will conclude the product does not sufficiently apply the technology — even though you hold the right.
EPC, Innovative Products, and PPS Excellent Products: Differences and Sequencing
The three programs differ in purpose, reviewing authority, and benefits, and they do not overlap.
| Program | Authority | Core Focus | Key Benefits |
|---------|-----------|-----------|--------------|
| EPC | Ministry of SMEs and Startups | Verified performance | Priority purchase eligibility, basis for private contracts |
| Innovative Product | Public Procurement Service | Innovation, public demand | Pilot purchase, buyer indemnification |
| Excellent Procurement Product | Public Procurement Service | Quality and technical capability | Multiple award schedule contracts, catalog listing |
In practice, the natural sequence is EPC first, then Excellent Procurement Product, because holding EPC counts toward the technical evaluation in the latter's review. EPC brings your product into the scope of priority purchasing by public institutions under the Act on Facilitation of Purchase of SME Products, and establishes grounds for private contracts below certain purchase thresholds. Escaping a structure where you compete on price alone in open bidding is the real value.
Certifications you already hold — ISO 9001, Venture Business confirmation, INNO-BIZ — also contribute. They are not EPC requirements themselves, but they are viewed favorably in the quality management portion of the on-site inspection and later translate into credibility points in procurement evaluations.
Performance Metrics and Test Reports: What Separates Passes from Rejections
Performance metrics must satisfy three conditions at once: measurable, reproducible, and verifiable by a third party. A statement like "excellent durability" is not a metric. It must read like "performance degradation of 3% or less after 5,000 hours of operation under identical conditions, versus an 8% average for competing products" — with both the comparison target and the measurement conditions stated.
The most common scheduling bottleneck is the accredited testing institution's report. Depending on the test item, the queue alone can run three to four weeks and the testing itself two to six weeks. Working backward from the October 14 deadline, the test request should have been submitted during August. If you have not yet submitted one, check the testing institution's schedule before deciding whether this round is realistic.
On-site inspection focuses less on the product than on production capacity and quality management systems. Inspectors check whether process diagrams match actual equipment, whether inspection standards and inspection reports exist, how nonconforming products are recorded and handled, and whether incoming material inspection histories are maintained. Quality systems that exist only on paper surface at this stage.
After Certification: A Certificate Alone Does Not Open Markets
Certification is not revenue. Purchasing officers at public institutions have to know your product exists before they can buy it. Listing on the KONEPS shopping mall, registration on the SME public procurement information network, and distributing product briefing materials to demand agencies are the immediate tasks after certification.
Maintenance obligations follow as well. The certificate carries a validity period requiring renewal before expiration, and changes to product specifications, production facilities, or quality management systems trigger a reporting obligation. Delivering products that differ from the certified specification can be grounds for revocation.
KITIM supports the full process — category determination and exclusion screening, building the technology-to-product linkage argument, designing performance metrics and coordinating testing schedules, preparing for on-site inspection, and after certification, procurement platform listing and market development with public institutions. There is not much time left before the September 21 opening. If you need help deciding whether this round is feasible or whether you should target the next one and start with test reports, please request a consultation now.