Supplying SK-Pharmacia: Kazakhstan medicine procurement rules 2026
How foreign manufacturers sell to SK-Pharmacia in Kazakhstan: price-quotation purchases, 10 working days, apostilled documents, bid guarantees, long-term deals.
Short answer
Medicines for Kazakhstan's guaranteed volume of free medical care (GVFMC) and compulsory social health insurance (CSHI) are bought centrally by the single distributor, SK-Pharmacia. The procedure is set by the Rules approved by Minister of Health Order No. 110 of 7 June 2023 (Ministry of Justice reg. No. 32733); the current text includes the amendments made by Order No. 63 of 2 June 2026. The single distributor can buy by tender, from a single source, directly from Kazakh and foreign manufacturers (request for price quotations), through UN organisations, and under long-term supply contracts. A foreign manufacturer that is not resident in Kazakhstan can be a direct counterparty.
Buying directly from manufacturers
Under para. 211 of the Rules, purchases from Kazakh and foreign manufacturers are made by request for price quotations. SK-Pharmacia publishes the notice on its own website and allows 10 working days for price offers and documents (para. 214). A commission reviews the documents within 20 working days (para. 217); the lowest price offer wins, and offers in foreign currency are converted at the National Bank rate. If this procedure fails, the single distributor holds a tender (para. 228).
Documents from a foreign manufacturer
Para. 215 lists: (1) a price offer stating the INN, dosage form, unit price, quantity, total, Kazakh registration number, trade name, manufacturer, delivery schedule and Incoterms 2020 delivery terms; (2) a document proving legal-entity status under home-country law (plus the registration documents of any branch or representative office in Kazakhstan); (3) the manufacturing licence or permit and, where available, GMP and GDP certificates; (4) the representative's power of attorney. Items 2 and 3 must be legalised or apostilled copies with a notarised translation into Kazakh and/or Russian. The general supplier conditions of para. 9 (e.g. a pharmaceutical activity permit, no tax arrears) do not apply to purchases from foreign manufacturers.
Product requirements
The product must hold Kazakh state registration (with narrow exceptions); its price, including the single distributor's markup, must not exceed the marginal prices set by INN and trade name; labelling, storage and transport must follow Kazakh rules. The Rules also set minimum residual shelf-life thresholds at delivery, as a percentage of the labelled shelf life for products with less than two years' shelf life and in months for longer ones. Check the threshold for your delivery channel and month before you quote.
Tenders and preferences
A tender is used when a purchase from manufacturers fails, or for narcotic and psychotropic medicines (para. 146-1). The notice is published on the web portal in Kazakh and Russian; bids are accepted for 7 working days for 50 or more lots and for 3–5 working days for fewer lots (para. 151). For medicines, a bid guarantee of at least 1% of the lot value is required. Suppliers holding GMP, GDP or GPP certificates obtained under the applicable requirements have a preference, and Kazakh and EAEU manufacturers have priority in certain cases (paras. 14–21).
Long-term contracts
Long-term supply contracts (up to 10 years, extendable by up to 3 years) are a localisation tool: eligible counterparties are manufacturers producing in Kazakhstan, customers of contract manufacturing of original patented medicines, and companies planning to build or modernise production in Kazakhstan. The June 2026 amendments link the term to the depth of localisation (the longest, 10 years, for production that includes the active-substance stage) and allow up to 5 years from signing to the start of supply. For an exporter without a local production project, the realistic routes are the price-quotation procedure and tenders. CSC follows SK-Pharmacia procurement notices; to request a quote, please use the Medicine Request Form on our website.
Source: Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 110 of 7 June 2023 (Ministry of Justice reg. No. 32733), paras. 2, 9, 11, 14–21, 146-1, 151, 172, 211–228 (adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V2300032733; current consolidated text on zakon.uchet.kz); Order of the Minister of Health No. 63 of 2 June 2026 amending Order No. 110 (zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/V2600038890).