The government uses data from the Honest Mark labeling information system to accept goods under government orders

The White House intends to use data from the Honest Mark labeling information system to accept goods under government orders. Integration of labeling systems and government procurement will reduce abuse of government funds, strengthen control over supplies, as well as turnover on the Russian goods market – due to parallel imports, the Russian Federation is faced with a surge in the import of counterfeit goods. A comprehensive solution to the problem of gray imports was associated with the creation by the Ministry of Finance of a goods traceability system, but while it has not yet become fully operational, the use of labeling is expanding.

The Federal Treasury has gained access to data from the Honest Sign monitoring system for labeled goods; they can be used when accepting goods under government orders. Such changes were made to the rules for access to data of the labeling system by government decree No. 2163 of December 15, 2023. The solution will make it possible to strengthen control over government procurement – previously, by introducing electronic actuation for them, the Ministry of Finance had already closed the entire government order cycle in the profile unified information system, from planning to acceptance of goods, but the final stage of contract execution caused difficulties: suppliers complained about non-payment for goods and services (this problem was solved in account of digitalization of procurement), customers – on their quality.

The inclusion of a labeling system in the data control scheme will increase the depth of Treasury analytics for a limited list of goods. Now, let us remind you, the labeling covers 16 product groups, including tires, shoes, clothing, tobacco products, low-alcohol drinks, dairy products and bottled water. As the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies (CRPT; operator of the labeling system) explains to Kommersant, almost all categories of labeled goods will come under control, with the exception of medicines – they can be tracked in the GIS MDLP (monitoring the movement of medicines).

“Integration of the “Honest Sign” with the Treasury is the ability to digitally monitor the public procurement sector, automatically inform state companies and regulatory authorities about an attempt to purchase unsafe or low-quality products, control that allocated funds are spent as needed, the supplier does not inflate prices, goods are not have signs of falsification, are legal, with the correct expiration date. This is also important because through these mechanisms products are purchased for kindergartens, schools, nursing homes and other social institutions,” notes Anton Gushchansky, director of control and supervisory activities of the CRPT, explaining that updating information in real time makes it possible to suppress illegal trafficking schemes goods through a risk-based approach.

Previously, the government had already launched an experiment to monitor the compliance and safety of goods using a labeling system – the mere presence of permits does not guarantee the safety of products (it is impossible to determine which product the document was issued for). Meanwhile, against the backdrop of the legalization of parallel imports, the volumes of counterfeit goods imported into the Russian Federation have increased (see Kommersant, October 7). Before this, it was assumed that the product traceability system created by the Ministry of Finance would clear the domestic market of counterfeit goods. However, with the introduction of sanctions after February 2022, the authorities are also understanding about gray supplies to the Russian Federation – the system has not yet developed to its full potential, and the Ministry of Finance abandoned turnover fines for violations in favor of fixed ones. In the absence of a well-functioning traceability system, the government is expanding the use of marking, linking the system to a wide pool of departments and extending its effect to new markets (electronics, titanium products, cables and fiber optics).

Diana Galieva