Contract boom: government purchases from the self-employed set a record in 2025
By the end of 2025, the volume of purchases by government customers from the self-employed exceeded 48.3 billion rubles. According to the press service of the SME Corporation, this is almost four times more than a year earlier. At the same time, the number of self-employed people who signed contracts increased by about 30% over the year and collectively exceeded 12 thousand suppliers. Izvestia investigated which factors became the key drivers of the sharp increase in the volume of purchases, in which industries the participation of the self-employed turned out to be most in demand and why, as well as what legal changes could further stimulate the participation of the self-employed.
Work costs
The self-employed are consistently strengthening their positions as suppliers of goods and services to state-owned companies operating under Federal Law No. 223, Alexander Isaevich, CEO of the SME Corporation, told Izvestia. The dynamics shows steady growth: annual figures consistently exceed the results of previous years. This suggests not a short-term surge in interest, but a systemic expansion of the role of the self-employed in the procurement practices of major government agencies.
In the period from 2019 to 2025, 4,803 state-owned companies signed 66,339 contracts with 27,808 self-employed. The total volume of such transactions reached 72.7 billion rubles, and the list of purchased goods and services included 86,120 different items.
— In 2025, the volume of purchases by state-owned companies from self-employed citizens within the framework of 223-FZ reached 48.3 billion rubles (+36.4 billion rubles by 2024). The number of self—employed who signed contracts with state-owned companies amounted to 12,088, and the number of signed contracts exceeded 28,000," he said. — Almost 49% of the total volume accounted for services in the field of finance and insurance.
Construction and transportation works, scientific and technical services, advertising and marketing research, computer equipment supplies, as well as activities in the entertainment industry are also among the most in demand areas, Alexander Isaevich specified.
According to him, the expansion of preferential treatment previously available to small and medium-sized businesses for the self-employed has significantly simplified their access to procurement by state-owned companies under 223-FZ and has become one of the factors contributing to the growth of such contracts. The current regulatory mechanisms will continue to maintain positive dynamics, both in terms of the total cost of purchases and the number of suppliers operating in the NAP status.
The increase in purchases from the self-employed can largely be explained by the transformation of the labor market, Sergei Katyrin, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. Businesses are increasingly using the project-based format of interaction, while some qualified professionals prefer self-employed status to traditional employment.
At the same time, according to him, the shortage of personnel in practice-oriented and IT areas is increasing. Under these conditions, the involvement of the self-employed through procurement mechanisms makes it possible to quickly compensate for staff shortages without increasing fixed costs.
"According to our estimates, the most in demand are the self-employed in IT services, digital support, training, consulting, marketing, and applied work," he noted. — These areas do not require a complex infrastructure, but they need qualified performers, whom the market effectively finds in this segment.
Changing conditions
The key impetus was the adoption of amendments that equated the self-employed to SMEs in the procurement system under 223-FZ, Egor Diashov, chairman of the Financial Markets Commission of the Moscow State Agricultural Organization Opora Russia, told Izvestia. As part of these changes, state-owned companies are required to direct at least 25% of purchases to goods and services for small and medium-sized businesses. Additionally, for the self—employed, reduced payment terms were fixed — up to seven working days - and reduced requirements for securing applications.
— Simplification of access to trading also played a significant role. A significant part of small purchases are carried out through electronic storefronts and marketplaces in the format of quick off—the-shelf transactions, which reduces the entry barrier," he noted.
To participate, a self-employed person usually needs to register in the My Taxes application and have an electronic signature, without preparing a complex set of documents. The lack of staff costs, an office and a relatively low tax burden allow them to form more competitive price offers, the expert believes. An additional advantage for customers is the absence of obligations to pay insurance premiums.
— The most noticeable increase in purchases was recorded in the areas of financial services, supplies of finished products, transport services, equipment repairs, construction, insurance and advertising. The demand for the self—employed in these segments is largely related to the ability to attract specialists for specific tasks or projects without expanding the permanent staff," he said.
In addition, the self-employed are able to quickly perform small but urgent work, and settlements with them are simplified and carried out on the basis of receipts, without complex personnel and accounting support.
In his opinion, new legal solutions could provide an additional incentive to expand the participation of the self-employed in public procurement. In particular, the feasibility of creating special funds or subsidies that would help the self-employed to participate in larger contracts is being discussed.
— The issue of raising the annual income limit set at 2.4 million rubles also remains relevant, since participation in large—scale tenders can lead to its rapid excess and loss of status, - the expert noted. — A separate analysis also requires the possibility of reviewing restrictions on the resale of goods and intermediary activities, which currently narrow the range of available purchasing niches for the self-employed.
The main competitive advantage of the self-employed remains the minimal tax burden, which allows them to compete confidently in the market for public procurement of goods and services, Valery Alekseev, head of the Popular Front's Bureau of Investigation, told Izvestia.
"Against the background of increasing fiscal pressure on traditional forms of small business, we can expect further strengthening of the positions of the self—employed, primarily in the segment of small government and municipal contracts," he believes. — This trend has already been identified and, most likely, will be more clearly confirmed by the end of the year.
Despite the measures already taken, there remains a need for further optimization of procurement procedures, an expert from the Faculty of Economics of the RUDN University told Izvestia. Patrice Lumumba Ushkats Tatiana Dmitrievna. Bureaucratic difficulties, lack of transparency of the rules of participation, as well as risks associated with financing and timely payment, continue to constrain the involvement of the self-employed and limit their potential for broader participation in procurement.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Energy, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
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