Chromebook Case Hearing: LKPP Deputy Concerned Over Procurement Using Negotiation Method
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Deputy for Law and Dispute Resolution of the Government Goods/Services Procurement Policy Agency (LKPP), Setya Budi Arijanta, admitted to being concerned that many procurements in the e-catalogue predominantly use the negotiation method rather than mini-competitions.
Setya conveyed this when asked for his opinion as an expert in the continuation of the trial for the alleged corruption case of Chromebook-based laptop procurement within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.
“In practice, we are somewhat concerned; rarely do they choose mini-competitions. They choose only negotiation,” Setya stated during the hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Thursday (2/4/2026).
This method is deemed more suitable because many officials tasked with the selection stage, whether the Selection Team (Pokmil) or the Commitment Making Officer (PPK), cannot properly negotiate with product owners.
“That’s why we promote mini-competitions because the Pokmil and PPK, the procurement officials, I mean the PPK, many of them lack the capacity to negotiate properly,” Setya explained.
Based on LKPP’s monitoring results, many e-catalogue procurement outcomes result in prices higher than the market.
“Even some are four times the market price. Why does this happen? Because the negotiation is only half an hour, the negotiation is only three hours. If they have the proper negotiation capacity, sir, it shouldn’t be just half an hour,” Setya added.
Former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim is charged with causing a state financial loss of Rp 2.1 trillion in the alleged corruption case of Chromebook-based laptop procurement.
This act was carried out jointly with three other defendants, namely former technology consultant of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ibrahim Arief, former Director of Junior High Schools Mulyatsyah, and former Director of Primary Schools Sri Wahyuningsih.
The calculation of state losses is divided into two components: the procurement of Chromebook-based laptops and the procurement of Chrome Device Management (CDM).
Prosecutors assess that the CDM procurement harmed the state because it was unnecessary and not required in the Ministry’s Education Digitalisation Programme at that time.
Additionally, the Chromebook procurement process is also deemed problematic due to not undergoing proper feasibility studies.