Digital prequalification of contractors in public procurement law: A contemporary model for boosting efficiency and transparency

he prequalification of contractors and suppliers of public administration is crucial for enhancing efficiency and transparency in public procurement law (Ayobami et al., 2024). It reduces processing time, minimizes human errors, and ensures objective evaluations. The UAE has developed an advanced digital model for supplier prequalification. According to the Government of the United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Finance (2024), an integrated platform allows suppliers to register and submit documents electronically, reducing paperwork, expediting evaluations, and ensuring competitive selection. The UAE platform utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze documents, assess financial solvency, and evaluate technical capabilities per official standards. Prequalification announcements are published digitally and in major newspapers to ensure broad accessibility (Aboelazm & Ramadan, 2023). This system enhances efficiency, ensures document accuracy, and improves transparency in supplier selection. Despite these advantages, the research addresses a key concern: balancing digital prequalification with supplier rights and procedural fairness. It examines whether AI-driven evaluations maintain fair competition and prevent unjust exclusions. By analyzing these aspects, this study provides legal insights to refine digital prequalification for efficiency and fairness. This study also provides legal insights to refine digital prequalification in the UAE, emphasizing the need for clear safeguards regulating AI-based evaluations. Accordingly, the paper proceeds through literature review, methodology, analysis, and conclusions.