Abstract
For both the national and local governments of Japan, the law stipulates the lowest price principle as the basis of public
procurement so that competition and proposal in which the highest quality bidder is chosen with the fixed price are
exceptional there.
Because of this rule, the governments, especially local ones, make it a rule to choose the architect who offers the lowest
fee for the designing of even the symbolic building for the locality.
The procurement of the governments of building, landscaping, civil engineering and industrial designs based on the
lowest price, however, tends to neglect the value of the landscape of the city. It would also reduce the opportunity of
fostering talented architects and designers.
The governments thus should choose all the intellectual and innovative creation, except for simple goods and services,
on the basis of quality through competition and proposal by abolishing the lowest price principle.
