Wildberries to test digital procurement platform for Russian schools and kindergartens
In short
Wildberries, part of the RWB group, will launch a digital procurement platform in test mode for state educational institutions, with a maximum single purchase of 5 million rubles, RWB innovation and ecosystem development director Evgeny Etin said at the “Digital Solutions” forum. Kindergartens, schools, colleges and technical schools would buy stationery, household goods, equipment and machinery, with orders fulfilled partly through Wildberries’ logistics. The service follows an experiment on marketplace state procurement that began on 1 October 2026 under law No. 278-FZ.
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Wildberries, part of the combined RWB company, will launch a digital procurement platform for state educational organizations in test mode, RWB innovation and ecosystem development director Evgeny Etin said at the “Digital Solutions” forum. The maximum amount of a single purchase on the platform will be 5 million rubles, according to Vedomosti. RIA Novosti also reported the planned launch. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
State kindergartens, schools, colleges and technical schools would use the platform to buy stationery and household goods, equipment and machinery, Vedomosti reported. CNews said the assortment would be recommended by the Education Ministry and would meet procurement requirements. Orders could be fulfilled partly through Wildberries’ logistics infrastructure, both outlets reported. [ 1 , 3 ]
For sellers, the platform would be an additional sales channel and a way to work with a new segment of customers, CNews reported. Vedomosti said participation would require registration in the Unified Register of Procurement Participants in the EIS and that connection to the service would be free. Sellers would post an offer stating price, quantity, delivery times and terms, after which the platform would match offers to the buyer’s parameters, in a process Vedomosti described as close to ordinary marketplace shopping. [ 1 , 3 ]
The service will first be available to a test group of sellers, after which the company plans to open registration to all partners that meet state procurement requirements, both Vedomosti and CNews reported. Etin said, according to Vedomosti: “In effect we are transferring e-commerce expertise into the sphere of state procurement while preserving the necessary requirements and mechanisms of the procurement process.” [ 1 , 3 ]
The experiment on conducting state procurement through marketplaces started on 1 October 2026 under law No. 278-FZ, Vedomosti reported. CNews said marketplaces listed in the register of digital platform operators under the platform economy law, and included by the government in a corresponding list, would get the right to conduct “off-the-shelf” purchases for kindergartens, schools and colleges. Vedomosti said President Vladimir Putin announced a simplified marketplace procurement system for schools, kindergartens and colleges at the Eastern Economic Forum, and that a platform economy law also took effect on 1 October, providing for a register of intermediary digital platforms and requirements for large online marketplaces. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The platform would move part of Russia’s public procurement for educational institutions onto a commercial marketplace, a segment that is new for sellers on the site. It is one of the first steps under the experiment on marketplace procurement and the platform economy law that took effect on 1 October 2026.
Key facts
- Wildberries, which is part of the RWB group, will launch a digital procurement platform in test mode for state educational organizations. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The maximum amount of a single purchase on the platform will be 5 million rubles. [ 1 , 3 ]
- State kindergartens, schools, colleges and technical schools will be able to buy stationery, household goods, equipment and machinery through the platform. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Orders can be fulfilled partly through Wildberries’ logistics infrastructure. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Connection to the service will be free, and sellers must be registered in the Unified Register of Procurement Participants in the EIS, Vedomosti reported. [ 1 ]
- The experiment on state procurement through marketplaces began on 1 October 2026 under law No. 278-FZ, the same date a platform economy law took effect. [ 1 , 3 ]
- At the first stage the service will be available to a test group of sellers, after which registration is planned to open to all partners meeting state procurement requirements. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The platform will be launched in test mode by Wildberries, part of RWB, for state educational institutions. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The maximum value of a single purchase will be 5 million rubles. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The service is tied to the procurement experiment that took effect on 1 October 2026. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The announcement was made by RWB innovation and ecosystem development director Evgeny Etin at the “Digital Solutions” forum. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the platform is being created under a direct presidential instruction. CNews says the platform is being built on a presidential instruction given at VEF-2026, while Vedomosti says President Vladimir Putin announced a simplified marketplace procurement system for schools, kindergartens and colleges at VEF and links the experiment to law No. 278-FZ, without describing the platform itself as an instruction.
- When the platform will move beyond the test group and open to all sellers, and when the service will launch publicly. Both documents say only that registration will be opened later, without dates.
- Where the “Digital Solutions” forum took place. The documents do not give a city or venue.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Vedomosti publishes its report on the planned Wildberries procurement platform, citing RWB’s Evgeny Etin at the “Digital Solutions” forum. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti publishes a headline report that Wildberries will launch a procurement platform. [ 2 ]
- CNews publishes its report, describing the launch as being carried out on a presidential instruction. [ 3 ]