Tag: US FTAs

Canada Seeks “Buy America” Exemptions

Canada has launched a multi-front approach to “Buy America” policies that includes seeking exemptions from both current and future policies. A special committee of the Canadian Parliament has called on the Canadian government to seek “a full

US-Kenya FTA Negotiations: Procurement

On July 8, the United States and the Republic of Kenya launched negotiations of a free trade agreement (FTA). Both countries have set out their objectives for the negotiations. The U.S. aims for government procurement mirror its objectives for the

Opening Procurement Markets: WTO GPA & Regional Agreements

A paper examines the prospects for increasing the membership of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement beyond countries such as China and Russia with commitments to join the GPA. It contrasts the role of bilateral and regional trade agreements (RTAs) in

U.S. Procurement Thresholds for 2018-19

On December 11th, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the U.S. dollar values of the thresholds that will apply in 2018 and 2019 to U.S. federal and state procurement covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and free trade

Survey of Transitional Measures in US FTAs

The recently concluded Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) permits several parties to apply a wide array of transitional and other special measures to facilitate the opening of their government procurement markets. Such measures have been incorporated into other

Anti-Corruption Provisions for 21st Century FTAs

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A recent posting recommended the inclusion of strong anti-corruption provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). In a related posting on the FCPA blog, Nadine Tushe has considered the evolution of anti-corruption provisions in

Establishing the GPA in Latin America

Chile, Colombia or Peru should lead Latin America into the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. The 43 WTO members covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) do not include any members from Latin America. Moreover, only four Latin American

Buy American Requirements in Federal Financial Assistance to Sub-federal Entities

The U.S. has used different approaches in its procurement agreements with regard to domestic purchasing requirements attached to federal funds. A recent posting examined U.S. treatment of “buy American” requirements that apply to federal government

Opening Malaysia’s Procurement under TPP Will Require Flexibility

The TPP parties should use a variety of tools to address Malaysia’s concerns with opening its government procurement under the TPP.  According to recent press reports, Malaysia is “wary” of procurement commitments in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

Anti-corruption Provisions for Procurement in TTIP

The TTIP Procurement Chapter should incorporate strong anti-corruption provisions. A new European Commission report, which examined corruption in the European Union (EU), concluded that public procurement in the Member States is particularly prone to