Tag: WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

Biden Administration Proposes End to Highway Waiver

The Biden administration wants to eliminate a Buy America waiver that has allowed the purchase of foreign manufactured goods for use in highway projects since the 1980s. In his State-of-the-Union address on March 7, 2024, President Biden declared “’Buy

Key Procurement Developments in 2023

A recently published briefing paper outlines key developments in international procurement that may be of particular interest to US suppliers. The paper, Key International Procurement Developments in 2023, published by Thomson Reuters, outlines activities in

EU Targets Chinese Firm in First Foreign Subsidies Investigation

The European Commission has launched its first in-depth investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) to determine whether a Chinese state-owned firm submitted an unduly advantageous offer in a Bulgarian train procurement as the

UAE Agreements: Flexible Procurement Provisions

Beginning in 2022, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) implemented trade agreements with India, Israel, Indonesia, and Türkiye. In these agreements, the UAE has not insisted on uniform government procurement commitments. Rather, it has agreed to a broad range of

2023 Developments in International Procurement

In 2023, the liberalization of procurement markets generally outpaced domestic protectionism with some worrisome signs. Evidence of liberalization was seen in the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which added its first new member in four years and

WTO Procurement Committee Opens Negotiating Files

The WTO procurement committee, which oversees the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), has advanced significantly the transparency of its work. It has opened the files on the negotiations of the 2012 revision of the plurilateral agreement. This major

GPA Parties Criticize OMB Infrastructure Guidance

Parties to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), led by the European Union  and echoed by Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, criticized US  implementation of the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) at a

North Macedonia Implements WTO Procurement Agreement

North Macedonia became the 49th WTO member to implement the plurilateral WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) on October 30th, four years after the last accession (Australia in 2019). The accession fulfills a commitment made by North

Preferences and Unilateral Measures in Public Procurement

A paper examines how preferences and unilateral measures impacting procurement are creating tensions in the international trading system. These measures are extending beyond the procurement sector and its international disciplines. They are being

China’s New Investment Guidelines: Procurement

China issued new investment guidelines in mid-August in a bid to attract more foreign capital and improve its foreign investment environment. One of the 24 guidelines addresses government procurement. This post considers three elements of the procurement