Tag: WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

Biden Team Pulls Proposed GPA Modification to Remove Medicines

The Biden trade team has reversed an order issued by former President Trump to remove essential medicines from U.S. coverage under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). In an April 16 filing with the WTO, the United States withdrew

U.S. GPA Modification Proposal Moves to Arbitration

The European Union and seven other parties to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) have, for the first time, requested the use of arbitration to resolve their objections to a proposed withdrawal of procurement from the Agreement. On March 26, they

Senators Urge Suspension of Compliance with Trade Pacts for Covid-19 Aid

A group of Senate Democrats has asked President Biden to suspend waivers of “Buy American and other domestic procurement preferences” for countries that are parties to trade agreements for procurement using Covid-19 funding. This post considers the role

Saudi Arabia: Unfulfilled Promise to Join WTO Procurement Pact

In the WTO’s third review of Saudi Arabia’s trade policies and practices, a number of members requested information on its plans to join the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), as it promised to do when it became a WTO member 15 years ago. This post

Procurement Developments in 2020

A paper, Converging Procurement Systems: Developments in 2020, presented at the annual Thomas Reuters Government Contracts Year in Review Conference in February, examined key developments in the international procurement arena in 2020. They

Biden Team Supports US Proposal to Withdraw Medicines from GPA

When the Trump administration ended, one of the issues that it left for the incoming administration was its proposal to withdraw a broad list of medicines and related products from U.S. commitments under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement

Biden’s Made in America Order

On January 25, President Biden issued his first Made in America order, aimed at maximizing the use of goods, products and materials produced in, and services offered in, the United States in federal financial assistance awards and federal procurement. It

Trump’s Buy American Legacy

During his term, President Trump issued a number of Buy American directives. Of those that proposed concrete action, two have been enshrined in U.S. regulations, one that would reduce U.S. commitments under international agreements is pending and another was

UK-EU Trade Agreement: Procurement

On January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom both implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union that defines their post-Brexit trade relationship and became an independent party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). The FTA is part

China: Revising Government Procurement Law

On December 8th, China’s Ministry of Finance invited public comments (by January 5, 2021) on its proposed revision of the Government Procurement Law (GPL), one of its primary procurement laws. The proposal seeks, inter alia, to promote the integration of