Government procurement refers to purchases of goods or services, including consultancies and professional services, construction, maintenance and material supply contracts, facilities contracts, capital equipment and property and leasing arrangements, undertaken by governments for their own consumption.
Government procurement accounts for a significant part of the economy of many countries. Although a government procurement agreement did not form part of the core WTO agreement, a number of WTO member governments signed a plurilateral agreement on government procurement. However, this was optional and did not go far enough for private sector and governments vying for new opportunities for profit and control through the liberalization of this important area. Government procurement provisions in free trade agreements stipulate that governments (national and sub-national) must treat overseas tenders no less favourably than local ones. Many bilateral agreements include provisions which already commit governments to open up this lucrative market to transnational corporations. This issue has been a contentious sticking point for Malaysia in its negotiations with Washington on an FTA and India in its negotiations with the EU. Malaysia’s procurement policy has kept foreign companies from bidding for state contracts, which US negotiators object to.
27-Oct-2005
Gulf Daily News
The European Union and the GCC wound up talks on a long stalled free trade deal yesterday without agreement on opening up the region’s lucrative services sector.
23-Oct-2005
The Age
Australia and New Zealand want a comprehensive free trade agreement with ASEAN, but some ASEAN nations have no competition policy, and reject any negotiations on intellectual property and government procurement.
12-Oct-2005
AAP
Australia’s support of the US in Iraq could help local companies crack the huge US government contract market, an American consultant on the US-Australia FTA says.
10-Sep-2005
Bangkok Post
On liberalising services and investment, Thailand insists on adopting a "positive list" approach, where only those sectors explicitly outlined in the agreement would be opened. The US insists on a "negative list", under which all sectors are on the table except those listed as sensitive.
30-Jun-2005
AU
EPAs should serve as instruments for development and poverty reduction. They must also support the deepening of intra-African trade.
5-Jun-2005
Scoop
Press release from NZ government outlining key features of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement between Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore.
12-Apr-2005
Public Citizen
The Maryland General Assembly’s override today rescinding Gov. Robert Ehrlich’s 2003 commitment to allow Maryland’s state procurement rules to be bound by pending trade agreements negotiated by the Bush administration and in previous trade agreements such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) is a victory for Maryland taxpayers and the latest evidence of state officials’ growing demands for accountability in international trade negotiations, Public Citizen said today.
29-Mar-2005
CIO
The Australia-US Free Trade Agreement will bring major changes to Australian government procurement.
20-Jan-2005
PSI
Documents the progress of “competitive liberalization,” a strategy advanced by the United States Trade Representative to establish a network of bilateral international trade agreements as steps toward the multilateral GATS agreement.
16-Dec-2004
PM
Australian businesses are preparing for an assault on the $200 billion US Government procurement market when the US-Australia FTA takes effect in just over a fortnight.
21-Oct-2004
AFP
Talks between the European Union and the four-nation South American Mercosur trade bloc, aimed at building the world’s largest free-trade area, will be extended into 2005
8-Oct-2004
CNA
Kuwait and Singapore have agreed that the free trade agreement between them will include four main areas of trade in goods, trade in services, investment and government procurement.
2-Oct-2004
EU DG Trade
In the on-going negotiations for an EU-Mercosur Association Agreement, the EU has today sent Mercosur a completed offer.
11-Sep-2004
Jakarta Post
Investment, competition policies, and transparency in government procurement emerged during a recent meeting between trade ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union aimed at seeking ways to boost trade and economic cooperation between the two regions.