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.
22-Sep-2017
Nikkei
Terms on intellectual property protections, state-owned enterprises up for debate.
21-Jun-2017
Japan News
Tokyo is considering opening up bidding for local university and hospital projects to European companies.
19-Jun-2017
Japan News
The government is considering opening part of Japan’s railway market to overseas companies based in Europe in the negotiations for an economic partnership agreement with the European Union.
14-Feb-2017
European Commission
As published by the European Commission
14-Feb-2017
European Commission
As published by the European Commission
12-Dec-2016
European Commission
As published by the European Commission
16-Aug-2016
Common Dreams
A major topic of discussion at the World Social Forum in Montreal was the problems with TTIP-style free trade agreements and how we can stop them, writes Nick Dearden
11-Aug-2016
Handelsblatt
Negotiators in Brussels and Washington haven’t finalized a single chapter of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, according to an internal ministry report obtained by Handelsblatt.
23-May-2016
Bordelex
EU member states are expected to give the green light to negotiations to upgrade a fifteen-year-old free trade agreement between the EU and Mexico.
22-Apr-2016
EurActiv
As EU-US negotiators prepare for a new round of transatlantic trade talks in New York next week, officials fear TTIP might run into a new brick wall: Public procurement.
4-Mar-2016
Vietnamnet Bridge
For the first time, as a result of EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement commitments, European investors will be able to offer tenders for various public infrastructure projects in Vietnam.
7-Nov-2015
World Trade Online
The text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement reveals that the parties have agreed on groundbreaking new rules aimed at preventing state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from harming privately owned firms
23-Oct-2015
World Trade Online
In bilateral trade talks with the United States, the European Union has signaled that its efforts to expand the types of U.S. government procurement contracts open to EU firms will focus on three specific sectors.
19-Oct-2015
Sputnik
EU member states are concerned about the “tough negotiation process in all key areas” of the TTIP agreement
7-Oct-2015
Asia One
Turkey and Singapore have concluded negotiations for the Turkey-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
3-Oct-2015
The Star
SOEs are Malaysia’s toughest issue in the TPP negotiations.
25-Sep-2015
Vieuws
The EU trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and her American counterpart, US Trade Representative Michael Froman have failed to agree on a date for possible exchange of revised offers on tariffs.
26-Aug-2015
TNI
While TTIP is currently the center of attention, our world leaders discuss TiSA, an extensive service agreement meant to put (public) services, like the water supply, in the hands of the international market.
1-Jul-2015
Wikileaks
Leaked by Wikileaks
19-Dec-2014
EU Observer
The arms industry is hoping that the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will provide it with greater opportunities.
