The WTO Regime on Government Procurement

Explores the increasing importance of the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement in the multilateral trading system and the resulting challenges.

This authoritative survey of current issues concerning government procurement in the World Trade Organization gives particular attention to pending accessions to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement by developing countries such as China and to the ongoing renegotiation of the Agreement and related social and environmental concerns.Originally an important but relatively obscure plurilateral instrument, the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is now becoming a pillar of the WTO system as a result of important developments since the Uruguay Round. This collection examines the issues and challenges that this raises for the GPA, as well as future prospects for addressing government procurement at a multilateral level. Coverage includes issues relating to pending accessions to the GPA, particularly those of developing countries with a large state sector such as China; the revised (provisionally agreed) GPA text of 2006, including provisions on electronic procurement and Special and Differential Treatment for Developing Countries; and procurement provisions in regional trade agreements and their significance for the multilateral system. Attention is also given to emerging issues, especially those concerning environmental, social and SME policy; competition law; and the implications of the recent economic crisis.