GPA Accession: Lessons Learned on the Strengths and Weaknesses of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement

Abstract

Many member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have joined the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), a plurilateral agreement which aims to open public procurement markets. Joining the agreement reflects a commitment to international free trade, and to the rule of law in public procurement. A revised version of the GPA entered into force in 2014, and incorporated many amendments intended to make it easier for developing nations to join the GPA. Among other things, the revised GPA now allows developing nations acceding to the GPA to open their public procurement markets more slowly, through various transitional measures. This article reviews those changes, and discusses possible solutions to some of the practical and legal hurdles which nations face, as they consider accession to the GPA.