Entry into force of revised GPA

The revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) entered into force yesterday, 6 April 2014, some two years after the Protocol amending the Agreement was originally adopted. The parties to the revised GPA will see gains in market access of an estimated US$ 80 billion to US$ 100 billion annually for their businesses.

The gains in market access result from numerous government entities (ministries and agencies) being added to the scope of the GPA and from new services and other areas of public procurement activities being included in its expanded coverage.

The Agreement’s text has been streamlined and modernized to include, for example, standards related to the use of electronic procurement tools. Other changes include a new provision relating to the prevention of corrupt practices in the parties’ procurement systems. The revised GPA also reinforces the scope provided by the original Agreement to promote the conservation of natural resources and to protect the environment through the application of appropriate technical specifications.

You can find more information about the agreement here