Costa Rica Submits Application to Join Government Procurement Pact

By IDEAS

Costa Rica has submitted its application to start negotiations on joining the Government Procurement Agreement 2012 (GPA 2012). The bid was submitted to World Trade Organizartion Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Costa Rica noted in its application that its current government procurement framework is based on open competition, transparency and non-discrimination. It also stressed that, as a future GPA party, it would contribute positively to the Committee on Government Procurement. The Costa Rica Government is currently preparing the technical documents required by the Committee as part of the accession process.

The GPA 2012 is a plurilateral WTO agreement, meaning that not all WTO members are parties to the Agreement. It is open to all WTO members but is binding only for those members that have joined it. Each applicant's terms of participation are negotiated with GPA parties.

Currently, 48 WTO members (including the 27 member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom) are bound by the Agreement.

The GPA 2012 aims to open up government procurement markets to foreign competition in a reciprocal manner and to the extent agreed between GPA parties. It also aims to make government procurement more transparent and to promote good governance. Reciprocal market opening assists GPA parties in purchasing goods and services that offer the best value for their money. The Agreement provides legal guarantees of non-discrimination for the goods, services and suppliers of GPA parties in covered procurement activities, which are worth an estimated USD 1.7 trillion annually.