GPA (WTO Government Procurement Agreement)

The Agreement on Government Procurement is a plurilateral WTO treaty that requires signatory countries to open their public procurement markets to suppliers from other GPA member countries on a national treatment basis — meaning foreign GPA-member suppliers must be treated no less favourably than domestic ones. Signatories include the EU, USA, UK (post-Brexit accession), Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and others — covering a market estimated at over $1.7 trillion annually.

The GPA sets out procedural minimum standards: transparent notices, defined tender periods, non-discriminatory technical specifications, and access to challenge and review mechanisms. It applies to contracts above agreed thresholds for covered entities — central government, sub-central government, and utilities, depending on each member's schedule of commitments. Not all sectors and entities are covered; each member's annexes specify what is included.

For vendors, the GPA is the legal basis for cross-border public procurement competition beyond regional trade agreements. A UK-based vendor can bid on US federal contracts covered by the GPA, and vice versa. Understanding GPA coverage is essential when expanding into new markets: a contracting authority in a GPA country is generally obliged to accept foreign GPA-member bids for covered contracts without requiring local incorporation, local agent requirements, or preferential treatment of domestic suppliers.