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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

Plain-language definitions of every WTO GPA & Trade Agreements term that shows up in government tender work.


WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

Accession to the GPA

Accession to the GPA is the formal process by which a WTO member joins the plurilateral Government Procurement Agreement, committing to open specified procurement markets to other parties in exchange for reciprocal access to their markets.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

Bilateral Procurement Agreements

Bilateral Procurement Agreements are market-access commitments on government contracts negotiated between two trading partners outside the multilateral GPA framework, typically as dedicated chapters within broader free trade agreements.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

CPTPP Procurement Chapter

The CPTPP Procurement Chapter is Chapter 15 of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, establishing GPA-equivalent procurement disciplines and market access commitments among its eleven member economies spanning the Asia-Pacific region.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

Developing Country Special and Differential Treatment (GPA)

Developing Country Special and Differential Treatment under the GPA allows developing and least-developed country acceding members to phase in their procurement market-opening commitments over time and maintain certain preferences, balancing trade liberalisation against development policy objectives.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

EU Free Trade Agreement - Procurement Provisions

EU Free Trade Agreement procurement provisions are the government contracting chapters within the EU's bilateral trade agreements, granting suppliers from partner countries access to EU public contracts and EU suppliers access to partner-country markets under defined transparency and non-discrimination rules.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

GPA Annexes (Entities, Goods, Services)

GPA Annexes are the structured schedules each GPA party files with the WTO, listing the contracting entities, goods, services, and construction services it commits to open to cross-border competition, along with any general notes and derogations.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

GPA Challenge Procedures

GPA Challenge Procedures are the domestic review mechanisms each GPA party must maintain, giving suppliers the right to challenge alleged violations of the agreement's procurement rules in a rapid, transparent, and impartial forum.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

GPA Coverage Schedules

GPA Coverage Schedules are the annexes each GPA party appends to the agreement, specifying which contracting entities, goods, services, and construction services are open to cross-border competition and at what threshold values.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

GPA Threshold Values

GPA Threshold Values are the contract value limits set by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement above which covered contracting entities must apply the agreement's open-competition and transparency disciplines, revised biennially by reference to SDR exchange rates.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

National Treatment Principle (GPA)

The National Treatment Principle under the GPA requires each party's contracting authorities to treat goods, services, and suppliers from other GPA parties no less favourably than domestic goods, services, and suppliers in covered procurement.

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WTO GPA & Trade Agreements

Non-Discrimination Principle (GPA)

The Non-Discrimination Principle under the GPA prohibits covered contracting authorities from discriminating against any supplier, good, or service from another GPA party and requires that all GPA-party suppliers receive the same treatment as the most favoured group.

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WTO GPA & Trade AgreementsGPA

WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The WTO Government Procurement Agreement is a plurilateral treaty that opens the public procurement markets of its signatories to cross-border competition, requiring non-discriminatory access and transparent procedures for contracts above defined thresholds.

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