Comparing the Old and New Versions of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

In March 2012, the World Trade Organization announced that a revised version of the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) had been provisionally approved by the parties to the agreement.  The revised UNCITRAL model procurement law has, wherever possible, been written to conform to the GPA (the revised GPA text has been available, in draft form, for several years).  To facilitate integration of the UNCITRAL model law and the GPA, a side-by-side comparison of the old and new versions of the GPA, prepared by the UNCITRAL secretariat at the request of several negotiating parties, has been posted.

UNCITRAL Working Group on Model Procurement Law to Meet in April 2012

April 2012 Meeting in New York:  Working Group I, which is addressing reform of the UNCITRAL Model Procurement Law, is meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on April 16-20, 2012.  The documents for that meeting are posted at  http://www.uncitral.org/uncitral/en/commission/working_groups/1Procurement.html.  The April meeting will focus on the guide to enactment for the revised law; the revised law was adopted in July 2011, and is posted at the website noted above.

Many, many congratulations to Caroline Nicholas and the other members of the UNCITRAL Secretariat, for putting together the revised guide to enactment.  It is an extraordinary accomplishment.

Unofficial Compilation of Revised Guide to Enactment:  For the convenience of those preparing for the meeting, I have posted an unofficial compilation of the working documents (Working Paper (WP) 79 plus addenda) which make up the draft revised guide, paginated throughout.  For those who have google accounts, that document is available at Draft Revised Guide to Enactment - Compilation - Paginated (to those who have google accounts), and at https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1o7sqhJOjdvZjRxYzFlaWNUQ0t1clg2WlRISVFFZw, and a copy will be posted on a private FTP site for working group members.  Please feel free to repost the document.

Suggesting Topics for April Meeting:  It will be impossible, in the course of the April meeting, to address all aspects of the revised guide.  I would recommend that readers review the draft guide to enactment, and then perhaps use this space (the comments below) to suggest topics from the guide that the working group might wish to focus on in April in New York.

With best regards,

Chris Yukins

cyukins@law.gwu.edu

UNCITRAL (Vienna) Meeting Regarding Model Procurement Law Concluded on Friday, July 1, 2011

The UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) approved UN Doc. A/CN.9/XLIV/CRP.2, with minor amendments, to formally adopt the Model Law on Public Procurement on July 1, 2011.

The Commission left open:

• When, exactly, future working group meeting(s) might be held to consider the Guide to Enactment, which is currently in a rough draft.  Serious consideration was given to holding a working group meeting in late February 2012.  
• How future work of the Working Group might be structured.   The Commission discussed the possibility of using supporting papers (e.g., on defense procurement, objectives of the Model Law, etc.), and whether the Guide might serve as a "living document" to reflect developments in procurement law and practice.  One approach discussed was to have experts review the law on an ongoing basis, with annual reporting to the Commission on possible reforms. 

The Model Law text, as revised, will likely be published in the coming months.

Welcome to the Blog Site for the UNCITRAL Model Procurement Law

This blog covers developments of the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Procurement Law, the text of which was adopted today, July 1, 2011.