./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/WGTGP/M/8
9 July 1999
(99-2858)
Working Group on Transparency
in Government Procurement
REPORT ON THE MEETING OF 28 JUNE 1999
Note by the Secretariat
1. The Working Group on Transparency in Government Procurement held its eighth meeting on
28 June 1999 under the chairmanship of Ambassador Ronald Saborío Soto (Costa Rica).
2. The agenda for this meeting consisted of:  (i) transparency-related provisions of the existing
international instruments on government procurement and national procedures and practices;  and
(ii) observer status of international intergovernmental organizations.
A. T RANSPARENCY -RELATED PROVISIONS IN EXISTING INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ON
GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT AND NATIONAL PROCEDURES AND PRACTICES
3. For its discussion of this item, the Working Group had before it the informal note by the
Chair, entitled "List of Issues Raised and Points Made", listing the issues that had been raised,
together with the points made on these issues, under each of the items that were discussed by the
Group at its meetings in November 1997, February, June and October 1998 and February 1999
(circulated as Job No. 2934).  As an auxiliary informal paper for the use of Members wanting to draw
on it, delegations also had available to them a revision of the informal note by the Secretariat, "List ofProposals on Items III-VII of the Checklist" reflecting the proposals made on items III-VII in a
succinct form, which identified the source of the different proposals and summarized the written and
oral comments on these proposals (circulated as Job No. 2950).  The Group also had available to it a
communication from the Chairperson of the AP EC Government Procurement Experts Group
containing APEC non-binding prin ciples of accountability and due process (WT/WGTGP/W/22).
4. The Group took up, in turn, each of the sections in the note "List of the Issues Raised and
Points Made".  Under the relevant sections, the following representatives introduced their writtencontributions:  the representative of Poland on time-limits (Job No. 3777), the representative of
Australia on transparency of decisions on qualification (Job No. 1781), the representative of Canada
on contract award information (Job No. 3131) and the representative of the United States on domestic
review mechanisms (WT/WGTGP/W/23).  Points ma de will be reflected in a revision of this
document and also in a revised version of the "List of Proposals on Items III-VII of the Checklist".
5. In the context of the discussion of the subject of concessions under the item on "definition and
scope of government procurement", the Working Group agreed that the Secretariat would make
available to the Working Group the documentation of the Working Party on GATS Rules relating tothis subject.  Moreover, interested Members were invited to make submissions providing information
on their national legislation and practices in regard to concessions from the perspective of governmentprocurement (WTO/AIR/1132).
6. The Working Group agreed that, at the next meeting, it would pursue its work under this
agenda item in the following way:  (i) it would reve rt to the issues contained in the "List of Issues
Raised and Points Made", on the basis of a further version of this note updated in the light of theWT/WGTGP/M/8
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discussion at the present meeting and the new papers submitted;  and (ii) delegations would also have
available to them a revised version of the informal note reflecting the proposals made on
items III-VII.
B.O BSERVER STATUS OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
7. The Working Group agreed to revert to the requests from intergovernmental organizations for
observer status (OECD, SELA and OIC) in the light of the consultations that were currently being
held by the Chairman of the General Council on this matter.
C.D ATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
8. The Working Group agreed to hold its next meeting on 6-7 October 1999, without prejudice
to any informal consultations that the Chair may call prior to this date.
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