./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/WGTGP/W/20/Add.4/Rev.1
11 September 2000
(00-3507)
Working Group on Transparency
in Government ProcurementOriginal:  English
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  INFORMATION FROM
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
APEC GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT EXPERTS GROUP (APEC/GPEG)
Revision
At its meeting of 22 June 1998, the Working Group agreed to request the Secretariat to
provide information on the technical cooperation programmes of international and regional
intergovernmental organizations in the area of gove rnment procurement, so as to enable the Group to
have as complete a picture as possible of the availability of technical assistance in this field.
In consequence, the Secretariat wrote to relevant international and regional intergovernmental
organizations requesting them to provide such information.  The information which has been received
in response from the Chair of the APEC Government Procurement Experts Group was circulated in
document WT/WGTGP/W/20/Add.4.  The current document reproduces the updated information
which has been received from the APEC Secretariat by a communication, dated 18 August 2000.
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The APEC Government Procurement Expert s Group (GPEG) was established in 1995 to
consider ways to increase the transparency of, and liberalize, government procurement markets in
accordance with the Osaka Action Agenda adopted by APEC Economic Leaders in 1995.
The GPEG finished its full set of government  procurement non-binding principles in 1999.
These principles are in the areas of transparency, value for money, open and effective competition,
fair dealing, non-discrimination, accountability, and due process.  The GPEG has encouraged APEC
members to review in their individual action plans the consistency of their government procurement
systems with the non-binding principles and how best  to implement them and voluntarily bring their
systems into conformity with the principles, with progress reported to the GPEG.  Three APECmember economies are currently undertaking such reviews.  (Note:  These individual action plans
chart each APEC member's progress toward the Bogor goals of trade liberalization by 2010 for
developed economies and 2020 for developing economies in the APEC region.)
In the area of technical cooperation, the work of the GPEG has so far focused on two areas:
information exchange and educational events.
On information exchange, the GPEG surveyed member economies' existing government
procurement systems and publication arrangements for government procurement information.
Members' returns to these surveys are posted on the APEC Government Procurement Homepage
(website:  http://www.apecsec.org.sg/gphome.html) for free and easy access by interested parties.WT/WGTGP/W/20/Add.4/Rev.1
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Members update these returns annually.  In addition, contact points were established to facilitate the
ongoing exchange of information.
On educational events, the GPEG is committed to holding workshops, seminars and training
courses to enhance members' understanding of government procurement systems and international
agreements.  The aim of these activities is to provide a foundation for future work, with a view toachieving the long-term goal of liberalization of government procurement markets throughout the
Asia-Pacific region in accordance with the principles and objectives of the Bogor Declaration by
APEC Economic Leaders in 1994.
Finally, the GPEG has been discussing the development of electronic commerce and its
application to procurement.  Work is moving ahead in this area with a particular focus on how the
work being done on electronic commerce in APEC links with the GPEG's work on the non-binding
principles, including transparency.  This is also a part of APEC's developing interest in movinggovernment "on-line," not only in the area of government procurement but in many other areas as
well.
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