GPA/121  
 
24 October 2013  
(13-5898)  Page: 1/12  
  
 
REPORT (2013) OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 
1  INTRODUCTION 
1.1.  This report covers the period since the Committee's previous Annual Report1, that is early 
December 2012 to mid-October 2013. It is issued pursuant to Article XXIV:7(a) of the Agreement 
on Government Procurement ("the Agreement" or "the GPA"). 
1.2.  Since the date of circulation of its last  Annual Report (6 December 2012), the Committee has 
held three formal meetings: on 27 February 2013, on 29 May 2013, and on 27 June 2013.2 The 
meetings were chaired by Mr Bruce Christie (Canada).3 The Committee has also held a series of 
informal meetings, also chaired by Mr Christie, focusing on the brin ging into effect of the revised 
Agreement, accessions to the Agreement and othe r matters, in the weeks beginning 25 February 
2013, 27 May 2013, and 7 October 2013, respectively. 
1.3.  The following WTO Members are covered by the Agreement: Armenia; Canada; the European 
Union, with regard to its 28 member States4; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; Israel; Japan; Korea; 
Liechtenstein; the Kingdom of the Netherlands with respect to Aruba; Norway; Singapore; 
Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; and the United States. 
1.4.  Twenty-seven WTO Members have observer status in the Committee on Government 
Procurement: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahr ain, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Georgia, 
India, Indonesia, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, the Russian Federation
5, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, the former 
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia6, Turkey, Ukraine and Viet Nam. Four intergovernmental 
organizations, namely the International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Trade Centre (ITC), 
the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD), also have observer status. 
1.5.  The observerships of the Russian Federation  and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 
were approved, on request by those delegations, during the reporting period, and were enthusiastically welcomed by the Committee
7 as steps toward their eventual accession to the 
Agreement, pursuant to commitments made in their respective WTO accession protocols. 
1.6.  The remaining sections of this Report deal  with the work done by the Committee during the 
year, with particular reference to: (i) the bringing into effect of the revised Agreement on Government Procurement; (ii) accessions to the Agreement; and (iii) the implementation of the 
Agreement and, particularly, notifications. 
                                               
1 GPA/116, dated 6 December 2012, adopted at the formal meeting of 5 December 2012 (GPA/M/49, 
dated 14 January 2013, paragraph 43). 
2 GPA/M/50, dated 6 May 2013; GPA/M/51, dated 26 June 2013; GPA/M/52, dated 16 July 2013. 
3 At its meeting of 27 February 2013, the Committee el ected Mr Bruce Christie as Chairman (GPA/M/50, 
dated 6 May 2013, paragraph 1.2) for the first half of 2013. It subsequently extended his term of office until the end of 2013 (GPA/M/52, dated 16 July 2013, paragraph 1.1). 
4 Croatia became a member State of  the European Union, and, as such, was brought under the EU's 
coverage of the Agreement, as of 1 July 2013 (GPA/118, dated 27 June 2013; and GPA/M/52, dated 16 July 2013, paragraph 3.3). 
5 GPA/W/322, dated 16 May 2013. 
6 GPA/W/323, dated 5 June 2013. 
7 See GPA/M/51, dated 26 June 2013, paragraph 1.2 an d GPA/M/52, dated 16 July 2013, paragraph 2.2 
in each. GPA/121 
 
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  2  THE BRINGING INTO EFFECT OF THE REVISED AGREEMENT ON GOVERNMENT 
PROCUREMENT 
2.1.  On 15 December 2011, just prior to the Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference, the Parties to the 
GPA reached political agreement on the conclusion of the renegotiation of the Agreement that they 
had conducted over a period of more than a decade.8 The results of the renegotiation comprised: 
(i) the revised text of the Agreement; (ii) a si gnificant expansion of the Parties' market access 
commitments under the Agreement, valued at USD 80-100 billion annually9; and (iii) a set of 
Future Work Programmes relating to the administration and possible further evolution of the 
Agreement, to be conducted by the WTO Committee on Government Procurement following the coming into force of the revised Agreement.
10 Subsequently, on 30 March 2012, after the timely 
completion of a legal review and verification proc ess, Parties formally adopted the results of the 
renegotiation.11 
2.2.   Work on the bringing into effect of th e revised GPA, for which the submission of formal 
instruments of acceptance by two thirds of the Pa rties is required, was an important focus of the 
Committee throughout the reporting period. At the time that the negotiations reached their 
political conclusion in December 2011, the responsible Ministers of Parties collectively pledged to provide the required instruments and to implement the revised Agreement promptly.
12 This 
commitment was reiterated by Parties' Ambassadors  at the subsequent formal adoption of the 
results of the renegotiation on 30 March 2012.13 
2.3.  Informal discussions on the bringing into effect of the revised Agreement were held in the 
course of the meetings that took place on 27 February 2013, 29 May 2013, and 9 October 2013. 
In the meetings held on 27 February 2013, the Ch airman requested that delegations make every 
possible effort to submit their instruments of acceptance in time for the Agreement's coming into force to be recognized at the time of the Ninth Ministerial Conference to be held in Bali in 
December 2013. Parties gave their general assent to this objective while making clear, in a 
number of cases, that the goal was an ambitiou s one and could not be absolutely guaranteed, 
especially where action by Parliaments was required. Subsequently, the first instrument of 
acceptance was submitted to the Director-General by Liechtenstein on 2 May 2013.
14 
2.4.  In the meetings held on 29 May and 9 Octobe r 2013, the goal of seeing the requisite number 
of instruments of acceptance circulated, if at all possible, and the entry into force of the revised Agreement celebrated on the margins of the Nint h Ministerial Conference, was re-confirmed by a 
clear majority of Parties. In the meetings held on 9 October 2013, a number of Parties confirmed 
that they were reasonably confident of being in a position to submit their instrument of acceptance 
before the Bali Ministerial Conference; a few other Parties indicated that they could probably do so, 
and would work hard to that end; and two Parties indicated that they would be unable to meet the 
deadline. In the light of these statements, the Chairman asked Parties to "pull out all the stops" and continue working toward the circulation of their respective instruments of accession prior to 
Bali. 
2.5.  In the course of the meetings on 9 Octo ber, the Committee also asked the Secretariat to 
make provisional plans for a Ministerial-level meeting of the Committee on Government Procurement that the Chairman proposed to convene,  if the required threshold of two thirds of the 
Parties' acceptances is in reach. This would follow the precedent for such a meeting which was set 
at the Eighth Ministerial Conference, at whic h the political conclusion of the Agreement's 
renegotiation was recognized. In addition to the br inging into force of the revised Agreement, the 
meeting could address pending and future accession s to the Agreement, and, in that context, 
                                               
8 The basis for the renegotiation was provided in Article XXIV:7(b) and (c) of the 1994 Agreement, 
which called for the Parties to undertake negotiations with a view to improving the Agreement and achieving the greatest possible extension of its coverage among al l Parties, and eliminating an y remaining discriminatory 
measures and practices. The negotiations commenced in 1997. 
9 It should be noted that not all of the additional co verage provided is necessari ly available to each of 
the Parties, due to country-specif ic derogations that may apply. 
10 See, for additional details, Report (2012) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the 
General Council (GPA/116, dated 6 December 2012), paragraphs 7-10. 
11 GPA/113, dated 2 April 2012. 
12 GPA/112, dated 16 December 2011, paragraph 6. 
13 GPA/113, dated 2 April 2012, paragraph 3. 
14 WT/Let/883, dated 15 May 2013. GPA/121 
 
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  possibly recognize the conclusion of the negotiatio ns on one or two accession processes. Guidance 
could also be provided, in a Ministerial statement, concerning other aspects of the Committee's work, for example the "e-GPA project"
15 and the expected commencement, in due course, of work 
on the various Future Work Programmes that were  adopted as outcomes of the negotiations that 
were concluded on 31 March 2012.16 
2.6.  In the course of the meetings held on 27 February 2013, 29 May 2013, and 9 October 2013, 
Parties also advanced work on the draft decisions on indicative criteria relating to the elimination 
of government control over listed entities and arbi tration procedures. In line with priorities set by 
the Committee in 2012, work on the Committee's mandate to develop for adoption a draft decision on criteria for compensatory adjustment  will be taken up at a later stage. 
3  ACCESSIONS TO THE AGREEMENT 
3.1.  The Committee considers its work on current and future accessions to the Agreement to be a 
matter of tremendous significance, in terms of  enhancing both the extent of market access 
commitments under and the systemic relevanc e of the Agreement. Moreover, significant 
movement occurred on key accessions during the review period. Notable developments included: 
(i) the integration of Croatia into the Agreement as a member State of the European Union; (ii) 
the circulation of an improved accession offer by New Zealand; (iii) further discussions on the 
accession of China; (iv) a new application for accession to the Agreement, from Montenegro, which 
has indicated that it wishes to conclude work on its accession quickly; and (v) ongoing discussions on the accessions of Ukraine and Moldova. 
3.2.  Overall, ten WTO Members are currently in the process of acceding to the Agreement: 
Albania, China, Georgia, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Montenegro
17, New Zealand, Oman 
and Ukraine. A further five WTO Members have prov isions regarding accession to the Agreement in 
their respective Protocols of Accession to the WT O: the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia18, 
Mongolia19, the Russian Federation20, Tajikistan21 and Saudi Arabia.22 The Committee notes that 
                                               
15 See, for details, Section 4.6 below. 
16 GPA/113 of 2 April 2012, pages 436-447. 
17 GPA/120, dated 4 October 2013; and GPA/ACC/MNE/1, dated 7 October 2013. 
18 WT/ACC/807/27, dated 26 September 2002, paragraph 177: "The representative of FYROM confirmed 
that, upon accession to the WTO, the Government of FY ROM would initiate negotiations for membership in the 
Agreement on Government Procurement by tabling an entity  offer. He also confirmed that, if the results of the 
negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of FYROM and the other members of the Agreement, FYROM would complete negotiations for membership in the Agreement within two years of accession. The Working Party took note of these commitments." 
19 WT/ACC/MNG/9, dated 27 June 1996, paragraph 59: "The representative of Mongolia confirmed that 
his Government would seek observer status in the Committee for the Agreement on Government Procurement 
at the time of its accession with a view to initiating negotiations for membership thereafter. The Working Party 
took note of this commitment." 
20 WT/ACC/RUS/70, dated 17 November 2011, paragraph 1143: "The representative of the Russian 
Federation confirmed the intention of the Russian Fe deration to join the WTO Agreement on Government 
Procurement and to notify the Committ ee on Government Procurement to this effect at the time of accession of 
the Russian Federation to the WTO and to ensure that from the date of accession,  its government agencies 
would award contracts in a transparen t manner according to published la ws, regulations and guidelines. He 
also confirmed that the Russian Federation would requ est observership in the WT O Agreement on Government 
Procurement at the time of its accession to the WTO and would initiate negotiations for membership in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement by tabling an Appendix 1 offer within four  years of accession. He 
confirmed that, if the results of the negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of the Russian Federation 
and the other Members of the Agreement, the Russian Federation would accede to that Agreement. The 
Working Party took note of these commitments." 
21 WT/ACC/TJK/30, dated 6 November 2012, paragrap h 244: "The representative of Tajikistan 
confirmed Tajikistan's willingness to accede to the WTO Agreement on Government  Procurement. Tajikistan 
would become an observer to the Agreement upon access ion, and submit an application for membership with a 
coverage offer within one year af ter accession to the WTO. The Wo rking Party took note of these 
commitments." 
22 WT/ACC/SAU/61, dated 1 November 2005, paragraph 231: "The representative of Saudi Arabia 
confirmed that, upon accession to the WTO, Saudi Arabia would initiate negotiations for membership in the Agreement on Government Procurement by tabling an entity  offer. He also confirmed that, if the results of the 
negotiations were satisfactory to the interests of Saudi Arabia and the other parties to the Agreement, Saudi 
Arabia would complete negotiations fo r membership in the Agreement within  a year of accession. The Working 
Party took note of these commitments." GPA/121 
 
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  several of the latter commitments have been outstanding for a considerable period, and hopes to 
see an acceleration of work toward their fulfilment in 2014. 
3.3.  The following provides additional details regarding particular WTO Members whose accessions 
were the subject of substantive discussions or other developments during the year. 
3.1  Croatia 
3.4.  Along with, and as a consequence of, assuming its status as a European Union member 
State, on 1 July 2013 Croatia was brought under the European Union's coverage of the Agreement, 
thus becoming the 43rd WTO Member to be covered by the Agreement. The relevant modifications 
to integrate Croatia into the European Union's GPA coverage commitments were proposed by the 
European Union on 6 June 2013 and 10 June 2013, respectively.23 The modifications were 
subsequently adopted by the Committee at its formal meeting held on 27 June 2013.24 The 
Committee views Croatia's accession as a very positive development and is pleased to see it 
covered by the Agreement on Government Procurement as a European Union member State. 
3.2  New Zealand 
3.5.  New Zealand applied for accession to the Agreement on 28 September 2012.25 Its Initial 
Appendix I Offer and Replies to the Checklist of Issues were circulated to the Committee on 1 and 4 October 2012, respectively.
26 Subsequently, requests and comments were circulated 
individually by Chinese Taipei; the United States ; jointly by Canada, Japan, Korea, Norway, and 
Switzerland; and the European Union.27 
3.6.  Substantive discussions on New Zealand' s accession were held on 27 February 2013, 
29 May 2013, and 9 October 2013. Parties thanked New Zealand for its offer, while also identifying 
specific areas where improvements, in their view, would be required. New Zealand indicated that it 
aimed at concluding its accession negotiations before the Ministerial Conference to be held in Bali in early December 2013. 
3.7.  On 24 September 2013, New Zealand circulated its revised coverage offer.
28 As explained by 
New Zealand in its subsequent introduction of the offer in the Committee, the revised offer increased the proposed value of market access opportunities offered by New Zealand by around 
90% as compared to its initial offer, through added coverage of Annex 2 and Annex 3 entities. In 
introducing the revised offer, in the Committee's informal sessions held on 9 October, New Zealand also drew attention to certain issues concerning the structure of its procurement system, notably the exceptionally high concentration of its procurement activities at the central 
government level. These, it suggested, were impo rtant to a correct understanding and evaluation 
of the offer. 
3.8.  In concluding the subsequent discussion on New Zealand's accession which took place on 
9 October 2013, the Chairman stated that overall, in his view, work on New Zealand's accession is 
progressing well. He noted that a substantive agreement is being sought and that negotiations should not be concluded prematurely just to have a desired result at a certain date. Nevertheless, 
GPA coverage commitments are, by their nature, intended to be tailor-made and adapted to the 
circumstances of each acceding Party. The timely conclusion of work on New Zealand's accession would be a positive signal for other WTO members pursuing/contemplating accession to the Agreement. He suggested, also, th at the terms of accession adopted for a relatively small country 
whose procurement activities reportedly are exceptionally concentrated at the central government 
level should by no means be considered as a precedent for other accession candidates with very different structural characteristics. He, theref ore, encouraged all interested Parties and New 
                                               
23 GPA/MOD/EEC/25, dated 6 June 2013; and GPA/MOD/EEC/25/Add.1 of 10 June 2013. 
24 GPA/118, dated 27 June 2013; and GPA/M/52, dated 16 July 2013, paragraph 3.3. 
25 GPA/115, dated 1 October 2012.  
26 GPA/ACC/NZL/1, dated 1 October 2012; an d GPA/ACC/NZL/2, dated 4 October 2012. 
27 Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/NZL/3, dated 11 December 2012; the United States - GPA/ACC/NZL/4, 
dated 19 December 2012; the joint submission circulated by Canada, Japan, Korea, Norway, and Switzerland - 
GPA/ACC/NZL/5, dated 1 February 2013; and the Europe an Union - GPA/ACC/NZL/6 and Corr.1, dated 5 and 
18 February 2013. 
28 GPA/ACC/NZL/7, dated 24 September 2013. GPA/121 
 
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  Zealand to pursue the work on the latter's accession from this perspective, recognizing that the 
negotiations can only be concluded when Parties are satisfied with the outcome and that flexibility and pragmatism would undoubtedly be needed on both sides. 
3.3  China 
3.9.  China applied for accession to the GPA on 28 December 2007 and its initial offer was 
circulated to Parties on 7 January 2008.
29 Discussions dedicated to China's accession have taken 
place on multiple occasions during 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.30 
3.10.  On 29 November 2012, China circulated its third revised coverage offer.31 Substantive 
discussions on this offer were held on 5 December 2012, 27 February 2013, 29 May 2013 and 9 October 2013. China circulated its replies to the questions from Korea and Japan regarding its replies to the Checklist of Issues on 27 February 2013.
32 In the course of discussions, Parties 
expressed their appreciation to China for the improvements to coverage that were contained in the 
offer and for its commitment to its GPA accession . Nevertheless, several Parties also expressed 
disappointment that various other requests that  had previously been made by the Parties 
concerning China's second revised offer were  not reflected in the third revised offer. 
3.11.  The representatives of the United States, the European Union, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, 
and Canada subsequently said that, given that the majority of the Parties' requests for 
improvements in China's second revised offer that had been circulated remained valid, all requests 
that had not yet been reflected should be considered as those Parties' respective official requests to China regarding its third revised offer.
33 They urged China to submit a revised offer which would 
make substantial progress over previous efforts and address concerns raised by GPA Parties, well 
in advance of the WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2013. They also emphasized their 
desire for agreement on a roadmap to ensure steady progress in China's accession. 
3.12.  In the discussions held on 9 October 2013, China reconfirmed its commitment undertaken in 
the context of the China-US Strategic and Econom ic Dialogue in July 2013, to submit a revised 
GPA offer by the end of 2013 and if at all possible,  to submit it in advance of the Committee's last 
meeting for 2013. The revised offer is expected to respond to Parties' requests by lowering 
thresholds, increasing coverage of sub-central entities, and making improvements in other areas. 
Parties thanked China for its evident commitment to its accession process and expressed their 
hopes for significant improvements in its offer. Re ference was also made to the need for work on 
China's legislative framework. 
3.13.  The Committee remains of the view that China's GPA accession, on the appropriate terms, is 
a matter of great significance for the Agreement, for the WTO, and for the world economy; and a very important signal for other emerging economies. Essentially, to conclude the accession it is 
looking for terms of participation on China's part that are comparable to those of the existing 
Parties. It hopes for significant forward movement on China's accession in the remainder of 2013 and in 2014. 
                                               
29 GPA/ACC/CHN/1, dated 7 January 2008; and GPA/93, dated 14 January 2008. 
30 Report (2008) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/95, dated 
9 December 2008, paragraph 13); Report (2009) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/103, dated 12 November 2009, paragraphs 15-17); Report (2010) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (G PA/106, dated 9 December 2010, paragraphs 21-25); 
Report (2011) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/110, dated 16 November 2011, paragraphs 10-13); and Report (2012) of the Committee on Government Procurement to the General Council (GPA/116, dated 6 December 2012, paragraphs 16-19). 
31 GPA/ACC/CHN/41, dated 29 November 2012. 
32 GPA/ACC/CHN/42 and GPA/ACC/CHN/43, both dated 27 February 2013. 
33 Switzerland - GPA/ACC/CHN/31, dated 22 June 2012;  the United States - GPA/ACC/CHN/32, dated 
3 July 2012; Japan - GPA/ACC/CHN/33, dated 9 July  2012 and GPA/ACC/CHN/39, dated 14 August 2012; 
Norway - GPA/ACC/CHN/37, dated 13 July 2012; the Eu ropean Union - GPA/ACC/CHN/38, dated 17 July 2012; 
and Canada - GPA/ACC/CHN/40, dated 25 September 2012. GPA/121 
 
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  3.4  Montenegro 
3.14.  Montenegro submitted its application for acce ssion and its Replies to the Checklist of Issues, 
together with additional documentation on its legislative framework, on 4 October 2013.34 In the 
first discussion of its accession at the Committee's meeting on 9 October 2013, Montenegro made 
a substantive statement regarding the reforms that have been made to its procurement system 
and the system's deliberate alignment with both the EU's relevant directives and the GPA. It 
affirmed its goal of acceding to the GPA before the end of 2013, in line with its WTO accession 
commitments35, and asked for Parties' cooperation in this regard. Its initial coverage offer, which is 
intended to be closely aligned with the EU's cove rage, will be submitted by the end of October. 
Parties signalled their readiness to work with Montenegro toward the goal of concluding work on its accession by the time of the Bali Ministerial Conference, while also making clear that this goal is 
highly ambitious and, in order for it to be reached, Montenegro's initial offer would have to be of a 
particularly high standard. 
3.5  Ukraine 
3.15.  Ukraine submitted its application for GPA accession on 8 February 2011.
36 Its Replies to the 
Checklist of Issues and initial offer were circulated on 2 August 2011 and 13 December 2012, respectively.
37 Substantive discussions of the initial offer were held in the reporting period. In the 
course of those discussions, Parties expressed thei r appreciation to Ukraine for its initial offer, 
which they considered as a good basis for further negotiations. Nevertheless, they identified several issues for further discussion and clarification, such as thresholds, entity coverage with regard to Annexes 2 and 3, the need to include a Goods Annex in view of the entry into force of 
the revised Agreement, services and construction se rvices coverage, and the long list of exclusions 
contained in the General Notes. Written requests for improvements have been circulated individually by Chinese Taipei, the United States , and the European Union; jointly by Iceland, 
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland; and jointly by Canada; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Korea; 
and Singapore.
38 
3.16.  In the discussion that took place on 9 October 2013, Ukraine acknowledged the comments 
that Parties have provided on its offer and indicated its intention to provide a revised offer by 
mid-December 2013 which would take into consideration the comments by Parties. It also referred to on-going work toward alignment of its legislat ion and procurement system with that of the EU. 
Ukraine's efforts and intention were welcomed by Parties. 
3.6  Moldova, Republic of 
3.17.  Moldova applied for accession to the GPA on 7 January 2002.
39 Its initial replies to the 
Checklist of Issues were circulated on 9 January 2002.40 On 11 November 2008, Moldova 
circulated its initial Appendix I offer41 and updated replies to the Checklist of Issues, together with 
its national legislation.42 On 13 September 2012, Moldova circulated its second revised replies to 
the Checklist of Issues43 and revised coverage offer.44 In the reporting period, requests and 
                                               
34 GPA/120, dated 4 October 2013; and GPA/ACC/MNE/1, dated 7 October 2013. 
35 WT/ACC/CGR/38, dated 5 December 2011, paragraph 182: "The representative of Montenegro 
confirmed that Montenegro would initiate negotiations  for membership in the WT O Agreement on Government 
Procurement upon accession by tabling an entity offer at  that time. She also confir med that, if the results of 
the negotiations were satisfactory to Montenegro and the other members of the Agreement, Montenegro would 
complete negotiations for membership in the WTO Agreement by 31 December 2013. The Working Party took note of these commitments." 
36 GPA/ACC/UKR/1 and GPA/107, both dated 9 February 2011. 
37 GPA/ACC/URK/2 of 2 August 2011; an d GPA/ACC/URK/3 of 13 December 2012. 
38 Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/UKR/4, dated 4 April 2013; joint submission circulated by Iceland, 
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland - GPA/ACC/UKR/5,  dated 18 April 2013; joint submission circulated by 
Canada; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Korea and Singapore - GPA/ACC/UKR/6, dated 23 April 2013; the United States - GPA/ACC/UKR/7, dated 23 April 2013; and the European Union- GPA/ACC/UKR/8, dated 
23 May 2013. 
39 GPA/63, dated 8 January 2002. 
40 GPA/W/177, dated 9 January 2002. 
41 GPA/ACC/MDA/2, dated 11 November 2008. 
42 GPA/ACC/MDA/1, dated 11 November 2008. 
43 GPA/ACC/MDA/5, dated 13 September 2012. 
44 GPA/ACC/MDA/6, dated 13 September 2012. GPA/121 
 
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  comments for improvements were circulated by Chinese Taipei, the United States, Canada, Japan, 
and Switzerland.45 
3.18.  In the course of the discussions that took place in the reporting period, Parties have 
expressed their appreciation for Moldova's efforts to conclude its accession to the Agreement and 
urged Moldova to respond to their respective comments on the revised offer as soon as possible. 
On 8 October 2013, Moldova circulated a note verbale  which conveyed Moldova's intention to carry 
forward its GPA accession actively in the coming months. The Committee expressed its 
appreciation for this information, and indicated that it hopes to see further movement on 
Moldova's accession in the coming months. 
3.7  Other pending accessions 3.19.  In the course of the year, the Committee also kept under review the situation regarding 
other pending GPA accessions and accession commitments. In April, the Chairman wrote to the 
majority of observers with outstanding accession commitments, to inquire as to their plans. Jordan indicated on various occasions that it would work on outstanding issues related to its accession 
and come back to the Committee as soon as possible after the required political decisions had 
been taken by the new government. Mongolia indicated, in its letter to the Chairman, that it remained committed to GPA accession and had been doing necessary preparatory work. However, 
it was not in a position to give a date when it would apply for accession and submit its initial 
offer.
46 Other delegations indicated, in replies to the Chairman's letter and/or statements in the 
Committee, that they hoped to initiate work or carry forward their respective accessions in the near future. 
3.20.  The Committee took note, at the meeting held on 9 October, of Panama's withdrawal of its 
application for accession to the Agreement in  a communication circulated on 9 August 2013.
47 
Several Parties indicated, in the course of the me eting, that they regretted this development which 
they saw as an unhelpful precedent. 
3.8  Secretariat technical assistance and other activities potentially relevant to 
accessions to the Agreement 
3.21.  Pursuant to a standing request by the Committee48, the Secretariat, in the course of the 
meetings held in February, May and October 2013, provided brief reports on its relevant technical assistance activities during the review period. These comprised regional workshops and national seminars. The regional workshops included: (i) a three-day workshop organised for the benefit of 
Asia-Pacific economies which was held in Singapore, in cooperation with the Government of 
Singapore; (ii) a workshop for Francophone African countries which was held in Dakar, Senegal; and (iii) a similar workshop for Anglophone African countries which was held in Nairobi, Kenya. As 
regards the national seminars, these comprised: one in Moscow, in cooperation with the 
Secretariat of EFTA, for the benefit of the Russian Federation, Belarus and Kazakhstan; one in Bangkok, at the request of Thailand; two back-to-back seminars in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, at the 
request of Israel; one in Podgorica, at the reques t Montenegro, for the purpose of initiating work 
on its GPA accession; and two back-to-back seminars in Xi'an and Beijing, at the request of China, in connection with its accession process. Overall, the demand for national seminars on the GPA is growing strongly and is directly linked to interest in possible accession to the Agreement. 
                                               
45 Chinese Taipei - GPA/ACC/MDA/7, dated 11 Dece mber 2012; the United States - GPA/ACC/MDA/8, 
dated 20 December 2012; Canada - GPA/ACC/MDA/9 an d GPA/ACC/MDA/10, dated 24 January 2013; Japan - 
GPA/ACC/MDA/11, dated 28 January 2013; and Switzerland - GPA/ACC/MDA/12, dated 30 January 2013. 
46 To ascertain the intentions of some of the Members with pending accessions or accession 
commitments, the Chairman of the Committee wrote respectively, in early April 2013, to the Missions of Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Jordan , Kyrgyz Republic , Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Oman, Panama, the 
Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, the form er Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Ukraine. 
47 GPA/ACC/PAN/1, dated 9 August 2013. 
48 At the request of the Chairman, the Secretariat pr epared a report on technical cooperation to the 
Committee in 2009 (GPA/W/308, dated 6 October 2009; GPA/103, dated 12 November 2009, paragraph 23). 
Subsequently, in 2010, the Committee requested the Secretariat to provide it with a report, on a continuing 
basis, on its technical co-operation activities in light of  their potential relevance to future accessions (GPA/106, 
dated 9 December 2010, paragraph 30). GPA/121 
 
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  3.22.  In addition to the foregoing activities in whose organization the Secretariat participated 
directly, the Secretariat also participated, by invitation, in a number of activities organised by other international organisations. These included: (i) a regional procurement conference jointly organised by the European Bank of Reconstruc tion and Development (EBRD) and the African 
Development Bank (AfDB) in Marrakesh, Morocco, for the benefit of the countries of North Africa 
and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED ) region; (ii) a national seminar organised by 
the EBRD in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and (iii) seve ral workshops organized by the EBRD in London 
and Vienna for the benefit a number of the economies in its catchment area, including, notably, 
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Ta jikistan and Ukraine. These activities highlight 
the growing and fruitful informal cooperation that exists between the Secretariats of the WTO and other organisations active in the area of govern ment procurement, including, notably, the EBRD, 
EFTA and UNCITRAL. 
3.23.  Further to the above, in the course of the informal sessions held on 9 October, the 
representative of the Secretariat referred to a po ssible exchange of letters between the Secretariat 
and the EBRD which was expected in the not-too-distant future, for the purpose of facilitating the 
two organizations' cooperation in this area. Reference was also made to background discussions aimed at fostering greater cooperation with the World Bank on procurement issues. The 
Committee welcomed these developments. 
3.24.  The Committee considers that the Secretariat's technical assistance activities are of 
particular importance in promoting better understanding of the GPA among WTO Members that are not yet Parties to it. They also provide participants with enhanced appreciation of the potential 
benefits and related challenges associated with accession to the Agreement, and can directly 
facilitate particular accessions. Recognizing this, it encourages the Secretariat to continue and intensify such work to the full extent possible. 
4  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT AND NOTIFICATIONS 
4.1.  This part of the report considers issues re lated to the implementation of the existing (1994) 
Agreement on Government Procurement, including:  (i) the thresholds; (ii) the notification and 
review of national implementing legislation; (iii) statistical reporting; (iv) consultations and dispute 
settlement; and (v) modifications to the Appendic es to the Agreement. A final sub-section deals 
with a further matter that is relevant principally to the revised Agreement, namely the "e-GPA project" which has been initiated by the Secretaria t, with the support of the Committee, to create 
an integrated market access information tool regarding Parties' government procurement markets, 
for the use of businesses and governments. 
4.1  Thresholds 
4.2.  In accordance with the Decision on Moda lities for Notifying Threshold Figures in National 
Currencies
49, since the last annual report, Korea has provided information on its respective 
threshold figures expressed in national currencies for 2013-2014.50 
4.2  Notification and review of national implementing legislation 
4.3.  Pursuant to Article XXIV:5(b) of the Agreement, notifications were received from Japan.51 
4.3  Statistical reporting 4.4.  Article XIX:5 of the Agreem ent requires Parties to collect and provide, on an annual basis, 
statistics on their procurements covered by th e Agreement. During the period under review, 
Singapore provided reports for 2009 and 2010; the European Union provided its report for 2008; Japan provided its report for 2011; and Chinese Taipei provided its report for 2012.
52 Following the 
                                               
49 GPA/1, dated 5 March 1996, Annex 3. 
50GPA/W/314/Add.11, dated 9 January 2013. 
51 GPA/37/Add.10, dated 10 April 2013; GPA/99/Add. 3, dated 10 April 2013; and GPA/117, dated 
22 April 2013. 
52 Singapore – GPA/104/Add.6 and GPA/108/Add.5,  dated 9 January 2013, respectively; the 
European Union – GPA/102/Add.7, dated 25 March 2013;  Japan – GPA/114/Add.3, dated 22 April 2013; and 
Chinese Taipei – GPA/119, dated 11 July 2013. GPA/121 
 
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  system established in July 2010, typically Parties' reports are now mounted directly on the WTO's 
website in the format in which they have been provided. At the same time, an appropriate single-page notification is circulated to Parties and Ob servers. This practice has led to a significant 
reduction of paper burden. 
4.4  Consultations and dispute settlement 
4.5.  No matters were raised during the report ing period under Article XXII of the Agreement on 
Government Procurement (Consultations and Dispute Settlement). 
4.5  Modifications to the Appendices of the Agreement 
4.5.1  Modifications that have been certif ied since the meeting of 6 December 2012 
4.6.  During the reporting period, the following proposed modifications have been certified: 
a. Modifications by the European Union: 
 GPA/MOD/EEC/2553 and GPA/MOD/EEC/25/Add.154, effective as of 1 July 201355, 
adopted by Decision of the Committee.56 
b. modifications by Japan: 
 GPA/MOD/JPN/6957, effective as of 18 January 201358, given that no objections were 
made within 30 days. 
c. Modifications by Singapore: 
 GPA/MOD/SGP/259, effective as of 20 December 201260, given that no objections 
were made within 30 days. 
d. Modifications by Korea: 
 GPA/MOD/KOR/1861, effective as of 22 September 201362, given that no objections 
were made within 30 days 
4.5.2  Proposed modifications that remain outstanding 4.7.  As to outstanding proposed modifications, the following are the developments, if any, that 
have taken place during the reporting period: 
a. Notification by Canada
63: 
 There were no developments during the reporting period.64 
                                               
53 Dated 6 June 2013. 
54 Dated 10 June 2013. 
55 WT/Let/887, dated 29 July 2013. 
56 GPA/118, dated 27 June 2013; and GPA/M/52, dated 16 July 2013, paragraph 3.3. 
57 Dated 19 December 2012. 
58 WT/Let/877, dated 29 January 2013; and WT/Let/877/Corr.1, dated 7 February 2013. 
59 Dated 21 November 2012. 
60 WT/Let/873, dated 11 January 2013. 
61 Dated 23 August 2013. 
62 WT/Let/909, dated 21 October 2013. 
63 Originally submitted in December 2006 (GPA/MOD/CAN/1, dated 19 December 2006). 
64 For the last reported update regarding this proposed modification, see GPA/103, dated 
12 November 2009, paragraph 11(i). GPA/121 
 
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  b. Notifications by the European Union concerning proposed modifications relating to the 
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Ir eland, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain 
and Sweden: 
 In April and July 2010, the EU submitted communications65 containing proposed 
modifications to its Schedules with regard to Spain and Ireland pursuant to 
Article XXIV:6(a) of the Agreement. Canada objected to both of these proposed modifications.
66 There have been no new developments during this reporting period; 
 In November 2010, the EU submitted communications67 containing proposed 
modifications to its Schedules with regard to the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the Agreement on Government Procurement. Canada objected to the proposed 
modifications to Sweden, France, Poland, Romania and Finland
68; and the United 
States objected to each of these proposed modifications.69 There have been no new 
developments during this reporting period; and 
 In March 2011, the EU submitted a communication70 containing proposed 
modifications to its Schedules with regard to Hungary pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the Agreement on Government Procurement. The United States objected to these 
proposed modifications.
71 There have been no new developments during this 
reporting period. 
c. Notifications by Japan concerning proposed modifications relating to: 
 East Japan Railway Company, Central Japan Railway Company and West Japan 
Railway Company72: 
No developments during the reporting period.73 
 Railway Construction Public Corporation and Corporation for Advanced Transport and 
Technology74: 
No developments during the reporting period.75 
 National Aerospace Laboratory76: 
No developments during the reporting period.77 
                                               
65 GPA/MOD/EEC/3, dated 29 April 2010; an d GPA/MOD/EEC/5, dated 8 July 2010. 
66 GPA/MOD/EEC/4, dated 27 May 2010; and GPA/MOD/EEC/6, dated 2 August 2010. 
67 Sweden - GPA/MOD/EEC/10, dated 24 November 2010; France - GPA/MOD/EEC/11, dated 
7 December 2010; Poland – GPA/MOD/EEC/12, dated 7 December 2010, and GPA/MOD/EEC/12/Corr.1, dated 10 December 2010; the Czech Republic – GPA/MOD/EEC/13, dated 7 December 2010; Romania – GPA/MOD/EEC/14, dated 9 December 2010; Finland – GPA/MOD/EEC/15, dated 10 December 2010; and Lithuania – GPA/MOD/EEC/16, dated 10 December 2010. 
68 GPA/MOD/EEC/18, dated 6 January 2011; GPA/MOD/EEC/19, dated 6 January 2011; 
GPA/MOD/EEC/20, dated 6 January 2011; GPA/MOD/EE C/21, dated 10 January 2011; and GPA/MOD/EEC/22, 
dated 10 January 2011. 
69 GPA/MOD/EEC/17, dated 20 December 2010. 
70 GPA/MOD/EEC/23, dated 24 March 2011. 
71 GPA/MOD/EEC/24, dated 5 April 2011. 
72 GPA/W/144, GPA/W/145 and GPA/W/146, a ll dated 29 August 2001 and GPA/W/152 and 
GPA/W/152/Corr.1, dated 20 September and 10 October 2001, respectively. 
73 For the last reported update rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/89, dated 
11 December 2006, paragraph 13(i). 
74 GPA/W/272 and GPA/W/272/Rev.1, dated 23 September and 8 October 2003, respectively. A revised 
notification was distributed in documents GPA/MOD/JPN/55, dated 7 September 2010 and GPA/MOD/JPN/55/Corr.1, dated 19 November 2010. 
75 For the last reported updates rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/106, dated 
9 December 2010, paragraph 14(iii) and GPA/110, dated 16 November 2011, paragraph 29(iii). 
76 GPA/W/275, dated 23 September 2003. GPA/121 
 
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   Japan Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation, Japan Regional Development 
Corporation, Urban Development Corporation78: 
No developments during the reporting period.79 
d. Notification by Norway: 
 In January 2011, Norway sent a communicati on with proposed modifications to its 
Annex 1 of Appendix I pursuant to Article XXIV:6(a) of the Agreement on Government Procurement.
80 Canada and the United States submitted objections to 
these proposed modifications.81 
During the reporting period, Canada withdrew its objection.82 
e. Notifications by the United States: 
 In September 2001, the US notified proposed  modifications to reflect changes in the 
administrative structure of the Federal Government83, as regards the Uranium 
Enrichment Corporation. 
No developments during the reporting period.84 
 In November 2010, the US notified proposed modifications to Annex 2 of 
Appendix I.85 The EU and Canada submitted objections to these proposed 
modifications.86 
During the reporting period, Canada withdrew its objection.87 
4.6  The "e-GPA project" 4.8.  During the reporting period, the Secretariat provided further updates to the Committee on 
the work that it is undertaking to create a more integrated and interactive GPA website than 
presently exists. The project aims to create an in tegrated database comprising information on the 
GPA Parties' market access schedules under the revised Agreement, the statistical reports of the Parties and links to the GPA Parties' own relevant websites, to serve as a market access 
information tool for governments, businesses and other interested parties (the "e-GPA project"). 
The project is being implemented with the su pport and collaboration of the Secretariat's 
Information Technology Solutions Division (ITSD). The project is consistent with and builds upon 
key thrusts of the revised GPA, as well as with th e overall drive in the Secretariat, to make better 
use of electronic tools in making information available in formats that are helpful both to Member governments and, where feasible, their suppliers. 
4.9.  The Committee held an initial discussion on  the project in the course of its meeting in 
February. During its meeting in May, the Secretariat made a presentation to the Committee in 
which it provided further details about the visi on, key features and expected benefits of the 
project. Subsequently, at its meeting in October, the Secretariat informed the Committee of the 
launch of the project in the summer, and provid ed the Committee with an initial presentation 
                                                                                                                                               
77 For the last reported update rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/106, dated 
9 December 2010, paragraph 14(iii). 
78 GPA/MOD/JPN/7, dated 26 July 2004. 
79 For the last reported update rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/95, dated 9 December 
2008, paragraph 11(ii). 
80 GPA/MOD/NOR/1, dated 6 January 2011. 
81 GPA/MOD/NOR/3, dated 4 February 2011; and GPA/MOD/NOR/2, dated 13 January 2011, 
respectively. 
82 GPA/MOD/NOR/4, dated 26 February 2013. 
83 GPA/W/153, dated 25 September 2001. 
84 For the last reported update rega rding this proposed modification, see GPA/89, dated 
11 December 2006, paragraph 13(ii). 
85 GPA/MOD/USA/9, dated 22 November 2010. 
86 GPA/MOD/USA/10, dated 30 November 2010; and GPA/MOD/USA/11, dated 20 December 2010. 
87 GPA/MOD/USA/13, dated 26 February 2013. GPA/121 
 
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  highlighting the transparency-enhancing and other features that the completed portal was 
expected to provide. The Committee believes that th e "e-GPA project" holds significant potential to 
facilitate the administration of the Agreement, including future accessions, and looks forward to 
receiving further progress reports on this project in the future. 
__________