Product specifications also can be a barrier to trade. For example, the Ministry of Health requires that beef imported for direct human consumption have less than 7 percent fat, a level virtually never attained even in premium beef exports. Substantial sales of U.S. apples are estimated to be lost each year because the Ministry of Agriculture claims that the presence of dead insects constitutes a threat to local agriculture. The same concern over dead insects leads to mandatory refumigation of numerous grain shipments, significantly adding to the overall cost of importing the commodities. Additional burdens to importers are caused by the Ministry of Agriculture's ability to refuse entry to imports because of the presence of cotton seeds, which ostensibly could harm Egypt's most important cash crop.
Closed bidding is rare, as national law requires tendering for all significant projects.
Although the law states that no negotiations to modify tenders may take place except in final sessions with the lowest bidder, in practice bargaining with several competing low bidders is routine. The tender process is subject to frequent complaints of lack of transparency, poor enforcement of rules, and rigged outcomes. U.S. companies claim that European and Asian competitors make payments to win tenders that are forbidden under by U.S. law. Such claims are difficult to assess. Egypt is not a signatory of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.