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FTAA.nggp/inf/61
August 12, 2003

Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat

FTAA – NEGOTIATING GROUP ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

REQUEST FOR TECHNICAL COOPERATION AND ASSISTANCE FOR PREPARING A MARKET
ACCESS OFFER FOR GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
 


Introduction

The Dominican Republic hereby submits its request, through the Negotiating Group on Government Procurement, to the FTAA Technical Assistance and Cooperation Program for technical assistance to prepare its market access offer for government procurement. 
  1. Background

    In document FTAA.TNC/20, the FTAA Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) established that market access offers for government procurement shall be submitted between 15 December 2002 and 15 February 2003. It also stipulated that technical assistance for preparing offers will be provided to countries needing it and that these countries will have until 15 July 2003 to submit their offers.

    In compliance with the instructions set out in FTAA.TNC/20, the Dominican delegation submitted a list of its assistance needs in the Negotiating Group on Government Procurement (FTAA.nggp/inf/38) for later submission to the Consultative Group on Smaller Economies, through that Group’s Chair. Among these needs is technical assistance for preparing market access offers.


  2. Rationale

    IThe Dominican Republic is not a signatory of the World Trade Organization’s Plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement and lacks experience in negotiations that entail the submission of offers for government procurement. The only agreement that the Dominican Republic has signed in which government procurement is negotiated is the Central America – Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which has broad coverage, includes all levels of government, and only requires the submission of negative lists. Furthermore, the Dominican Republic is unfamiliar with the structure of federal governments in the hemisphere and does not have the statistics that would enable it to evaluate the degree to which offers exchanged in the FTAA are reciprocal and balanced.

    Taking into account its lack of experience, the Dominican Republic has neither the studies nor the skilled experts that it needs to prepare a market access offer for government procurement that would allow it to successfully meet the challenge represented by the multilateral negotiating process of the FTAA.

    The technical assistance requested by the Dominican Republic would enable it to participate fully in the negotiating process, thereby ensuring an outcome that is fairer and more consistent with the development goals of the country, which must coexist with its trade liberalization policy.


  3. Project Goals:

    The main goal is to train a technical team so that it has all the tools needed to prepare the Dominican Republic’s market access offer and formulate requests for improvements to offers received from other countries in the hemisphere.

    Specific Goals:

    • Prepare a market access offer for government procurement that allows for the coexistence of national development needs and goals, a commitment to open trade, and the transparency sought in the FTAA.

    • Become familiar with and understand the political structure of federal governments and entities at all levels of government that engage in government procurement.

    • Evaluate the government procurement statistics of the countries of the hemisphere and develop the ability to analyze them in terms of negotiating objectives.

  4. Inputs

    • Workshops and seminars on the preparation of market access offers for government procurement.
       
    • Political and administrative structure of the countries of the hemisphere, including a list of entities at all levels of government that engage in government procurement.
       
    • Statistics on procurements made by countries in the region, for all levels of government.
       
    • Other information that would help the Dominican Republic evaluate the government procurement market in the hemisphere.

     
  5. Anticipated Results

    • A market access offer for government procurement that takes into account national development needs and goals, reflects the FTAA’s commitment to special and differential treatment, and dovetails with the Dominican Republic’s commitment to trade liberalization and transparency in government procurements.
       
    • Strengthened national institutions through the training of technical personnel in the preparation and submission of market access offers for government procurement.
       
    • Creation of a team conversant with the political structure of federal governments in the area of government procurements that has been trained to analyze statistical information for evaluating the negotiated market, in order to ensure reciprocity and balance of the negotiations.
     
 
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