OREANDA-NEWS. April 29, 2011. The first extended briefing in the history of Russian antimonopoly bodies with participation of the US agencies involved in state procurement took place, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The briefing took place at the White House (USA). The American side was represented by Daniel Gordon, the Head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the Administrator of Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President, responsible for development of enforcement of the leading principles of state procurement (annual federal budget spending for state procurement – USD 500 billions). Also present was Ms. Gene Greer from the Office of the United State Trade Representatives, who informed participants about the main provisions of the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, to which Russia can become a partner only after joining the World Trade Organisation.

The Head of the FAS Russia’s Legal Department, Sergey Puzyrevsky informed American colleagues about the reform of state procurement in Russia, achievements associated with transition towards the system of electronic auctions and the problems facing Russian antimonopoly authority at this stage.

Russian experts exchanged experiences with their American colleagues and learned about state procurement practice in the USA, illustrated by a particular example.

The interest of American experts towards the recent reforms in the system of state procurement in Russia shows their appreciation of the revolutionary steps being undertaken by Russia in this field.

Reference:
Around 40 countries signed the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. The partners to the Agreement have similar requirements for placing government orders and participation in tenders. Orders placed by each partner are open to all other partners to the Agreement so participation in the Agreement opens access of foreing companies to each other’s markets.