REPORT BY WTO SECRETARIAT (WT/TPR/S/249): III TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES BY MEASURE: (4) MEASURES AFFECTING PRODUCTION AND TRADE: (iv) Government Procurement (a) Overview
The Secretariat report notes in paragraph 219, page 106 that India became an observer to the WTO GPA in February 2010 and that Indian authorities have indicated that "reforms have moved India towards a more transparent and competitive procurement framework. "
Do these reforms contemplate the elimination of the reservations and price preferences, referred to paragraph 220, which are part of India's procurement framework?
Reply: Transparency and fairness in GP are values that have stand alone significance for India purely in the domestic context. We are engaged in improving our procurement systems. However, carve outs and offsets are essential for the development of the sensitive sectors in a developing economy like India, and has been availed of even by other GPA signatories.
Does India envisage entering into legally binding commitments to open its procurement market, either through FTA government procurement chapters or joining the GPA?
