According to the WTO, the GPA is the only legally binding agreement in the WTO focusing on the subject of government procurement. It aims to open up as much of this business as possible to international competition.

It helps to make laws, regulations, procedures and practices regarding government procurement more transparent and to ensure they did not protect domestic products or suppliers, or discriminate against foreign products or suppliers.

International experts introduced the GPA’s regulations and their experiences, while the Vietnamese Bidding Department introduced its legal system for bidding in the country. The bidding laws took effect on the first day of April.

The department’s director Dang Huy Dong said that Vietnam has gained certain achievements since it joined the WTO.

Vietnam has yet to join the GPA, Dong said, adding that the nation has formed its bidding regime for the last 10 years in the field of government procurement.

Dong said that Vietnam is studying international regulations in the field, with a view to completing the procedure as an observer of the agreement.

Dong’s department would study and submit to the Government the logical steps and policies to join the GPA, so that they could be suited to the economic situation in Vietnam.