WTO Agreement on Government Procurement

An international agreement (GPA) that opens up market access for contracts above certain values.

The WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, known internationally as the GPA, requires Switzerland and other member states to open procurement above certain values to suppliers from all member states, without discrimination.

Contracts within the scope of this treaty must be opened to international competition, usually through an open or selective procedure. Outside that scope, the contracting authority has more freedom to choose a procedure under national law.

For a supplier based outside Switzerland, the GPA is what secures legal access to Swiss public contracts. For Swiss suppliers, it means the reverse: competition from foreign firms on the largest contracts.