USTDA Launches Best-Value Procurement Training in Ethiopia
October 13, 2015
(USTDA)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Today, the U.S. Trade
and Development Agency kicked off the first
phase of its Procurement Assistance Program in
Ethiopia under the Agency’s Global Procurement
Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI).
USTDA is providing 50 Ethiopian government
officials with access to world class
procurement experts, including leaders from the
George Washington University’s Government
Procurement Law Program and technical
specialists in life-cycle cost analysis,
through a three-day workshop on Obtaining Value
in Public Procurement.
“We strongly believe that increasing the
efficiency, fairness, and transparency of the
expenditure of public resources is critical to
sustainable development and the reduction of
poverty. Efficient public procurement systems
are essential to the achievement of the
development objectives of the Government of
Ethiopia,” Director General Tsegaye Abebe of
Ethiopia’s Public Procurement and Property
Administration Agency (FPPA) stated at the
workshop’s opening ceremony. “I would like to
applaud USTDA for initiating this partnership
arrangement with the Government of Ethiopia in
the area of public procurement, which has
become increasingly important for the country’s
development endeavor.”
In July, USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the
FPPA to formalize cooperation under the GPI.
The partnership, which was announced during
President Obama’s visit to Ethiopia, signals
the importance the U.S. and Ethiopian
governments place on promoting transparent,
outcomes-focused public procurement processes.
A second phase of assistance is planned for the
spring of 2016, when USTDA will sponsor a group
of senior Ethiopian procurement officials for
follow-on training in the United States. The
visit will provide the officials with the
opportunity to learn how U.S. federal, state
and municipal officials incorporate best value
and life-cycle cost analysis into their
procurements.
The goal of the GPI is to provide partner
countries like Ethiopia with the access,
opportunity and support they need to structure
sound infrastructure tenders that can foster
sustainable economic growth.
Welcome to the Exporting Source
Your one-stop resource for finding help to export to new customers, to learn about government export programs, to join export-promoting trade missions, to sign up for trade conferences and training, and to link to other exporting services. Whether you're an old hand at exporting or just getting started, the Exporting Source provides a place to locate foreign customers, export financing and foreign investment assistance.