USTDA Establishes Partnership with Vietnam on Value-Based Procurement

(USTDA) Provides Training to 150 Public Procurement Officials in Three Cities

HANOI, VIETNAM – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) of Vietnam, establishing the Agency's second country partnership under the Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI). Under this partnership, USTDA will provide training and technical assistance to help the Government of Vietnam implement a newly revised law focused on achieving greater value for money in public procurements. By promoting strategic, long-term infrastructure investments, the Procurement Assistance Program will increase international competition and facilitate improved development outcomes in Vietnam.

"This program is an invaluable step in strengthening economic ties between the United States and Vietnam," said Andrea Lupo, USTDA's Director for Global Programs, during the signing ceremony. "It comes at a critical time when Vietnam is assessing its current procurement practices in order to enhance its infrastructure investments and improve development outcomes. U.S. companies see the revised procurement law as a signal of Vietnam's encouragement of fair and transparent international competition."

The ceremony took place as USTDA kicked off a series of technical procurement trainings in Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City for approximately 150 public procurement officials. USTDA and PPA will lead the trainings alongside officials from the George Washington University Law School's Government Procurement Law Program, the GPI's globally recognized partner, and technical specialists in life-cycle cost analysis from Jacobsen/Daniels Associates. The trainings will also be attended by observers from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, GPI collaborators who are providing capacity building assistance for Vietnam's procurement reform.

This Procurement Assistance Program advances the Government of Vietnam's goal to transition to a more effective, results-driven system of public procurement. It also supports USTDA's goal of leveling the playing field for U.S companies competing for large-scale procurements abroad.