2. Action Program measures

(1) Government Procurement Seminar

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds a seminar on government procurement each year, based on the Action Program on Government Procurement adopted at the 20th Meeting of the Action Program Committee in February 1994 and on the Procedures for Government Procurement on Products (Operational Guidelines) adopted at the 21^st Meeting of the Action Program Committee held in March 1994. In 2000, the seminar was held from 25 to 26 April (with 78 domestic and 35 foreign suppliers participating).

The above two voluntary measures also call for the other ministries and agencies to hold seminars on government procurement as necessary. In 1999, the following seminars were held.

Table III-1 Government Procurement Seminars in Japanese Ministries and Agencies in 2000

(2) Voluntary Review Meeting

In 1999, by means of hearings and questionnaires conducted on 5 November, the opinions of domestic and overseas suppliers were solicited concerning implementation and utilization of voluntary measures. In addition, another voluntary review, a follow-up to the voluntary measures based on statistics, etc., was held on 3 December and gave consideration to the results of the hearings (Reference Materials III-4). The Voluntary Review Meeting drew up the Government Initiative on Future Management of Government Procurement (Reference Materials III-5) based upon the reviews above.

(3) Action Program Committee

On 25 April 2000, the 31^st Action Program Committee approved partial revisions to the "Procedures to Introduce Supercomputers." Concerning procurement contracts concluded after 1^st May 2000, the committee agreed to raise the theoretical peak ratings threshold that stipulates the coverage of the "Introduction Procedures." In addition, in the Action Program Committee held on 30 November, the state of the implementation of the voluntary measures reviewed at the voluntary review meeting was confirmed, and the Government Initiative on Future Management of Government Procurement drawn by the voluntary review committee was approved.

(4) Thresholds

Thresholds, which vary according to types of contract specified in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, are obtained by converting the applied standard values (in SDR) into the national currency (The Standard Values are revised every two fiscal years.).

The thresholds in the voluntary measures related to government procurement as formulated by the Action Program Committee are revised according to these notifications. The thresholds applicable at present may be found in Reference Material III-6.

Reference Material III-1:
World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement

Reference Material III-4: Results of the Inquiries to Domestic and Foreign Suppliers (2000)

* Fifty-five respondents took part in the questionnaire (25 from products in general, 9 from the area of telecommunications products, and 20 from the area of medical technology), excluding those who did not respond.

* Due to rounding of figures, the totals do not add up to 100% in some cases.

The Voluntary Review Meeting has confirmed the following points, based on the results of interviews with suppliers regarding the implementation of various voluntary measures to facilitate market access and ensure openness, fairness and competitiveness in the field of government procurements of goods and services.

The standard values for all types of voluntary measures determined in the Committee for Drawing Up and Promoting the Action Program, based on Notification No. 14 of the Ministry of Finance as published in the official gazette (Kanpo) dated 25 January 2000, have been set as follows: (Applying to procurement contracts awarded between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2002)

1. Overview of Standard Values for Japan

2. International comparison of standard values