Understanding on Government Procurement

19 November 1991

Committee for Drawing Up and
Promoting the Action Program

The Government of Japan reaffirms its continued commitment to the Action Program, which calls for increased procurement of foreign-made products. As part of the new Cabinet's continuing efforts to open Japan's markets, the government has taken a number of measures with respect to government procurement, including further improvements to contract procedures, lowering of the applicable procurement standards, and the inclusion of more agencies in measures aimed at increasing procurement from abroad. Japan shall pursue these measures as voluntary arrangements in the manner deemed most appropriate.



Understanding on Government Procurement

19 November 1991

Committee for the Drawing Up and
Promoting of the Action Program
  1. Procurement contracts involving sums from 100,000 SDR and under 130,000 SDR shall also be subject to the GATT Agreement on Government Procurement.

  2. Procurement of products involving sums of more than 1,000,000 SDR projected at the beginning of a fiscal year shall be notified in the Kanpo (official gazette) early in that fiscal year.

  3. In notices of invitation to tender for any Special Contract for Procurement (in this instance and hereinafter a Special Contract for Procurement involves sums from 100,000 SDR and under 130,000 SDR) reference information shall be published.

  4. "Tendering Participation Qualifications," "Delivery Locations" and "Delivery Period" shall be included in published English outlines announcing tendering on a Special Contract for Procurement.

  5. The 40-day tendering period for a Special Contract for Procurement shall be extended to 50 days, barring unusual circumstances.

  6. Statistics reported to the GATT Committee on Government Procurement shall also be reported to the public separately.

  7. Measures conforming to the Agreement on Government Procurement shall be adopted with regard to any Special Contract for Procurement. The 28 agencies listed separately shall be designated as agencies satisfying Action Program regulations (present list of 16 agencies).

    The measures described above shall become effective on 1 April 1992.



Attachments:

Northern Territories Affairs Association
Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund
Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation
Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute
Pollution-Related Health Damage Compensation Association
Industrial Relocation and Coal Production Areas Promotion Corporation
Amami Gunto Promotion Credit Fund
Japan Scholarship Foundation
Private School Personnel Mutual Aid Association
Association for Welfare of the Mentally and Physically Handicapped
Japan Agricultural Land Development Agency
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Organization Employees Mutual Aid Association
Japan National Oil Corporation
Metal Mining Agency of Japan
Coal-Mine Damage Corporation
Small Business National Corporation
Japan Keirin Association
Institute of Developing Economies
Japan Auto-Race Association
Japanese National Railways
Teito Rapid Transit Authority
Post Office Life Insurance Welfare Corporation
Smaller Enterprise Retirement Allowance Mutual Aid Project Corporation
Japan Institute of Labour
Tokyo Expressway Public Corporation
Housing and Urban Development Corporation
Mutual Aid Fund of Compensation for Accident on Duty of Fireman and Others

Note 1: The following procurement by the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation and the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is exempted.

Procurement of resources and materials possibly leading to the spread of information which violates the intent of treaties regarding the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. (Making public products necessary for the research and development of atomic energy and/or their specifications is considered a procurement which violates the intent of treaties regarding the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.)

Note 2: The entities above are listed only under the names they held as of November 19, 1991.

Note 3: Entities as of February 1, 2013 are those of which listed in Attachment I, Table1 and 3 of the GATT Agreement on Government Procurement (Treaty No. 23, 1995).