Bidding for overseas contracts: what to expect from 1 January 2021
Information for UK businesses about the UK’s participation in the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) after 1 January 2021.
New rules for January 2021
The UK has left the EU, and the transition period after Brexit comes to an end this year.
This page tells you what you’ll need to do from 1 January 2021. It will be updated if anything changes.
For current information, read: Agreement on Government Procurement
You can also read about the transition period.
The Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) allows UK businesses to bid for government contracts in other countries, and foreign businesses to bid for contracts in the UK.
At present, the UK is signed up to the GPA through EU membership. From 1 January 2021, the UK expects to join the GPA on substantially the same terms.
It may take up to 30 days to comes into force after 31 December 2020. The impact of this on businesses should be minimal. UK businesses will still have access to government procurements in many overseas markets. They may temporarily lose some rights provided by the GPA.
If you’re concerned about bidding on a foreign government procurement shortly after 1 January 2021 please get in touch.
The GPA is an agreement between 20 members of the World Trade Organization.