Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Brazil, launching a partnership under the Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI). Through the agreement, USTDA will partner with the Government of Brazil’s Ministry of Planning, Development and Management to promote international best practices in public procurement and the long-term professionalization of Brazil’s procurement workforce.
To kick off the partnership, USTDA will host a three-day training workshop, providing over 80 Brazilian government officials with access to leading procurement experts, including one from the George Washington University’s Government Procurement Law Program, as well as energy, transportation, and IT procurement technical specialists. The workshop will also feature sessions on public-private partnerships and in-depth life-cycle cost analysis training.
“We are so pleased to partner with Brazil through the Global Procurement Initiative,” said Thomas R. Hardy, USTDA’s Director for Congressional and Public Affairs. “This partnership advances the Ministry of Planning’s extensive work in promoting transparency and good governance, with the overarching goal of obtaining the best value for Brazilian public funds, while at the same time expanding the field of solution providers.”
“Considering our shared goal, to procure goods and services efficiently and effectively, I am delighted with the launch of the GPI program and to support another key partnership between United States and Brazil,” said Chargé d’Affaires William W. Popp.
Through the GPI, USTDA will support Brazil’s goals of making efficient investments in sustainable infrastructure, while advancing the GPI’s mission of leveling the playing field for international competition. The partnership will build upon USTDA’s existing collaboration with the Government of Brazil to identify high-quality solutions to advance their infrastructure development goals.
Following this week’s workshop, USTDA will invite a group of senior Brazilian officials to the United States in early 2018 to share best practices and lessons learned from U.S. federal, state and municipal procurement systems. This visit will be followed by a second workshop in Brazil, for Brazilian state and municipal-level procurement officials.
Photos of the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): https://www.flickr.com/photos/embaixadaeua-brasil/sets/72157690869572925
For further information on this Press Release, please contact the U.S. Embassy Press Office in Brasília at BrasiliaEMBEUA@state.gov or on (+55 61) 3312 – 7367 / 7350 / 7364.
