WIREDGOV

techUK responds to news of the agreement in principle for the UK to join the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.

Commenting on the announcement of the UK rejoining a key World Trade Organization agreement that governs public procurement opportunities, techUK's Head of Policy Giles Derrington yesterday said:

“This is very welcome progress on an area of real importance to many UK tech companies. Public procurement remains a huge part of the tech market and a major part of the UK’s success story as a world leader in GovTech. Reaching an agreement in principle on the Government Procurement Agreement means that UK businesses will retain access to a market worth $1.7 trillion. This is one of the few areas where other countries could block UK engagement at WTO level, so the fact progress has been made is incredibly important. techUK hopes that the agreement will swiftly be formalised and the UK’s commitment to open procurement can be further solidified in any future free trade agreements.”