For information only - not an official document

UNIS/L/153
11 July 2011

UN Commission on International Trade Law Adopts a New Model Law on Public Procurement

Replacing the 1994 UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services, UNCITRAL brings procurement law up to date

VIENNA, 11 July (UN Information Service) - On 1 July 2011 the Commission adopted a new UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement.

The new Model Law is intended to enable government purchasers to take advantage of modern commercial techniques, such as e-procurement and framework agreements, and to enhance integrity in public procurement. It also extends the scope of the Model Law to defence procurement. It has many new provisions: it streamlines and strengthens provisions in a number of key areas, in particular allowing for challenges to breaches of the rules, but the fundamental principles of the 1994 text (the foundation of its success) remain.

The Model Law is aimed at assisting States in formulating a modern procurement law. Although developing countries and States whose economies are in transition were the main users of the 1994 text, the new Model Law reflects international best practice and is designed to be appropriate for all States.

The work on the preparation of the Model Law was undertaken by UNCITRAL Working Group I from its sixth session in 2004 until its nineteenth session in 2010. The 2011 UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement will be posted at http://www.uncitral.org/uncitral/en/commission/working_groups/1Procurement.html shortly, and a draft Guide to Enactment at that same location later in the year.

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The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its mandate is to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, insolvency, security interests, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development. UNCITRAL also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts. The UNCITRAL Secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria, and maintains a website at www.uncitral.org.

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For further information including advice on implementation of the new Model Law please contact: uncitral[at]uncitral.org

or

Timothy Lemay
Principal Legal Officer
UNCITRAL Secretariat
Email: timothy.lemay[at]uncitral.org