The XII Annual Conference of Government Procurement in the Americas was held for the first time in an English-speaking Caribbean country – Jamaica (Montego Bay) – from November 29 to December 1. The conference centered around the theme of “Public Procurement – a Tool for Economic Development,” emphasizing the importance and complexity of the public procurement function in light of the sizable market share it commands (anywhere from 10-20 percent of a country’s GDP).

The Government of Jamaica led the organization of the conference with support from the Organization of American States (OAS), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, the Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project of the World Bank, European Union, PetroCaribe Development Fund, and the National Works Agency of Jamaica. The event drew over 350 participants, including representatives from all 24 INGP member countries, as well as representatives from new and prospective member countries, experts from international organizations such as IDB, OAS, OECD, UNEP, USTDA, IISD etc., academics and civil society. The conference provided an important platform for the exchange of knowledge, experiences and lessons learned in the ongoing effort to modernize public procurement in the Latin America and Caribbean region and beyond. 

The Opening Ceremony was followed by the signing of a Technical Cooperation Programme “Promoting the Participation of Women in Public Procurement” between the IDB and the INGP Working Group on Promoting Women in Public Procurement. This programme aims to support governments in the region in the development of policies and the adoption of good practices for increasing the participation of women in the public procurement market.