Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency hosted an awards ceremony at the George Washington University’s Law School on Friday, recognizing GW’s Government Procurement Law Program for the contributions of its professors in support of USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI).

The GPI provides training to government procurement officials in emerging market countries, with the goals of enhancing transparency and demonstrating the benefits of best value procurement versus least cost procurement.  This training, led by the professors of the GW Government Procurement Law Program, provides the tools for governments to make smarter, longer-term investments with overall savings, while also enabling U.S. companies to compete on a level playing field for international tenders.

For four years, USTDA and GW have partnered under the Global Procurement Initiative, and together they create a dynamic force. The ceremony celebrated several successes the partnership has produced, including the development new public procurement degree awarding programs at the Universities of Botswana and Romania, with GW professors providing significant contributions on curriculum development for the former.

“We are so proud of what the GPI has achieved in such a short period of time,” said USTDA Acting Director Thomas R. Hardy. “It is truly a testament to the caliber and commitment of the GW professors and the training they are providing. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with GW and look forward to building on our success with these outstanding professors.”

“This partnership created among government officials, academia, and industry is a tremendous step toward achieving best value contracting and broadening transparency,” added Dean Blake D. Morant, who kicked off the ceremony on behalf of GW. “Moreover, our students are privileged to witness our faculty as the model of ethical lawyering leadership. I am proud of our faculty’s engagement and the perspectives we bring to our students every day.”

So far, the GPI has expanded to nine countries, and USTDA continues to receive interest from new potential partner countries.