Arlington, VA – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the Government of Panama cooperated on a comprehensive training program for senior Panamanian government officials about best practices for life-cycle cost analyses to achieve greater value for infrastructure procurements. The training was provided under USTDA’s partnership with the Directorate General of Public Procurement (DGCP) under the Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI).

“What USTDA is doing with the GPI is a creative change in the way that best practices can be shared, so new and better standards are created,” said Thomas R. Hardy, USTDA’s Acting Director. “We believe life-cycle cost analysis in public procurement will help Panamanian officials to make purchasing decisions that bring about more competitive tenders, increased quality, and significant savings.”

The training was conducted in Panama City from December 10-13 and included 40 procurement officials representing a range of the Panamanian government, including the DGCP, Civil Aviation Authority and Terrestrial Transit and Traffic Authority. The training was developed by U.S. practitioners and professors with extensive procurement experience in government, the private sector and higher education.

“Public procurement is complex and requires knowledge of processes, awareness of responsibility, and critical thinking across each stage of the acquisition process,” said Ms. Gladys Bandiera, Deputy Director of the DGCP. “This training will deepen our understanding of procurement strategies and how to incorporate and utilize LCCA in our acquisitions.”

Launched in 2013, USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value is dedicated to assisting public officials in emerging economies to better understand the total cost of ownership of goods and services for infrastructure projects. The Initiative includes 11 partner countries, and USTDA is currently reviewing requests from additional countries.