USTDA, Caribbean Nations Partner on Energy Procurement

USTDA release

Arlington, VA – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency launched the Caribbean Regional Energy Procurement Assistance Program to support the development of high-quality energy infrastructure in eight Caribbean countries. The Program is supported under USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value and represents a new U.S. government partnership with the Governments of Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname. The Program will deliver targeted procurement training to officials who manage energy sector investments in these island nations to ensure they receive the best value from their investments.

“The GPI is an innovative and proven tool that has empowered procurement officials around the world to make stronger, value-based decisions and secure a future of high-quality infrastructure,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “This cooperation with our Caribbean neighbors will help maximize quality and value in their upcoming energy investments, which is crucial to economic development, access to power, environmental sustainability and infrastructure resilience.”

Under the Program, USTDA will lead trainings and study tours both virtually and in the United States on international public procurement best practices and the integration of best value methodologies. Trainings will be carried out in coordination with U.S. expert practitioners with extensive procurement experience in government, the private sector and higher education. Additionally, USTDA will host a high-level virtual forum on achieving value for money in energy infrastructure for policymakers and procurement decisionmakers, with an emphasis on sustainability, development and innovation.

Since 2013, USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative has assisted public officials in emerging economies to better understand the total cost of ownership of goods and services for infrastructure projects. The Initiative now includes 12 partner countries.