Minister of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has stressed Saudi Arabia's commitment to government procurement conventions with member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Al-Rabiah was addressing a two-day seminar on government procurement organized by the MoCI in cooperation with the WTO at Marriott Hotel in Riyadh.

He said the Kingdom had reaffirmed its commitment to begin negotiations to join government procurement conventions following its WTO membership.

If the outcome of such negotiations served the interests of the Kingdom and other parties in the conventions, the Kingdom would complete membership negotiations, he said.

The minister said the Kingdom asked for observer status at the committee's works and obtained that in December 2007 and since then joined the meetings so as to substantiate such works closely in preparation for the next stages of membership.

The MoCI, meanwhile, received a series of enquiries on the government's procurement system and related procedures, which were answered by the ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, he said.

Referring to the Kingdom's efforts in this context, the minister said the Kingdom asked the WTO secretariat in January 2012 to organize a national seminar on the new conventions of government procurement.

The government procurement committee at the WTO adopted on March 30 the new version of the government procurement convention after completion of the required revisions in line with the decision of convention member countries in December 2011, he said.

He said the new convention had been submitted to the governments of convention member countries and would go into effect after approval of two-thirds of member countries.

He affirmed that government procurements in the Kingdom were subject to government competition and procurement system issued by a royal decree on Sept. 28, 2006, which is aimed at protecting public funds, boosting transparency and observing fair treatment with contractors.

The minister expressed his thanks and appreciation to the WTO secretariat for attending the seminar and hoped that the discussion would upgrade awareness of those involved in government procurement deals.

Adviser at the Ministry of Commerce Badr Al-Basis said the seminar would review a number of issues related to government procurement such as requirements of transparency and institutionalization, government procurement conventions and their relations to commerce and development, benefits gained from accession to the conventions, government procurement system in the Kingdom, and measures to prevent collusion in bidding.