India opens central govt procurement to UK firms under new trade pact
India opens central govt procurement to UK firms under new trade pact
After the UAE, India has opened its central government procurement for British companies under the free trade agreement (FTA) announced on Tuesday, an official said on Wednesday.The official said British firms would be allowed to participate in the procurement of goods and services of the non-sensitive central-level entities only.However, access to state and local government-level entities will be excluded."Eligible UK suppliers would be allowed to bid for domestic tenders as deemed Class II local suppliers only," the official said, adding carve out is also provided for 'Make in India' policy as well as medium and small enterprises.Earlier, India opened the government procurement segment in the comprehensive trade pact with the UAE. Under that pact, UAE firms are allowed to participate in procurement tenders worth over Rs 200 crore.In 2020, the government modified public procurement norms to give maximum preference to companies whose goods and services have 50 per cent or mor
