Selling to the Government
Fiji is not a party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. The Fiji Procurement Office of the Ministry of Economy has an online procurement process for goods and services valued above US$23,042 (FJ$50,000) through its E-tendering website. Potential suppliers may register on the website for free notifications on tenders, and requests for expression of interest and quotations. Requests for proposals and tenders are often published in the Fiji Sun newspaper and government publications. The Fiji Road Authority that manages the country’s roads and bridges manages its own procurements, while the government’s Information Technology and Computing (ITC) Services is responsible for information technology procurements.
Multilateral development banks such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, and development partners including Australia, Japan, Korea, provide financing for public works projects.
U.S. companies bidding on Government tenders may also qualify for U.S. Government advocacy. A unit of the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, the Advocacy Center coordinates U.S. Government interagency advocacy efforts on behalf of U.S. exporters bidding on public sector contracts with international governments and government agencies. The Advocacy Center works closely with our network of the U.S. Commercial Service worldwide and inter-agency partners to ensure that exporters of U.S. products and services have the best possible chance of winning government contracts. Advocacy assistance can take many forms but often involves the U.S. Embassy or other U.S. Government agencies expressing support for the U.S. bidders directly to the foreign government. Consult Advocacy for Foreign Government Contracts for additional information.
Financing of Projects
The Fiji government has invested heavily in upgrading road infrastructure and bridges. Infrastructure development is financed through a combination of grants and loans. Concessional loans from the Export-Import Banks of China and Malaysia and the European Investment Bank have funded road and bridge construction, and water projects throughout the country. Loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) were also expanded to improve water and sanitation in urban areas, and road infrastructure. In January 2021, the World Bank launched its first Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Fiji (2021-2024) and expects to finance over US$210 million over the next four years in projects to support implementation of the CPF.
According to the Fiji government’s 2021-2022 Budget, the government is collaborating with bilateral and multilateral development partners for projects around $3.1 million in disaster risk management, improving rural water and water efficiency, waste management, and bridge reconstruction, and a $0.2 million energy financing project. Allocations for the maintenance of road assets and the the upgrade and replacement of bridges exceed US$46.1 million.
Multilateral Development Banks and Financing Government Sales. Price, payment terms, and financing can be a significant factor in winning a government contract. Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from the Multilateral Development Banks (MDB). A helpful guide for working with the MDBs is the Trade Finance Guide. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s (USDOC) International Trade Administration (ITA) has a Foreign Commercial Service Officer stationed at each of the five different Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs): the African Development Bank; the Asian Development Bank; the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; the Inter-American Development Bank; and the World Bank.
Learn more by contacting the following:
- Commercial Liaison Office to the Asian Development Bank
- Commercial Liaison Office to the World Bank.
Fiji projects are eligible for Multilateral Development Bank funding.