Switzerland Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in switzerland, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Selling to the Public Sector
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Selling to the Government

Switzerland is a party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), and deposited its instruments of acceptance of the 2014 revised GPA in December 2020. The revised GPA therefore entered into force in Switzerland as of January 1, 2021. U.S. companies can identify potential business opportunities via the Swiss government’s electronic platform simap, which publishes all government tenders within the GPA framework. Some areas are partly or fully exempted from the GPA, such as the management of drinking water, energy, transportation, telecommunication and defense. Swiss legislation about public procurement are governed by the Federal Act on Public Procurement.

The Swiss Federal Department of Defense is heavily reliant upon cooperation and expertise from foreign companies due to limited capacity within Switzerland. Procurement by armasuisse, a part of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports, may involve offsets. Offset transactions are used to open up access to foreign markets for Swiss industry or to strengthen its position in these markets. Switzerland chose Lockheed Martin’s F-35A and Raytheon’s Patriot systems in July 2021 as the suppliers in its Air2030 program, with a total budget estimated at approximately $8 billion. 

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

Transportation projects are mostly financed through public funds in Switzerland, but other large-scale projects in areas like real estate and energy are usually financed through special purpose vehicles – separate legal entities that act as off-balance-sheet subsidiaries of companies created for the project financing purposes. Prior to investing, authorizations, licenses or concessions may be required based on the investment in question. These are then granted by the appropriate federal or cantonal authority. Foreign investment may be restricted in sectors controlled by public monopolies, such as transportation or water supply.

Generally speaking, the government offers no special financing for projects in Switzerland. The federal government may grant long-term loans at preferential interest rates for a limited category of projects in designated regions – primarily in remote, mountainous areas that are threatened with economic decline. Cantonal and communal governments may offer a wider variety of incentives, including financing, for investments in their areas. Most cantons maintain economic development agencies, some with offices or representatives abroad, for the purpose of attracting projects and investments.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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