Discusses the legal requirements for selling to the host government, including whether the government has agreed to abide by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement or is a party to a government procurement chapter in a U.S. FTA. Specifies areas where there are opportunities
Last Published: 12/3/2018

The U.S. Commercial Service Ghana strongly encourages U.S. companies to contact the U.S. Embassy for assistance prior to bidding on government projects, for the following reasons:

  • The U.S. Commercial Service can provide information on the market, which can be helpful when preparing a successful proposal. We can also assist in obtaining more information about a proposed project;
  • The U.S. Commercial Service can help you to verify the legitimacy of a government tender. There have been some fraudulent procurement offers that utilize real government tenders, falsely claiming to represent the government body in question. There have also been some fraudulent companies that put forward nonexistent government tenders; and
  • There have been some allegations of irregularities in government tendering processes. We can help push for an even playing field for all bidders.

Government ministries, departments, agencies and local governments have their own tender committees, which buy directly from suppliers. Ghanaian law stipulates that purchases below a certain threshold are reserved for local companies. Please contact the U.S. Commercial Service Ghana for information on the latest threshold amounts. There is no requirement to have a local agent to be able to sell to the government. However, local agents can be useful in providing leads and contacts. U.S. suppliers can also take advantage of the margin of preference given to domestic suppliers of goods and services.

Note: Although a local partner can be of great assistance when entering the market, the U.S. Commercial Service highly recommends that any new potential partner be subjected to due diligence prior to entering into any type of business arrangement with a U.S. company.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.