Selling to the Government
Fiji is not a party to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. The Fiji Procurement Office has an online procurement process for goods and services valued above $23,042 (FJ$50,000) through its e-tendering website. Through the e-tender portal, potential suppliers can subscribe for real time updates and notifications on tender advertisements. Requests for quotations (RFQs) and tenders are often published in the local newspapers and government publications. Government statutory bodies such as Fiji Roads Authority, Energy Fiji Limited, Information Technology and Computing (ITC) Services, and Water Authority of Fiji manage their own procurement processes.
Multilateral development banks such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, and development partners including Australia, Japan, and 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. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the Fijian government has made significant allocation of funds for large infrastructure projects to improve water supply, access to public roads and health facilities and services.
Concessional loans from the Export-Import Banks of China and Malaysia and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have funded road and bridge construction, and water projects throughout the country. EIB recently expanded its operations and services to Fiji with the opening of its new representation office in Suva and is now supporting projects in clean energy (hydropower plants), and water and wastewater (treatment plants). 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 $210 million over the next four years in projects to support implementation of the CPF.
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 Guide to Doing Business with Multilateral Development Banks. 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:
- Commercial Liaison Office to the Asian Development Bank
- Commercial Liaison Office to the World Bank