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.

Belize is not a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement nor is it a party to any U.S. Free Trade Agreements. However, as the United States remains Belize’s leading trading partner, suppliers of U.S. products and services generally have little difficulty selling to the Government of Belize. 

The policies and procedures for government procurement are outlined in Belize Stores Orders and Financial Orders issued by the Ministry of Finance.  Despite legislative and regulatory measures, many businesses complain that both major political parties can and do practice partisanship bias that affects receiving licenses, winning government contracts, and the granting of government land to private owners. 

Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from the Multilateral Development Banks. Please refer to “Project Financing” Section in “Trade and Project Financing” for more information.

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.