ARLINGTON, Virginia — The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) today launched the Caribbean Regional Energy Procurement Assistance Program to support the development of high-quality energy infrastructure in eight Caribbean countries.

According to the agency, the programme is supported under “USTDA's Global Procurement Initiative (GPI): Understanding Best Value” and represents a new US government partnership with the governments of Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.

The agency said it will deliver targeted procurement training to officials who manage energy sector investments in these island nations to ensure they receive the best value from their investments.

“The GPI is an innovative and proven tool that has empowered procurement officials around the world to make stronger, value-based decisions and secure a future of high-quality infrastructure,” USTDA's acting director Enoh Ebong said.

“This cooperation with our Caribbean neighbours will help maximise quality and value in their upcoming energy investments, which is crucial to economic development, access to power, environmental sustainability and infrastructure resilience,” Ebong continued.

Under the Program, the USTDA said it will lead training and study tours both virtually and in the United States on international public procurement best practices and the integration of best value methodologies. It said training will be carried out in coordination with US expert practitioners with extensive procurement experience in government, the private sector and higher education.

Additionally, it said it will host a high-level virtual forum on achieving value for money in energy infrastructure for policymakers and procurement decision makers, with an emphasis on sustainability, development and innovation.

Since 2013, the USTDA said its Global Procurement Initiative has assisted public officials in emerging economies to better understand the total cost of ownership of goods and services for infrastructure projects. The initiative now includes 12 partner countries.