Main headlines from this issue

Australia legislates for civil offsets “Plan is a return to Soviet Russia with the commissars”

A bill to be introduced shortly to Australia’s parliament calls for civil projects with a capital expenditure of A$500m ($514m) or more to submit an Australian Industry Participation Plan. A new body, the AIP Authority, will oversee the regulation.

Kuwait: NOC challenges study that finds negligible offset fulfilment – “The limits of governance should be made clear”

The total value of Kuwait’s offset obligations fulfilled since 2008 amounted to only $3.5m spread over 126 contracts, the Kuwait Economic Society says. The NOC has challenged the accuracy and validity of the data used.

India: DPP 2013 relegates “Buy (Global)” to the dumpster – receives mixed reaction

India’s DPP 2013 will chiefly concern revised procurement procedures rather than changes to the offset regulations. The amendments to DPP 2011 in the current review have received mixed reviews.

Frost & Sullivan forecasts significant growth for offsets – seven EC member states in top 20

Military offset obligations in the top twenty markets are expected to increase from $36.3bn in 2012 to $49.6bn in 2021. The report predicts that seven of the top twenty countries to engage in offset practices over the next ten years will be from Europe.

Why Vietnam’s technology transfer rules are failing

Foreign companies undergoing civil sector contracts in Vietnam have to explain to the state management agencies the technologies they employ. They must also prove that the technologies are fit for purpose.