The Trade Agreements Act (TAA)

The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) is a federal law that governs trade agreements negotiated between the United States and other countries. Enacted on July 26, 1979, the Trade Agreements Act’s stated purposes are:  

Approve and implement the trade agreements negotiated under the Trade Act of 1974 Foster the growth and maintenance of an open world trading system Expand opportunities for the commerce of the United States in international trade Improve the rules of international trade and to provide for the enforcement of such rules Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) part 25 restricts purchases to either U.S. made or from “Designated Countries.” U.S. made products are either an article that is mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States or an article that I substantially transformed in the United States into a new and different article of commerce with some form of distinction from which it was produced.

Failure to comply with the Trade Agreements Act can result in a False Claims Act suit from the United States government. In recent years, the increase in FCA cases, President Trump’s Buy American executive order, and a new focus on TAA compliance have led to increased scrutiny of contractors’ TAA compliance efforts. In the 2017 fiscal year, there were 799 FCA cases, resulting in $3.7 billion in recoveries. Non-compliance with the TAA could also result in termination for default, suspension, and debarment.  

There are over 100 TAA compliant countries that fall under World Trade Organization (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement countries; Caribbean Basin countries; least developed countries; and Free Trade Agreement countries. Notable countries not included in this list are China, Russia, and Brazil.

TAA Compliant Countries 2022 (Page Information Source)

Country / 2022 Population 

Afghanistan 40,754,388 

Angola 35,027,343 

Antigua And Barbuda 99,509 

Armenia 2,971,966

Aruba 107,609 

Australia 26,068,792

Austria 9,066,710 

Bahamas 400,516 

Bahrain 1,783,983 

Bangladesh 167,885,689 

Barbados 288,023 

Belgium 11,668,278 

Belize 412,190 

Benin 12,784,726 

Bhutan 787,941 

British Virgin Islands 30,596

Bulgaria 6,844,597 

Burkina Faso 22,102,838 

Burundi 12,624,840 

Cambodia 17,168,639 

Canada 38,388,419 

Central African Republic 5,016,678 

Chad 17,413,580 

Chile 19,250,195 

Colombia 51,512,762 

Comoros 907,419 

Costa Rica 5,182,354 

Croatia 4,059,286 

Curacao 165,529 

Cyprus 1,223,387 

Czech Republic 10,736,784 

Denmark 5,834,950 

Djibouti 1,016,097 

Dominica 72,344 

Dominican Republic 11,056,370 

DR Congo 95,240,792 

El Salvador 6,550,389 

Equatorial Guinea 1,496,662 

Eritrea 3,662,244 

Estonia 1,321,910 

Ethiopia 120,812,698 

Finland 5,554,960 

France 65,584,518 

Gambia 2,558,482 

Germany 83,883,596 

Greece 10,316,637 

Grenada 113,475 

Guatemala 18,584,039 

Guinea 13,865,691 

Guinea Bissau 2,063,367

Guyana 794,045 

Haiti 11,680,283 

Honduras 10,221,247 

Hong Kong 7,604,299 

Hungary 9,606,259 

Iceland 345,393

Ireland 5,020,199 

Israel 8,922,892 

Italy 60,262,770 

Jamaica 2,985,094

Japan 125,584,838 

Kiribati 123,419 

Laos 7,481,023 

Latvia 1,848,837 

Lesotho 2,175,699 

Liberia 5,305,117 

Liechtenstein 38,387

Lithuania 2,661,708 

Luxembourg 642,371 

Madagascar 29,178,077 

Malawi 20,180,839 

Maldives 540,985 

Mali 21,473,764 

Malta 444,033 

Mauritania 4,901,981 

Mexico 131,562,772 

Moldova 4,013,171 

Montenegro 627,950 

Montserrat 4,965 

Morocco 37,772,756 

Mozambique 33,089,461 

Nepal 30,225,582 

Netherlands 17,211,447 

New Zealand 4,898,203 

Nicaragua 6,779,100 

Niger 26,083,660 

Norway 5,511,370 

Oman 5,323,993 

Panama 4,446,964 

Peru 33,684,208 

Poland 37,739,785 

Portugal 10,140,570 

Romania 19,031,335 

Rwanda 13,600,464 

Saint Kitts And Nevis 53,871 

Saint Lucia 185,113 

Saint Vincent And the Grenadines 111,551 S

Samoa 202,239 

Sao Tome And Principe 227,679 

Senegal 17,653,671 

Singapore 5,943,546 

Sint Maarten 43,966

Slovakia 5,460,193

Slovenia 2,078,034

Somalia 16,841,795 

South Korea 51,329,899 

South Sudan 11,618,511 

Spain 46,719,142 

Sweden 10,218,971 

Switzerland 8,773,637 

Taiwan 23,888,595 

Tanzania 63,298,550 

Timor Leste 1,369,429 

Togo 8,680,837 

Trinidad And Tobago 1,406,585 

Tuvalu 12,066 

Uganda 48,432,863

Ukraine 43,192,122 

United Kingdom 68,497,907 

United States 334,805,269 

Vanuatu 321,832 

Yemen 31,154,867 

Zambia 19,470,234