On October 27 representatives of Lithuania’s civilian and defence industry representatives met with a U.S. Department of Defense delegation at the Ministry of National Defence.
The guests presented to them opportunities for Lithuanian business to seek Department of Defense contracts.
“Lithuanian companies are offered a unique opportunity to learn about the unique features of the procurement procedures in the U.S., to establish direct contacts with representatives of the U.S. Department of Defense, get answers they need and discuss common practices and challenges. We look forward to intensification of cooperation on procurements with the U.S. and to our companies becoming an inseparable part of the U.S. supply chain with time,” said Director of the Defence Materiel Agency Sigitas Dzekunskas.
“It is not that simple to become a part of the U.S. defence industry supply chains, however, this is a unique opportunity for Lithuanian businesses to do just that – they just need to go for it bravely and steadily,” said U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy Michael J. Vaccaro.
In December 2021 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the Government of the United States of America signed the Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement. The agreement opens up new opportunities for Lithuanian companies by exempting from the Buy American Act and other U.S. national legislation that requires buying national product. The document also allows Lithuanian enterprises to bid for public procurement contracts free of discriminatory requirements. The United States currently has such contracts with 28 countries.
