          
          
                   JAPANESE GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
          
          Of the 5.6 billion SDR (Special Drawing Rights -- 1 SDR is 
          equal to $1.32 as of July 1991) in Japanese Government 
          purchases of goods and services (the total public market), 
          about 320 million SDR are open to foreign competition under 
          the Government Procurement Code of the General Agreement on 
          Tariffs and Trade (GATT).  Government entities are 
          interested in purchasing a wide range of goods from 
          telecommunications and computer equipment and scientific 
          and testing instruments to less sophisticated products and 
          supplies.
          
          If you want to sell under the government procurement 
          program, you should appoint a local agent or representative 
          (local representation, though not mandatory, is recommended 
          strongly because of short deadlines and the necessity to 
          submit bids and other documentation in Japanese), be 
          prequalified by the government agency to whom you wish to 
          sell, and then attempt to win the tender under competitive 
          bidding practices.
          
          Most Japanese Government entities use permanent lists of 
          qualified suppliers under a selective tendering system.  
          During the time period from December to February of each 
          year, an announcement will appear in the official Japanese 
          Government gazette, the Kampo, with information on 
          procedures and criteria for becoming a prequalified bidder 
          for a particular agency.  In order to be placed on the 
          lists, suppliers and/or their agents are required to apply 
          during a specified period prior to the beginning of the 
          fiscal year, usually sometime in January or February.  
          Foreign suppliers are permitted to apply through the end of 
          the Japanese Fiscal Year (JFY) ending each March 31.
          
          Specific tender notices are published in the Kampo at 
          various times 50 days prior to the time of bid. Under the 
          provisions of the GATT Procurement Code, foreign companies 
          are permitted to bid on specific invitations prior to 
          qualification if there is sufficient time to complete the 
          qualification procedures.
          
          To assist your firm in competing for Japanese Government 
          contracts, the U.S.  Department of Commerce has extended 
          its Trade Opportunities Program (TOP) to disseminate 
          summaries of translated tender announcements.  Tender 
          announcements appear in the Commerce Business Daily on a 
          regular basis.  Tender documents can be obtained directly
          from the tender requestor (name and address found at the 
          top of each Commerce Business Daily listing).  However, all 
          Japanese Government tender documents and all qualifying 
          bids and contracts must be prepared in Japanese. Nippon 
          Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) tenders are one of the few 
          exceptions which can be submitted in English.  The U.S. 
          Department of Commerce district offices can help potential 
          U.S. bidders by identifying firms that can provide 
          translation services.  The chances of successfully bidding 
          on these tenders without some representation in Japan is 
          very limited.
          
          If you have an agent or representative in Japan, you can 
          contact the appropriate Japanese Government ministry 
          through it.  If not, the following companies may be of 
          assistance:
          
           Mr. Robert F. Connelly           Ms. Eriko Tanaka
           Procurement Services Int'l K.K.  Procurement Services Int'l, USA
           Asahi Sanbancho Plaza #206       31 St. Marks Pl. #14
           7-1 Sanban-cho                   New York, NY 10003
           Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102 Japan      Phone:  (212) 674-2587
           Phone:  011-81-3-3234-6921       Fax:    (212) 541-8350
           Fax:    011-81-3-3234-6915
          
           Mr. Tom Frost                    Mr. Grif Frost
           Frost International Corp.        Frost International Corp.
           3007 31st Avenue                 1-11-3 Higashi, Shibuya-ku
           Forest Grove, Oregon             Tokyo, Japan 150
           Phone:  (503) 357-6783           Phone:  011-81-3-3499-5745
           Fax:    (503) 359-5650           Fax:    011-81-3-3499-5074
          
           Mr. Y. Watanabe                  Mrs. Mie Teno
           Vice President                   Managing Director
           Fujikasei Co., Ltd.              Deltapoint International Ltd.
           Takasa Bldg. 8F                  9-20 Ichibancho, Suite 603
           4-13-16 Awaza Nishi-ku           Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102 Japan
           Osaka, Japan 550                 Phone:  011-81-3-3221-1751
           Phone:  011-81-6-532-7431        Fax:    011-81-3-3221-1753
           Fax:    011-81-6-532-7435
          
          
