The Trade Agreements Act

The Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (TAA) regulates trade agreements that have been negotiated between the United States and other countries. This Act can restrict federal contracts for goods and services between the U.S. and particular countries.

Certain countries are called “designated countries,” meaning that these countries are compliant with the terms and conditions of the TAA. However, other countries do not comply with the conditions in the TAA and therefore are restricted from trading with the U.S. in certain contracts.

Failure to Comply with the Trade Agreements Act

The General Services Administration (GSA) is a U.S. government agency that manages and supports the basic functions of federal agencies, including supplying products for federal government offices. The GSA is required to abide by the conditions of the TAA when forming contracts with commercial firms and selling products to government establishments.

However, in some instances, the GSA may fail to comply with these standards by supplying products manufactured in certain countries that are not TAA-compliant, including:

• China
• Taiwan
• India
• Thailand
• Malaysia

The Trade Agreement Act exists to protect government employees and to ensure products used by government agencies comply with certain standards. If a contractor with the GSA sells products made in these countries or other countries that do not comply with TAA standards, they may be in violation of the False Claims Act and therefore engaged in fraud against the government.

Contact Us

A person who brings a Qui Tam lawsuit against an agency engaged in fraud against the U.S. government helps save taxpayer dollars and may even qualify for a percentage of the total damages awarded in the case. To learn more, contact the GSA fraud attorneys of Tycko and Zavareei, LLP by calling 202-973-0900.