On December 12-13, CLDP held its first workshop to support the Qatar Ministry of Finance Office of Procurement Regulation’s initiative to develop new procurement laws and regulations to support broader transparency, efficiency and harmonized standards in Qatar.  Over the past decade, Qatar has initiated several large infrastructure and development projects and will be hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which has required it to reform its commercial legal framework.  CLDP's workshop supported the newly formed working group of key ministries, agencies and stakeholders that will develop the government procurement regime. Expert-advisors for the program included the chief procurement and contracting officer from the Executive Office of the President, Commerce's senior attorney for contracting, and a World Bank procurement consultant.  Experts discussed U.S. procurement best practices in ensuring transparent and efficient standards, including electronic procurement systems, framework agreements, bid protest mechanisms, and ensuring adequate standards for technical evaluations. Following the workshop, on December 14, CLDP organized a roundtable with private sector stakeholders to discuss challenges and practical solutions to Qatar's government tendering process, in cooperation with U.S. Embassy Doha and the American Chamber of Commerce (Qatar chapter).  During the course of the roundtable, participants requested future CLDP programming on e-procurement systems and other solutions to help attract American companies to the region.  The workshop and roundtable are the first in a series of programs on procurement best practices in Qatar, which will help level the playing field for domestic and international companies bidding on government contracts.