In most countries, government procurement accounts for between 10% and 15% of total GDP. Given this magnitude, the policies regulating government purchasing have the potential to exert considerable pull on national and international markets for products frequently bought by governments. Many countries (the US included) have established clear policies establishing preference for life-cycle-cost effective goods & services, with specific written exceptions required for products that do not meet established energy-efficiency (EE) standards. In spite of these policies, data suggests that compliance with procurement regulations remains low even in nations where they have been in place for a decade or more. National-level EE procurement programs face data shortages, funding shortfalls and few mechanisms to enforce compliance. The SEAD International Procurement Working Group was established to examine the challenges faced by EE government procurement programs in developed and developing countries alike. This talk will highlight several mutual challenges faced by members of the Working Group, in addition to best-practices solutions.