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INTRODUCTION TO USTDA PROGRAMS
The U.S. Trade and Development
Agency (USTDA) is a foreign assistance agency that delivers
its program commitments through overseas grants, contracts
with U.S. firms, and the use of trust funds at several
multilateral development bank groups. The projects
supported by USTDA activities represent strong and
measurable development priorities in host countries and
offer opportunities for commercial participation by U.S.
firms. Public and private sector project sponsors in
developing and middle-income countries request USTDA support
to assist them in implementing their development priorities.
USTDA’s program is designed to
help countries establish a favorable trading environment and
a modern infrastructure that promotes sustainable economic
development. To this end, the agency funds overseas project
sponsor access to U.S. private sector expertise in the areas
of: 1) project definition and investment analysis; and 2)
trade capacity building and sector development. Project
definition and investment analysis involves activities that
support large capital investments that contribute to
overseas infrastructure development. Trade capacity
building and sector development supports the establishment
of industry standards, rules and regulations, trade
agreements, market liberalization and other policy reform.
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
PROJECT DEFINITION
AND
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
Project Definitional
Missions: One of the earliest
stages of project planning is the development of terms of
reference for an activity that will define the technical,
environmental, financial, and other factors that must be
addressed before an investment decision can be made. USTDA
helps to ensure that a project is appropriately conceived by
contracting with technical specialists to perform
definitional missions and desk studies. These independent
assessments develop the appropriate terms of reference and
budget for pertinent project preparation activities. Using
U.S. private sector resources and expertise, these
activities provide preliminary assessments of the economic
viability of proposed projects and determine whether they
meet USTDA’s funding criteria.
Feasibility Studies:
USTDA provides grants for overseas infrastructure project
planning assistance, such as feasibility studies. These
studies evaluate the technical, financial, environmental,
legal, and other critical aspects of infrastructure
development projects that are of interest to potential
lenders and investors. Host country project sponsors select
the U.S. companies, normally through open competitions,
which perform USTDA-funded feasibility studies.
Orientation Visits:
Orientation visits bring foreign project sponsors to the
United States to observe the design, manufacture,
demonstration and operation of U.S. products and services
that can potentially help them achieve their development
goals. USTDA uses pre-qualified contractors to assist in
the preparation and management of these customized visits.
Workshops and
Conferences: USTDA organizes
workshops, conferences and technical symposia worldwide.
These events are sector or project-oriented and are aimed at
connecting overseas project sponsors with U.S. firms and
entities that supply project finance, technology and
industry expertise that may be useful in project
implementation. USTDA contracts with pre-qualified
professional conference specialists to organize these
activities.
Procurement
Assistance:
To promote project transparency and integrity, USTDA
provides grants to assist in the establishment and oversight
of international project procurement activities. Support
can take the form of developing appropriate bidding
procedures, assisting in the evaluation of technical
proposals, and identifying potential suppliers or bidders.
TRADE CAPACITY BUILDING
AND SECTOR DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
Sector Development Technical Assistance:
USTDA provides technical assistance to help with the
development of sector strategies, industry standards, and
legal and regulatory regimes. This assistance helps to
create a favorable business and trade environment.
Transportation safety and security are particularly
important sectors for USTDA’s technical assistance work.
Trade Agreement Support:
USTDA works closely with the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative, private industry and others to deliver trade
capacity building technical assistance. This assistance is
normally associated with the negotiation of trade agreements
and compliance with important international market access
requirements. Areas of assistance may include customs
processing and valuation, intellectual property rights,
government procurement, technical barriers to trade, and
trade in services.
Training:
USTDA provides training for foreign
decision-makers in economic sectors where there are
opportunities for the sale of U.S. equipment and services.
The training is normally focused on technology or regulatory
issues and is designed to give project sponsors a better
understanding of U.S. experience and capabilities. Training
can be conducted in the United States and/or in the host
country.
Trade and Industry Advisors:
Foreign government entities may obtain USTDA grants for
trade and industry advisors. These advisors are typically
located in ministries or municipalities where they can help
with capacity building activities relevant to trade
regulations, standards or the import of technology and
additional expertise.
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