[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42657-42659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15485]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Trade Mission to Central America in Conjunction With the Trade 
Americas--Business Opportunities in Central America Conference, March 
26-31, 2017

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration is organizing a trade mission to Central America that 
will include the Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in Central 
America Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica on March 26-28, 2017.
    U.S. trade mission participants will arrive in Costa Rica on or 
before March 26 to attend the opening reception for the Trade 
Americas--Business Opportunities in Central America Conference, which 
is also open to U.S. companies not participating in the trade mission. 
Trade mission participants will attend the Conference on March 27. 
Following the morning session of the conference, trade mission 
participants will participate in one-on-one consultations with U.S. and 
Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) Commercial Officers and/or 
Department of State Economic/Commercial Officers from the following 
U.S. Embassies in the region: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, 
Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, and Panama. The following day, March 28, 
trade mission participants will engage in business-to-business 
appointments with companies in Costa Rica. A limited number of trade 
mission participants will then have the option to travel to: El 
Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua or Panama (choosing 
only one market) for optional additional business-to-business 
appointments based on recommendations from the US&FCS in those markets. 
Each business to business appointment will be with a pre-screened 
potential buyer, agent, distributor or joint-venture partner.
    The Department of Commerce's Trade Americas--Business Opportunities 
in Central America Conference will focus on regional-specific sessions, 
market entry strategies, legal, logistics, and trade financing 
resources as well as pre-arranged one-on-one consultations with US&FCS 
Commercial Officers and/or Department of State Economic/Commercial 
Officers with expertise in commercial markets throughout the region.
    This trade mission is open to U.S. companies from a cross section 
of industries with growing potential in Central America, but is focused 
on U.S. companies representing best prospects sectors such as 
construction equipment/road building machinery, renewable energy, 
automotive parts and accessories, and safety and security equipment.
    The combination of the Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in 
Central America Conference and this trade mission, including its 
business-to-business matchmaking opportunities in Costa Rica and one 
other optional Central American country, will provide participants with 
access to substantive information on strategies for entering or 
expanding their business across the Central America region.

Schedule

March 26 Travel Day/Arrival to Costa Rica
    Registration, Market Briefings, and Networking Reception
March 27 Costa Rica
    Morning: Registration and Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in 
Central America Conference
    Afternoon: U.S. Embassy Officer Consultations
    Evening: Ambassador's Networking Reception
March 28 Costa Rica
    Business-to-Business Meetings
March 29 Travel Day

Optional

March 30 Business-to-Business Meetings in (Choice of one market):
    Option (A) Honduras
    Option (B) Guatemala
    Option (C) El Salvador
    Option (D) Belize
    Option (E) Nicaragua
    Option (F) Panama
March 31 Return to the U.S.

    Web site: Please visit our official mission Web site for more 
information: http://export.gov/trademissions/eg_main_023185.asp.

[[Page 42658]]

Participation Requirements

    All parties interested in participating in the U.S. Department of 
Commerce Trade Mission to Central America must complete and submit an 
application package for consideration by the Department of Commerce. 
All applicants will be evaluated on their ability to meet certain 
conditions and best satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below.
    A minimum of 30 companies and/or trade associations will be 
selected to participate in the mission from the applicant pool on a 
first-come, first-served basis. The total number of U.S. companies that 
may be selected for each country will be limited as follows: 30 
companies for Costa Rica, 10 companies for Guatemala, 10 companies for 
El Salvador; 4 companies for Belize; 12 companies for Honduras; 10 
companies for Nicaragua; and 15 companies for Panama.
    Additional participants may be accepted based on available space. 
U.S. companies and/or trade associations already doing business in or 
seeking business in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, 
Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama for the first time may apply.

Fees and Expenses

    After a company has been selected to participate in the mission, a 
payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of a participation 
fee is required.
     For business-to-business meetings in Costa Rica only (not 
traveling to an additional trade mission country), the participation 
fee will be $2,100 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)* and 
$3,300 for a large firm.*
     For business-to-business meetings in Costa Rica and one 
other market, i.e. El Salvador OR Honduras OR Guatemala OR Belize OR 
Nicaragua, OR Panama, the participation fee will be $3,100 for a small 
or medium-sized enterprise (SME)* and $4,300 for a large firm.*
    * An SME is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or that 
otherwise qualifies as a small business under SBA regulations. Parent 
companies, affiliates, and subsidiaries will be considered when 
determining business size (See https://www.sba.gov/content/what-are-small-business-size-standards).
    The above trade mission fees include the $450 participation fee for 
the Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in Central America 
Conference to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica on March 26-28, 2017.
    An additional representative for both SMEs and large firms will 
require an additional fee of $450.

Application

    All interested firms and associations may register via the 
following link: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/TM/7R0M.

Exclusions

    The mission fee does not include any personal travel expenses such 
as lodging, most meals, local ground transportation (except for 
transportation to and from meetings, and airport transfers during the 
mission), and air transportation. Participants will, however, be able 
to take advantage of U.S. Government rates for hotel rooms. Electronic 
visas are required to participate on the mission, which are easily 
obtainable online. Applying for and obtaining such visas will be the 
responsibility of the mission participant. Government fees and 
processing expenses to obtain such visas are not included in the 
participation fee. However, the Department of Commerce will provide 
instructions to each participant on the procedures required to obtain 
necessary business visas.

Timeline for Recruitment and Applications

    Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, 
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce 
Department trade mission calendar (http://export.gov/trademissions) and 
other Internet Web sites, press releases to the general and trade 
media, direct mail, broadcast fax, notices by industry trade 
associations, and other multiplier groups and announcements at industry 
meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows.
    Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no 
later than January 31, 2017. The U.S. Department of Commerce will 
review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis 
beginning 14 days after publication of this Federal Register notice, 
until the minimum of 30 participants is selected. After January 31, 
2017, applications will be considered only if space and scheduling 
constraints permit.

Conditions for Participation

     An applicant must submit a completed and signed mission 
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate 
information on the company's products and/or services, primary market 
objectives, and goals for participation. Applicant should specify in 
their application and supplemental materials which trade mission stops 
they are interested in participating in. If the Department of Commerce 
receives an incomplete application, the Department may reject the 
application, request additional information, or take the lack of 
information into account when evaluating the applications.
     Each applicant must also certify that the products and 
services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in 
the U.S., or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have 
at least 51% U.S. content of the value of the finished product or 
service. In the case of a trade association or trade organization, the 
applicant must certify that, for each company to be represented by the 
trade association or trade organization, the products and services the 
represented company seeks to export are either produced in the United 
States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at 
least 51% U.S. content.
    The following criteria will be evaluated in selecting participants:
     Suitability of a firm's or service provider's (or in the 
case of a trade association/organization, represented firm or service 
provider's) products or services to these markets.
     Firm's or service provider's (or in the case of a trade 
association/organization, represented firm or service provider's) 
potential for business in the markets, including likelihood of exports 
resulting from the mission.
     Consistency of the firm's or service provider's (or in the 
case of a trade association/organization, represented firm or service 
provider's) goals and objectives with the stated scope of the mission.
    Diversity of company size, sector or subsector, and location may 
also be considered during the review process.
    Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing 
references to partisan political activities (including political 
contributions) will be removed from an applicant's submission and not 
considered during the selection process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Gordon, International Trade 
Specialist, U.S. Export Assistance Center--Jackson, MS, 
[email protected], Tel: 601-373-0784.
    Diego Gattesco, Director, U.S. Export Assistance Center--Wheeling, 
WV, [email protected], Tel: 304-243-5493.
    Aileen Nandi, Regional Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial 
Service--El Salvador, [email protected].

[[Page 42659]]

    Abby Daniell, Commercial Director, U.S. Commercial Service--Costa 
Rica, [email protected].

Frank Spector,
Trade Missions Program.
[FR Doc. 2016-15485 Filed 6-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P