[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 186 (Tuesday, September 25, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48416-48420]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20805]



[[Page 48416]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Calendar of June 2018 Approved International Trade Administration 
Trade Missions

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration (ITA) is announcing three upcoming trade missions that 
will be recruited, organized, and implemented by ITA. These missions 
are:

 Healthcare Technologies Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, 
and Qatar--April 6-11, 2019
 Horizontal Trade Mission to Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, 
Bolivia and Chile in Conjunction with Trade Americas--Business 
Opportunities in the Southern Cone Region Conference--March 24-29, 2019
 Horizontal Trade Mission to Central America in conjunction 
with the Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in Central America 
Conference--August 18-23, 2019

    A summary of each mission is found below. Application information 
and more detailed mission information, including the commercial setting 
and sector information, can be found at the trade mission website: 
http://export.gov/trademissions.
    For each 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 websites, press releases to general 
and trade media, direct mail, broadcast fax, notices by industry trade 
associations and other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry 
meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows.

The Following Conditions for Participation Will Be Used for Each 
Mission

    Applicants must submit a completed and signed mission application 
and supplemental application materials, including adequate information 
on their products and/or services, primary market objectives, and goals 
for participation. If the Department of Commerce receives an incomplete 
application, the Department may either: Reject the application, request 
additional information/clarification, or take the lack of information 
into account when evaluating the application. If the requisite minimum 
number of participants is not selected for a particular mission by the 
recruitment deadline, the mission may be cancelled.
    Each applicant must also certify that the products and services it 
seeks to export through the mission are either produced in the United 
States, or, if not, are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have 
at least fifty-one percent U.S. content by value. In the case of a 
trade association or organization, the applicant must certify that, for 
each firm or service provider to be represented by the association/
organization, the products and/or services the represented firm or 
service provider 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.
    A trade association/organization applicant must certify to the 
above for all of the companies it seeks to represent on the mission.
    In addition, each applicant must:
     Certify that the products and services that it wishes to 
market through the mission would be in compliance with U.S. export 
controls and regulations;
     Certify that it has identified any matter pending before 
any bureau or office in the Department of Commerce;
     Certify that it has identified any pending litigation 
(including any administrative proceedings) to which it is a party that 
involves the Department of Commerce; and
     Sign and submit an agreement that it and its affiliates 
(1) have not and will not engage in the bribery of foreign officials in 
connection with a company's/participant's involvement in this mission, 
and (2) maintain and enforce a policy that prohibits the bribery of 
foreign officials.
    In the case of a trade association/organization, the applicant must 
certify that each firm or service provider to be represented by the 
association/organization can make the above certifications.

The Following Selection Criteria Will Be Used for Each Mission

    Targeted mission participants are U.S. firms, services providers 
and trade associations/organizations providing or promoting U.S. 
products and services that have an interest in entering or expanding 
their business in the mission's destination country. The following 
criteria will be evaluated in selecting participants:
     Suitability of the applicant's (or in the case of a trade 
association/organization, represented firm or service provider's) 
products or services to these markets;
     The applicant's (or in the case of a trade association/
organization, represented firm or service provider's) past, present, 
and prospective business activity in relation to the Mission's target 
market(s) and sector(s);
     The applicant'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; and
     Consistency of the applicant'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.
    Referrals from a political party or partisan political group or any 
information, including on the application, containing references to 
political contributions or other partisan political activities will be 
excluded from the application and will not be considered during the 
selection process. The sender will be notified of these exclusions.

Trade Mission Participation Fees

    If and when an applicant is selected to participate on a particular 
mission, a payment to the Department of Commerce in the amount of the 
designated participation fee below is required. Upon notification of 
acceptance to participate, those selected have 5 business days to 
submit payment or the acceptance may be revoked.
    Participants selected for a trade mission will be expected to pay 
for the cost of personal expenses, including, but not limited to, 
international travel, lodging, meals, transportation, communication, 
and incidentals, unless otherwise noted. Participants will, however, be 
able to take advantage of U.S. Government rates for hotel rooms. In the 
event that a mission is cancelled, no personal expenses paid in 
anticipation of a mission will be reimbursed. However, participation 
fees for a cancelled mission will be reimbursed to the extent they have 
not already been expended in anticipation of the mission.
    If a visa is required to travel on a particular mission, 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 business visas.

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    Trade Mission members participate in trade missions and undertake 
mission-related travel at their own risk. The nature of the security 
situation in a given foreign market at a given time cannot be 
guaranteed. The U.S. Government does not make any representations or 
guarantees as to the safety or security of participants. The U.S. 
Department of State issues U.S. Government international travel alerts 
and warnings for U.S. citizens available at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html. Any question regarding 
insurance coverage must be resolved by the participant and its insurer 
of choice.

Definition of Small and Medium Sized Enterprise

    For purposes of assessing participation fees, the Department of 
Commerce defines Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) as a firm 
with 500 or fewer employees or that otherwise qualifies as a small 
business under SBA regulations (see http://www.sba.gov/services/contractingopportunities/sizestandardstopics/index.html). Parent 
companies, affiliates, and subsidiaries will be considered when 
determining business size.
    Mission List: (additional information about each mission can be 
found at http://export.gov/trademissions).

Healthcare Technologies Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and 
Qatar--April 6-11, 2019

Summary

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration (ITA), is organizing a Healthcare Technologies Trade 
Mission to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar from April 6-11, 2019. The 
purpose of the mission is to introduce U.S. firms to the rapidly 
expanding healthcare sectors in these three countries and to assist 
U.S. companies in pursuing opportunities in these sectors.
    Target sectors holding high potential for U.S companies include:

 Home healthcare and rehabilitation
 Medical devices
 Trauma care and training
 Emergency services, training, equipment and supplies
 Hospital operation and management
 Healthcare training and staffing services
 Healthcare education
 Health information technology

    The mission will help participating U.S. firms and associations/
organizations gain market insights, make industry and government 
contacts, solidify business strategies and advance specific projects 
with the goal of increasing U.S. healthcare products and services 
exports. The trade mission will start in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where 
participants will receive market briefings from U.S. Commercial Service 
and industry experts, hold one-on-one business meetings, meet with 
Saudi government officials and organizations, and participate in 
networking events. The trade mission participants will next travel to 
Kuwait and subsequently Qatar, where they will have additional 
opportunities to meet with key contacts and decision makers. 
Participating in an official U.S. industry delegation, rather than 
traveling on their own, will enhance the companies' abilities to 
identify opportunities and meet with local healthcare officials in 
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

                                Schedule
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday--April 6, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia   Arrive Riyadh and
                                          hotel check-in.
                                          Welcome reception/ice
                                          breaker.
Sunday--April 7, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia..   Welcome and overview
                                          of Trade Mission (TM).
                                          Market briefings from
                                          the U.S. Commercial Service
                                          and industry experts.
                                          One-on-one business
                                          meetings.
                                          Networking reception
                                          in Riyadh.
Monday--April 8, Riyadh and Kuwait City   Government meetings.
                                          Travel to Kuwait.
Tuesday--April 9, Kuwait City..........   Market briefing.
                                          One-on-one business
                                          meetings.
                                          Government meetings.
                                          Networking reception.
Wednesday--April 10, Kuwait City and      Additional meetings.
 Doha.                                    Depart for Doha.
                                          Networking reception
                                          in Doha.
Thursday--April 11, Doha...............   Market briefing.
                                          Government meetings.
                                          One-on-one business
                                          meetings.
                                          Mission ends.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Participation Requirements

    All parties interested in participating in the trade mission must 
complete and submit an application package for consideration by the 
U.S. Department of Commerce. All applicants will be evaluated on their 
ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy the selection 
criteria as outlined below and will be notified whether they are chosen 
to participate in the mission. A minimum of 12 and maximum of 15 
companies and/or trade associations/organizations will be selected from 
the applicant pool to participate in the trade mission.

Fees and Expenses

    The participation fee for the trade mission to Saudi Arabia, 
Kuwait, and Qatar is $3,800 for small or medium-sized enterprises (SME) 
and $4,900 for large companies. The fee for each additional 
representative (large firm or SME or trade association/organization) is 
$750.

Timeline for Recruitment

    Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no 
later than February 15, 2019. The U.S. Department of Commerce will 
review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis 
beginning September 10, 2018 until the maximum of 15 participants is 
selected. Applications received after February 15, 2019, will be 
considered only if space and scheduling constraints permit.

Contacts

Melissa Hill, U.S. Department of Commerce, New York, NY, Tel: 212-471-
0062, Email: [email protected].
Kuwait City, Kuwait

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Yousif Almahadi, U.S. Commercial Service--Kuwait, Tel: +96522591487, 
Email: [email protected].
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Nasir Abbasi, U.S. Commercial Service--Riyadh, Tel: +603-2168-4869, 
Email: [email protected].
Jeff Hamilton, U.S. Commercial Service--Kuwait, Tel: +965-2259-1354, 
Email: [email protected].
Maher Siblini, U.S. Commercial Service--Riyadh, Tel: +966-11-488-3800 x 
4302, Email: [email protected].
Doha, Qatar
Anissa Lahreche, U.S. Commercial Service--Qatar, Tel: 974-488-4101 
x6040, Email: [email protected].
Ilona Shtrom, U.S. Commercial Service--Qatar, Tel: 974- 696-6739, 
Email: [email protected].

Horizontal Trade Mission to Central America in Conjunction With the 
Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in Central America Conference--
August 18-23, 2019

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 Washington, DC on August 18-23, 2019.
    U.S. trade mission delegation participants will arrive in 
Washington, DC on or before August 18 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 August 19. 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, August 20, trade mission participants will travel to 
engage in business-to-business appointments, each of which will be with 
a pre-screened potential buyer, agent, distributor or joint-venture 
partner, in up-to two markets in the Central America Region.
    The Department of Commerce's Trade Americas--Business Opportunities 
in Central America Conference will focus on regional and industry-
specific sessions, market entry strategies, legal, logistics, and trade 
financing resources as well as pre-arranged one-one-one consultations 
with US&FCS Commercial Officers and/or Department of State Economic/
Commercial Officers with expertise in commercial markets throughout the 
region.
    The mission is open to U.S. companies and trade associations/
organizations 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 infrastructure and construction, safety & 
security, auto parts and service equipment, renewable energy, energy & 
oil & gas, medical equipment, and logistics.
    The combination of the Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in 
Central America Conference and business-to-business matchmaking 
opportunities in seven Central American countries will provide 
participants with access to substantive information on strategies for 
entering or expanding their business across the Central America region.

Proposed Timetable

August 18 Travel Day/Arrive in Washington, DC
    Afternoon: Registration, Market Briefings, and U.S. Embassy Officer 
Consultations, Evening: Networking Reception
August 19 Washington, DC
    Morning: Registration and Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in 
Central America Conference, Afternoon: U.S. Embassy Officer 
Consultations, Evening: Networking Reception

Optional
August 20-23 Travel and Business-to-Business Meetings in (choice of up 
to two markets):
    Option (A) Costa Rica. Option (B) Guatemala. Option (C) El 
Salvador. Option (D) Belize. Option (E) Nicaragua. Option (F) Honduras. 
Option (G) Panama.
August 24 Travel Day. Return to the U.S.

Participation Requirements

    All applicants must sign and submit a completed Trade Mission 
application form and satisfy all of the conditions of participation in 
order to be eligible for consideration. Applications will be evaluated 
on the applicant's ability to best satisfy the participation criteria.
    A minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40 companies will be selected to 
participate in the mission. The Department of Commerce will evaluate 
applications and inform applicants of selection decisions on a rolling 
basis until the maximum number of participants has been selected. 
During the registration process, applicants will indicate their markets 
of choice and will receive a brief market assessment for each of those 
markets. Applicants can select up-to two markets based on the selection 
criteria below. Companies that received favorable market opportunities 
in various markets may be able to participate in business-to-business 
meetings in a third market, if that post can accommodate those 
meetings. The number of companies that may be selected for each country 
are as follows: 20 Companies for Costa Rica, 10 companies for 
Guatemala, 10 companies for El Salvador; 4 companies for Belize; 10 
companies for Honduras; 10 companies for Nicaragua; and 10 companies 
for Panama. U.S. companies already doing business in, or seeking to 
enter these markets 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 one market, the participation 
fee will be $2,500 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) * and 
$3,500 for large firms *.
    For business-to-business meetings in two markets, the participation 
fee will be $3,500 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) \[2]\ * 
and $4,500 for large firms *.
    The mission participation fee includes the Trade Americas--Business 
Opportunities in Central America Conference registration fee of $500 
per participant from each firm.
    There will be a $300 fee for each additional firm representative 
(large firm or SME) that wishes to participate in business-to-business 
meetings in any of the markets selected.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Application

    Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no 
later than Friday, May 31, 2019. The U.S. Department of Commerce will 
review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis 
until the maximum of 40 participants are selected. After Friday, May 
31, 2019, companies will be considered only if space and scheduling 
constraints permit.

[[Page 48419]]

Contacts

U.S. Trade Americas Team Contact Information
    Diego Gattesco, Director, U.S. Commercial Service--Wheeling, WV, 
[email protected], Tel: 304-243-5493.
    Delia Valdivia, Senior International Trade Specialist, U.S. 
Commercial Service--Los Angeles (West), CA, [email protected], 
Tel: 310-235-7203.
Central America Region Contact Information
    Eric B. Wolff, Regional Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial 
Service--Costa Rica, [email protected], Tel: 506-519-2293.

Horizontal Trade Mission to the Americas Southern Cone Region in 
Conjunction With Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in the Southern 
Cone Region Conference March 24-29, 2019

Summary

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration is organizing a trade mission to Argentina, Uruguay, 
Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile (Southern Cone Region) that will include 
the Trade Americas--Business Opportunities in the Southern Cone Region 
Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Trade mission participants will 
arrive in Buenos Aires on or before March 24rd, and will attend a 
mission briefing, and will engage in one-on-one consultations with U.S. 
and Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) Commercial Officers and/or 
Economic/Commercial Officers from the following U.S. Embassies in the 
Southern Cone region: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile 
as well as key service providers and resources. On March 25th, 
following the morning session of the Trade Americas--Business 
Opportunities in the Southern Cone Region Conference, mission 
participants will meet again one-on-one with Commercial Officers and 
will network with foreign buyers in the evening. The following day, 
March 26th, selected trade mission participants will engage in 
business-to-business appointments in Argentina, or will travel to one 
or up-to two markets in the Southern Cone Region. All business-to-
business appointments in the region will be with a pre-screened 
potential buyer, agent, distributor or joint-venture partner.
    The Department of Commerce's Trade Americas--Business Opportunities 
in the Southern Cone Region Conference will focus on regional specific 
sessions, market access, logistics and trade financing resources as 
well as pre-arranged one-one-one consultations with US&FCS Commercial 
Officers and/or Department of State Economic/Commercial Officers with 
expertise in commercial markets throughout the region.
    The mission is open to U.S. companies and trade associations/
organizations from a cross section of industries with growing potential 
in the Southern Cone Region, but is focused on U.S. companies 
representing best prospects sectors such as infrastructure and 
construction, architecture services, engineering services, construction 
equipment, building products, airports, ports, transportation, housing, 
environmental technologies, safety & security, energy & oil & gas, 
mining equipment, medical equipment, aerospace & defense, ICT & digital 
services and logistics.
    The combination of participation in the Trade Americas--Business 
Opportunities in the Southern Cone Region Conference and business-to-
business matchmaking appointments in five countries, will provide 
participants with access to substantive information about and 
strategies for entering or expanding their business across the Southern 
Cone region.

Schedule

March 23, 2019 Travel Day/Arrival in Buenos Aires. Optional Local Tour
March 24, 2019 Buenos Aires, Argentina. Afternoon: Registration, 
Briefing and U.S. Embassy Officer Consultations. Evening: Networking 
Reception.
March 23, 2019 Travel Day/Arrival in Buenos Aires. Optional Local Tour
March 25, 2019 Buenos Aires, Argentina. Morning: Registration and Trade 
Americas--Business Opportunities in the Southern Cone Region 
Conference. Afternoon: U.S. Embassy Officer Consultations. Evening: 
Networking Reception.
Optional
March 26-29, 2019 Travel and Business-to-Business Meetings in (choice 
of two markets):
    Option (A) Argentina. Option (B) Bolivia. Option (C) Chile. Option 
(D) Paraguay. Option (E) Uruguay
March 30, 2019 Travel Day.

Participation Requirements

    All applicants must sign and submit a completed Trade Mission 
application form and satisfy all of the conditions of participation in 
order to be eligible for consideration. Applications will be evaluated 
on the applicant's ability to best satisfy the participation criteria.
    A minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40 companies will be selected to 
participate in the mission. The Department of Commerce will evaluate 
applications and inform applicants of selection decisions on a rolling 
basis until the maximum number of participants has been selected. 
During the registration process, applicants will indicate their markets 
of choice and will receive a brief market assessment for each of those 
markets. Applicants can select up-to two markets based on the selection 
criteria below. Companies that received favorable market opportunities 
in various markets may be able to participate in business-to-business 
meetings in a third market, if that post can accommodate those 
meetings. The number of companies that may be selected for each country 
are as follows: 25 Companies for Argentina, 5 companies for Bolivia; 15 
companies for Chile; 8 companies for Paraguay; and 5 companies for 
Uruguay. U.S. companies already doing business in, or seeking to enter 
these markets 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 one market, the participation 
fee will be $2,800 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) * and 
$3,800 for large firms *.
    For business-to-business meetings in two markets, the participation 
fee will be $3,800 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) \[2]\ * 
and $4,800 for large firms *.
    The mission participation fee includes the Trade Americas--Business 
Opportunities in the Southern Cone Region Conference registration fee 
of $500 per participant from each firm.
    There will be a $300 fee for each additional firm representative 
(large firm or SME) that wishes to participate in business-to-business 
meetings in any of the markets selected.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Application

    Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no 
later than Friday, January 18, 2019. The U.S. Department of Commerce 
will review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling 
basis until the maximum of 40 participants are selected. After January 
18, 2019, companies will be considered only if

[[Page 48420]]

space and scheduling constraints permit.

Contacts

U.S. Trade Americas Team Contact Information
    Diego Gattesco, Director, U.S. Commercial Service--Wheeling, WV, 
[email protected], Tel: 304-243-5493.
    Dakshina Voetsch, Argentina Desk Officer, U.S. Commercial Service--
Washington, DC, [email protected], Tel: 202-482-470.
Southern Cone Region Contact Information
    Rick de Lambert, Regional Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. 
Commercial Service--U.S. Embassy, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 
[email protected].

Tiara Hampton-Diggs,
Trade Promotion Programs.
[FR Doc. 2018-20805 Filed 9-24-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P