[United States Government Manual] [July 01, 1995] [Pages 708-711] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY Room 309, State Annex 16, Washington, DC 20523-1602 Phone, 703-875-4357 Director J. Joseph GrandMaison Deputy Director Nancy D. Frame General Counsel Kenneth Fries Assistant Director for Management Operations Deirdre E. Curley Special Assistant for Policy/Public Affairs Steven Mavigilio Congressional Liaison Officer Erika M. Gaspar Export Promotion Director Edward Cabot Regional Directors: Africa and Middle East John Richter Central, Eastern, and Southern Geoffrey Jackson Europe New Independent States, South Daniel D. Stein Asia, Mongolia, and India East Asia and Pacific Islands Frederick Eberhart Latin America and Caribbean Albert W. Angulo Special Projects Barbara R. Bradford Economist/Evaluation Officer David Denny Financial Manager Noreen St. Louis Contracting Officer Della Glenn Administrative Officer (vacancy) ________________________________________________________________________ The Trade and Development Agency's mission is to promote economic development in, and simultaneously export U.S. goods and services to, developing and middle-income nations in the following regions of the world: Africa/Middle East, [[Page 709]] [[Page 710]] Asia/Pacific, Central Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the New Independent States (NIS). The Trade and Development Agency (TDA) was established on July 1, 1980, as a component organization of the International Development Cooperation Agency. Section 2204 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (22 U.S.C. 2421) made the organization a separate component agency. The organization was renamed and made an independent agency within the executive branch of the Federal Government on October 28, 1992, by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 as amended by the Jobs Through Exports Act of 1992 (22 U.S.C. 2421). The Trade and Development Agency assists in the creation of jobs for Americans by helping U.S. companies pursue exports and other overseas business opportunities. TDA funds feasibility studies, orientation visits, training grants, conferences, symposia, and various forms of technical assistance that supports specific projects. This enables American businesses to become involved in the planning of infrastructure and industrial projects in middle-income and developing nations. Working closely with a foreign nation sponsor, TDA makes its funds available on the condition that the foreign entity contracts with a U.S. firm to perform the actual work on the project. This affords American firms market entry, exposure, and information, thus helping them to establish a position in markets that are otherwise difficult to penetrate. TDA's focus is the planning and design engineering phase of major infrastructure and industrial projects. TDA is involved in several sectors: agriculture, aviation, energy, environment, health care, manufacturing, mining and minerals development, telecommunications, transportation, and water resources. Activities TDA funds feasibility studies, which evaluate the technical, economic, and financial aspects of a development project. These studies advise the host nation about the availability of U.S. goods and services and is required by financial institutions in assessing the creditworthiness of the undertaking. Costs for a study are shared between TDA and the U.S. firm developing the project. TDA funding activities are based upon an official request for assistance made by the sponsoring government or private sector organization of a developing or middle-income nation. TDA makes decisions on funding requests for feasibility studies based on the recommendations contained in the definitional mission or desk study report, the advice of the U.S. Embassy, our internal analysis, and budget capabilities. Sources of Information Requests for proposals (RFP's) to conduct feasibility studies funded by TDA are listed in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD). Information on definitional mission opportunities can be obtained by calling TDA's ``DM Hotline'' at 703-875-7447. Small and minority U.S. firms that wish to be included in TDA's consultant database and considered for future solicitations should contact TDA's Contracts Office at 703-875-4357. In an effort to provide timely information on Agency-supported projects, TDA publishes the TDA BiWeekly and a calendar of events. They are available together on a paid subscription basis (703-875-4246). A quarterly publication, TDA Update, contains current items of interest on a variety of program activities. Region- or sector-specific fact sheets and case studies also are available. An annual report summarizes the Agency's activities. Regional program inquiries should be directed to the assigned Country Manager at 703-875-4357; fax, 703-875-4009. TDA's library maintains final reports on all TDA activities. These are available for public review Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Copies of [[Page 711]] completed feasibility studies must be purchased through the Department of Commerce's National Technical Information Service (NTIS). For further information, contact the Trade and Development Agency, Room 309, State Annex 16, Washington, DC 20523-1602. Phone, 703-875-4357. ________________________________________________________________________