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Water and Wastewater Treatment Export Market Plan
APPENDIX C: International Programs Affecting the Water and Wastewater Industry

Appendix C

International Programs Affecting the Water and Wastewater Industry


U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID)
Ronald Reagan Building
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20523-0016
Tel: (202) 712-4810
Fax: (202) 216-3524
Web site: www.usaid.gov
USAID represents the single most important U.S. government source of opportunities for U.S. exporters of environmental technologies, both in terms of direct procurement and strategic marketing related to environmental assistance projects. USAID is an independent federal government agency that provides economic development and humanitarian assistance to advance U.S. economic and political interests overseas. Water projects and projects with water/wastewater components are funded by USAID in Washington, D.C., and through USAID missions in developing countries. USAID commodity procurement includes equipment and supplies needed to fulfill USAID project needs and disaster relief, as well as materials financed through USAID-funded commodity import programs. Procurement is usually done by USAID missions in the field,
under projects with a value of over $1 million. It is important for U.S. companies to be able to take advantage of procurement opportunities in order to position themselves in specific overseas markets. USAID advertises procurement opportunities through the following information sources:
Contract awards over $100,000 are very competitive and a company should be economically sound and knowledgeable
about procurement rules and regulations before attempting to bid on federal procurement. It is very important to become familiar with Federal Acquisition Regulations and USAID Acquisition Regulations. These publications are available in most public libraries, or can be ordered from the Government Printing Office. USAID is most likely to procure environmental equipment through big contracts awarded to consortia of environmental engineering and consulting firms. The equipment supplier would then need to become a subcontractor to the project’s prime contractor. Prime contractors have to go through a formal bidding process in equipment procurement. Names, types of businesses, and the subcontracting needs of USAID’s prime contractors can be obtained from the Contract Awards section of the CBD; USAID lists of prime contractors available through the Information Center at (202) 712-4810; and federal prime contracting reports available from the Federal procurement Data Center at (202) 401-1529. It may also be helpful to obtain information on past awards, quantities,
costs, and awardees. USAID puts special emphasis on involving U.S. small and medium-sized enterprises in its technology transfer efforts. The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is the initial point of contact at
USAID for U.S. small businesses. OSDBU is a small business advocacy and advisory office with the responsibility
for ensuring that these enterprises get access to USAID programs. The office fulfills the following responsibilities:
Even if direct procurement is not envisioned under a significant technology-related USAID project, suppliers
in the relevant technology area can benefit from learning about it to identify potential markets in the target
country. USAID’s Environment: A Resource Guide provides a good overview of the agency’s principal programs
and contracts.

USAID’s Global Technology Network (GTN) USAID Global Bureau’s Office of Business Development serves as the central point of contact at USAID for U.S. firms interested in doing business in developing countries. Its activities and services are specifically intended to increase U.S. private enterprise participation in USAID international development programs while
opening up new market opportunities for U.S. product and services firms, especially small and medium-sized
firms. The Office of Business Development operates regional Business Outreach Offices that provide links
to market opportunities in USAID-assisted countries worldwide. They also serve as a source of public information
regarding the purpose and impact of U.S. foreign assistance.

The Global Technology Network (GTN) is the principal program of the Office of Business Development. GTN
is a free service that creates strategic linkages between U.S. companies and entrepreneurs in developing countries
with the goal of transferring U.S. technology overseas. GTN’s environmental and energy services assist the
U.S. business community in gaining access to global environmental and energy markets by providing trade leads
and market information. The three basic types of leads are equipment purchases, agent/distributor, and joint ventures. Business opportunities are identified by a network of participating in-country public and private sector representatives. Leads are transmitted to GTN/Washington where they are qualified, matched, and electronically disseminated to U.S. firms
registered in GTN’s databases. Over 10,000 U.S. environmental and energy firms covering over 600 different subsectors within the environmental industry are currently registered in the GTN system. (Companies can register by calling 1 (800) 872-4348.) To give U.S. companies easier access to GTN business opportunities, GTN is now posting its current trade leads online at www.usgtn.org/pages/envleads.html.

Follow-up on trade leads, as well as information on general USAID procurement, is provided through GTN/
Washington and outreach offices in California, Florida, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington (contact information is
provided in Appendix A). Additional follow-up on leads is provided through U.S. Export Assistance Centers and
26 state trade partner organizations across the U.S. Partner organizations use GTN’s Internet-based Trade Lead
Tracking System to assist local companies in responding to GTN trade leads.

Business Support Centers (BSCs) serve as the counseling and information services arm of GTN. BSCs are
USAID-funded business development operations designed to help private sector companies (especially small
and medium-sized businesses) in developing countries access the technology and expertise needed to compete
effectively in local and global markets. BSCs serve as a mechanism for organizing and assisting developing country
firms, especially small and medium-sized enterprises seeking access to U.S. technology and expertise. BSCs
also provide trade leads to U.S. firms seeking to market their products and services abroad.

The GTN Travel Grants program is designed to support U.S. firms pursuing GTN trade leads. After an official
or businessperson in another country and a U.S. business have identified a mutual interest in pursuing a
business relationship, either organization may apply for a GTN grant for a maximum of $5,000 to cover the travel
costs of one individual’s travel to meet with the potential partner. The grants are available for both developing
countries and U.S. entrepreneurs.

GTN trade mission services, which include sector briefings and networking support to USAID field missions
and domestic partners, are provided in cooperation with other federal and multilateral agencies. Trade missions
are held at USAID offices in the International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Similar services are available
for in-coming GTN trade delegations sponsored by USAID missions and U.S. embassies abroad, foreign
embassies, or other GTN partner organizations. Under a cooperative agreement with USAID, the International
Executive Service Corps (IECS) delivers a range of business development services to assist small and medium-sized businesses in developing countries through joint ventures with counterpart U.S. companies.

The following are GTN’s regional programs: and the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP). ETNA Asia facilitates the transfer of U.S.
environmental technology to Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand.
United States-Asia Environmental Partnership
1720 I St. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 835-0333
Fax: (202) 835-0366
E-mail: usasia@usaep.org
Web site: www.usaep.org

The United States-Asia Environmental Partnership is an interagency program with funding of more than $17.5
million from USAID, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency to promote and
reinforce a sustainable cleaner production regime for the industrial and urban sectors in 11 Asian countries: Hong
Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and
Vietnam. Since its inception in 1993, US-AEP has facilitated over $1 billion in sales of environmental equipment
and services by U.S. companies in Asia. In cooperation with the Department of Commerce, USAEP has placed environmental technology representatives in 11 Asian countries to identify trade opportunities for U.S. companies and coordinate meetings between potential Asian and U.S. business partners. These environmental trade specialists meet regularly with decisionmakers in industry and government to prepare concise trade leads that identify Asian buyers, environmental concerns, and proposed technology solutions. Hundreds of such leads per year are forwarded to ETNA where they
are matched against a database of over 2,400 registered U.S. companies, and then faxed to those companies that
provide the requested technology or service. Urban environmental infrastructure representatives, located in four Asian countries (India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand), provide similar services, but focus on problems found in urban areas, such as the provision of clean water, treatment of wastewater, and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes.
In addition to the trade leads provided by the US-AEP technology representatives in Asia, ETNA provides market
trend analyses for each US-AEP country; disseminates fact sheets on innovative U.S. technologies to U.S.
government counterparts overseas (e.g., US-AEP technology representatives and foreign commercial service
representatives); and provides business counseling to U.S. environmental companies interested in expanding their
business in Asia. Contact ETNA ((800) 818-9911) to find out more about these and other services.

Export-Link is an Internet resource accessible through the US-AEP Web site (www.usaep.org) that assists companies
with their international trade activities and provides practical assistance to all levels of exporters. Export-Link helps U.S. firms evaluate overseas market opportunities and offers advanced business analysis, as well as relevant legal, financial, and market information. The Environmental Exchange Program promotes information sharing on a variety of environmental topics
to respond to Asian countries’ environmental needs. There are several types of exchanges provided. Environmental
business exchanges offer American and Asian businessmen an opportunity to travel to each other’s countries to meet potential business partners. Business exchanges may involve a single individual or a study tour of 10 to 20 people. Technical exchanges help representatives from U.S. firms showcase their technology and equipment to Asian decision-makers. Finally, environmental fellowships enable Asian and American professionals to work with peers in their counterpart’s home country for a period of one to four months for training, research, or information sharing. Interested U.S. businesses should contact the Institute of International Education (at www.iie.org), which administers the program.
Drawing on the U.S. states’ experience in environmental management, the State Environmental Initiative,
provides matching grants for up to $150,000 to encourage state-initiated and -managed programs. The initiative
was designed to encourage international partnerships in environmental and economic development between
U.S. states and Asian/Pacific nations and territories. The grants serve to facilitate the long-term transfer of U.S.
environmental experience, technology, and practice to targeted Asian countries by matching appropriate U.S.
technologies and state regulatory and environmental experience with the needs of Asian governments and industries.
The grants are issued by the Council of State Governments. The Environmental Technology Fund is administered
by the National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) and is described under “NASDA
Grants” in this section.

Eurasian-American Partnership for Environmentally Sustainable Economies
(EcoLinks)
U.S. Regional Office
1400 K St., NW, Suite 650
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 326-7798
Fax: (202) 326-7709
E-mail: plai@iie.org
Web site: www.ecolinks.org

The Eurasian-American Partnership for Environmentally Sustainable Economics (EcoLinks) offers resources to
providers of U.S technologies as part of its regional initiative to find practical, market-based solutions to industrial
and urban environmental problems in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the New Independent States (NIS). It promotes partnerships linking CEE/NIS businesses, local governments, and associations with U.S. counterparts. EcoLinks actively seeks environmental business and technology transfer opportunities in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and Macedonia. The EcoLinks technology transfer program operates in the same way as ETNA does in Asia. Through an interagency agreement between USAID and the Department of Commerce, environmental technology representatives have been placed in selected CEE/NIS countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Poland, and Romania. These representatives work with GTN to generate trade leads.

A second component of EcoLinks is its grants initiative. Competitively awarded, cost-sharing partnership
grants are currently available in amounts of up to $50,000 to support one-year cooperative projects. Twinning grants
(grants that support two-year cooperative projects that lead to lasting partnerships) of up to $250,000 became
available for two-year projects starting in the year 2000. In addition to the grants, EcoLinks also offers Quick
Response Awards to prospective applicants. Awards of up to $5,000 are designed to meet the immediate and
small-scale needs of organizations exploring potential partnerships within the framework of EcoLinks. Activities
must either facilitate the matchmaking of potential partners or promote environmental trade and investment.
Examples of funded activities include travel to meet potential partners, site visits to facilities, technology demonstrations,
and conferences where participants meet partners and forge relationships.

National Association of State Development Agencies
(NASDA)
750 First St., NE, Suite 710
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: (202) 898-1302
Fax: (202) 898-1312
Web site: www.nasda.com

The National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) administers three similar grant programs
promoting U.S. environmental technology exports to Asia and Latin America.

The Environmental Technology Fund (Tech Fund), created under the US-AEP, provides matching grants of
up to $20,000 to help small and medium-sized U.S. companies enter Asian environmental markets.1 Grants match
from 20 to 50 percent of total project costs. The Tech Fund focuses on pollution control, cleaner technologies, and energy efficiency. Preferred projects are those that aim to reduce or eliminate Asia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental activities that are eligible for a grant include engineering/technology workshops or seminars, business development missions, and technology/equipment demonstrations. Over the five years of the program’s operation, grant funding has been provided for more than 275 projects, facilitating over $350 million in export sales of U.S. environmental products
and technologies.

NASDA has recently completed a similar Latin American Fund for the Environment program that has
awarded matching grants (of up to $15,000) for 51 projects in 17 countries throughout Latin America and
the Caribbean, and generated over $21 million in revenues for participating U.S. firms. Under a cooperative agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, NASDA is currently considering one. The countries included under the Environmental Technology Fund do not include China.

U.S. Department of Commerce
(DOC)
14th St. and Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20230
Tel: (202) 482-2000
Web site: www.doc.gov

Within the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), several offices and centers provide services that assist U.S.
exporters in their business development efforts. Environmental Technologies Exports (ETE) is the principal resource and key contact point within the DOC for American environmental technology companies, including all business activities associated with environmental protection, assessment, compliance with environmental regulations, pollution control, waste management, remediation of contaminated property, design and operation of environmental infrastructure and the
provision and delivery of environmental services. ETE’s goal is to enhance the international competitiveness and
increase the exports of the U.S. environmental industry by providing basic market and project-related research; supporting a variety of trade promotion activities, including leading trade missions; providing business counseling and representing the interests of U.S. environmental firms; and supporting the creation of public-private partnerships.

ETE supports the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee and the interagency Environmental
Trade Working Group, a subcommittee of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee.

The U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (the Commercial Service) has offices located in over 220 cities around the world to assist U.S. exporters. The organization offers U.S. businesses advocacy support and services such as export counseling, trade finance information, customized market research, and identification of trade leads. It also organizes trade missions and events, and offers a Gold Key Service to link U.S. firms with agents and distributors around the world by allowing visiting U.S. company representatives to get a firsthand understanding of the local market and make key contacts that are critical to successful exporting.

The Matchmaker Trade Delegations Program helps small and medium-sized U.S. companies establish business relationships in major markets abroad. Each Matchmaker Trade Delegation targets major markets in two or three countries with strong sales potential for U.S. goods and services. Commercial specialists at U.S. embassies and consulates in the targeted countries prescreen contacts and arrange business appointments for participating U.S. firms. The Matchmaker program also offers market research and evaluation of the market potential for a specific product or service; in-depth country market and trade finance briefings; interpreter services and logistical support; and export counseling before, during,
and after the trip.

The Advocacy Center promotes U.S. firms through advocacy by high-level U.S. Government officials and
tracks environmental projects worldwide.

The Trade Information Center (TIC) is a comprehensive resource for information on all federal government export assistance programs. TIC staff counsel small and medium-sized U.S. companies that are entering the export market. Multilateral Development Bank Operations provides the U.S. exporting community with comprehensive information on all multilateral development bank programs and opportunities.

Export Assistance Centers are a joint effort of the Commercial Service, the Small Business Administration,
the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and USAID. Center personnel counsel small and medium-sized export-
ready businesses and help them develop customized international business strategies. The centers are located
throughout the United States and in nearly 70 countries abroad.

U.S. Trade Development Agency Programs
1621 North Kent St., Suite 200
Arlington, VA 22209-2131
Tel: (703) 875-4357; fax: (703) 875-4009
E-mail: info@tda.gov
Web site: www.tda.gov

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) is an independent federal agency dedicated to assisting U.S.
companies in pursuing business opportunities in developing countries and responding to foreign competition.
It sponsors feasibility studies, definitional missions, and desk studies for major public and private sector projects
in order to promote the use of U.S. goods and services in project implementation. By funding feasibility studies
that evaluate the technical, legal, economic, and financial aspects of development projects, TDA provides U.S.
companies with an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a project.

TDA focuses primarily on feasibility studies for infrastructure development projects. Funding from the agency usually ranges from $150,000 to $750,000 for public sector projects. These feasibility studies also advise project sponsors about the availability of specific U.S. equipment and services. TDA publishes the TDA Pipeline, its biweekly newsletter, that highlights new definitional missions, feasibility study opportunities (also advertised in the Commerce Business Daily), and upcoming orientation visits and conferences. TDA business briefings and events often provide a good introduction
to current opportunities in a specific sector or region. TDA hosts approximately 45 orientation visits each
year. These week-long reverse trade missions bring foreign buyers to the United States to see equipment they
may need for development projects. U.S. suppliers that participate in these visits are able to showcase their products
and expertise, while making valuable international contacts. In conjunction with these visits, TDA often
hosts a business briefing to allow U.S. companies to meet with the visiting delegation to hear more details about
their needs.

Additionally, TDA hosts a number of events to assist in opening global markets to U.S. businesses. Each event
offers:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)
Office of International Activities
Ronald Reagan Building
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 564-6600
Fax: (202) 565-2407
Web site: www.epa.gov/oia

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) international programs play an important role in helping the U.S.
environmental sector expand its export base. U.S. private sector groups have repeatedly underscored the importance
of EPA’s international technology and technical assistance programs in creating markets for U.S. environmental
goods and services. By showcasing the effectiveness and capabilities of available and emerging U.S. environmental technologies, EPA technology diffusion programs in developing countries lead to follow-on commercial opportunities for U.S. firms. EPA’s training programs also prepare the way for the exports of U.S. technologies. The training programs
usually identify U.S. environmental technology manufacturers in the relevant sectors.

Under a cooperative agreement with the EPA, the National Association of State Development Agencies
(NASDA) is currently conducting a Program for Environmental Technology Transfer (PETT) to China. The
program enables small and medium-sized businesses to fund technology demonstrations, workshops, and development
programs targeting pollution prevention, air pollution, wastewater treatment, and energy efficiency in China.

EPA is widely recognized as the world’s leading source of environmental information which helps build capacity
for the use of advanced technologies. In addition to providing thousands of pages of technical data via the
Internet, EPA also makes information on U.S. environmental technology vendors available to potential buyers.
For example, the Vendor Information System for Innovative Treatment Technologies (VISITT) provides
vendor-supplied information on innovative technologies that can be used to treat contaminated groundwater, sludges,
and sediments. EPA’s Clean Air Technology Center provides a similar resource for information on emerging and existing air pollution prevention and control technologies. Through its International Visitors Program, EPA staff helps arrange tours of U.S. facilities with innovative technologies in use, and set up meetings with U.S. technology suppliers.
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