Trade Advocacy: Through direct government-to-government contacts, and in coordination with U.S. business and the Commerce Department’s Advocacy Center, X-20 spearheads the Department’s efforts to level the playing field for the broad spectrum of U.S. businesses seeking to export their transport related goods and services in a very competitive international market

Activity: Interaction with foreign government officials on behalf of U.S. companies seeking a fair and equal opportunity for selection through transparent international tender processes.

Background: Exporting today means more than selling a good product at a competitive price; it also means dealing with foreign governments and complex regulations. It can also mean competing with foreign companies whose home governments exert strong pressure on project decision-makers to select their companies. Sometimes, international project tenders become victims of bureaucratic red tape, and U.S. business seeks the assistance of its government to identify the underlying reasons.

In all of these circumstances, a role taken up by the Department of Transportation and some other Federal agencies is one of advocacy. Foreign competitors to U.S. companies are sometimes even subsidized by their home governments and are very often the beneficiaries of strong lobbying efforts. U.S. exporters deserve to compete on a level playing field, and several USG agencies engage in advocacy, via letters and telephone calls, aimed at providing U.S. companies with an equal opportunity to win international tenders. Much of this effort is conducted in concert with the Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center in order to assure a coordinated and inclusive USG assistance.

A challenge before the Department is to make U.S. companies aware of the opportunities for support that is available to them as they seek international business. The Office of International Transportation and Trade has established a growing list of contacts and is notifying them of DOT’s ongoing initiatives. The Office of International Transportation and Trade is also cementing its relationships with Commercial Officers in U.S. Embassies abroad in order to access currently available project information and to ascertain the status of project decisions to assure the timeliness of our advocacy efforts. Only by establishing an industry-wide reputation as a valued resource can the DOT fulfill the important goal of leveling the playing field for the broad spectrum of U.S. businesses seeking to export their transport-related goods and services.

Revised on Friday, January 16, 2004
Content is provided by William Bingham
(202) 366-1044