National Export Strategy 2002 - International Trade Administration ...

The 2002 National Export Strategy
The TIC is a comprehensive resource for information on all TPCC members’ export
assistance programs. The TIC answers a myriad of technical trade questions regarding
such issues as the North American Free Trade Agreement’s (NAFTA) Certificate of
Origin, Shipper’s Export Declaration, and Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The TIC
plays a critical role in providing the information U.S. exporters are looking for in a
timely manner.
Recommendations
Improve the quality of our market research information and trade leads. Through
OMB’s Quicksilver initiative, the Department of Commerce will pilot a collaborative
work space tool to improve the quality and timeliness of our market research and
trade leads. This tool will allow CS and State Department economic officers in foreign
posts to work with industry and country specialists in Washington on a real-time basis
to develop accurate and up-to-date market research and trade leads. This tool will
also meet exporters’ needs of finding market research in one location by integrating
different agencies’ market research into Export.gov. This will eliminate duplicative,
and sometimes out of date, information that is now available in different formats on
several TPCC agency Web sites. This effort will include making U.S. Agency for
International Development’s (USAID) Global Technology Network trade leads
available on BuyUSA.com and Export.gov.
Make export-related information more accessible. The Department of Commerce will
add a search engine to Export.gov to make all agencies’ information easier and quicker
to access. This will support links to useful state and local sites. U.S. firms can search
across many different Web sites for the desired information. The TIC will work with
Export.gov to enhance customer service by adding advanced features such as assisted
Web-browsing and a direct Web connection with live trade specialists.
A critical component of this development effort should be continued user input. The
effort should include provision for customer focus groups as well as ongoing feedback
from user groups who can provide insight into how well the efforts to improve access
meet the needs of the actual users.
Link SMEs with U.S. multinational corporations. We will use BuyUSA.com to link
foreign affiliates of U.S. multinationals abroad with U.S. suppliers, who are often SME
exporters looking for project opportunities. CS posts will encourage U.S. companies
already in key markets to use this route to discover potential U.S. subcontractors.
Use the Internet for working capital. Ex-Im Bank will use the Internet to improve
distribution and ease access to the working capital program. By making its working
capital program available to lenders electronically, Ex-Im Bank would be able to
process transactions more efficiently, thereby enhancing financing services provided to
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