Export Promotion: States’ Export Promotion Agency Survey 

(GAO-09-148SP), an E-supplement to GAO-09-144 

Read the Full Report: Export Promotion: Commerce Needs Better Information to Evaluate Its Fee-Based Programs 

and Customers (GAO-09-144, March 2009) 

Background Information 

Instructions for Viewing This E-Supplement 

Background Information 

This document presents information from a GAO survey of states’ trade offices throughout the United States on the 

nature of states’ export promotion services and their partnerships with the Commercial Service (CS) of the U.S. 

Department of Commerce. We surveyed these offices to obtain information including (1) the types of export 

promotion services these states’ trade offices provide and the user fees charged, (2) the number of state trade office 

staff providing these services, (3) whether small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) can use state grant programs 

or direct payments to defray the cost of CS’s export promotion programs and services, (4) the importance of CS 

services to the operations of states’ trade offices, and (5) the effect of CS user fees on SMEs’ participation in CS

export promotion programs. We surveyed all 50 states’ trade offices and received responses from 45 of them. For a 

further discussion of our scope and methodology, see Export Promotion: Commerce Needs Better Information to 

Evaluate Its Fee-Based Programs and Customers. (GAO-09-144). We administered the survey from May 2008 to 

October 2008 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Agency Comments 

We received comments from the Department of Commerce about the e-supplement. These comments appear in and 

are addressed in the full report, GAO-09-144. 

(320650) Page i 
Instructions for Viewing This E-Supplement

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Contact Information 

If you have questions concerning these data, please contact Loren Yager (202) 512-4347 or yagerl@gao.gov 

Copyright 

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Page ii 
.com United States Government Accountability Office 

State Trade Office Export Promotion Questionnaire 

Introduction

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a federal agency that assists the U.S. 

Congress in evaluating federal programs. GAO has received a Congressional request to review 

the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (Commerce) export promotion programs and services and 

the associated user fees to determine 1) what is known about how Commerce’s fees affect small 

and medium-sized enterprises’(SME) participation; and 2) the extent to which states subsidize 

SMEs’ participation in these programs. The purpose of this questionnaire is to understand the 

nature of your state trade office’s export promotion programs and the extent to which your office 

assists SME firms in gaining access to Commerce’s export promotion programs and services. 

The GAO report to the Congress will not specify how any individual state answered these 

questions; instead, it will present combined data for all responding states. A copy of the 

questionnaire with aggregated responses will be published with the report.

Instructions 

In order to complete this questionnaire, please return a single survey response to GAO via email 

to State_Trade@gao.gov. We would greatly appreciate if you would return the completed 

questionnaire by May 16, 2008. 

This questionnaire can be filled out using MS-Word 

• To answer a question that requires that you write a comment, click on the answer field and 

begin typing. The box will expand to accommodate your answer. 

• To answer a question with a check box click the box. 

• To change your answer, click on the check box again and the ‘X’ will disappear. 

Once you have completed the questionnaire, you may return an electronic copy via email or 

paper copy via fax. To return it by email, save the file to your hard drive, hold down the Ctrl key 

and click the link at the end of the questionnaire and attach the file. If you prefer, you may print 

a copy of the survey, complete it by hand and fax it to GAO at (202) 512-2514 or (202) 512-

2502. 

If you have any questions about the contents of this survey, please contact: 

Barbara Shields Bradley Hunt 

Phone: (202) 512-9467 OR Phone: (213) 830-1087 

email: shieldsb@gao.gov email: huntb@gao.gov

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. 

 1 
1. qDoes your state have an export promotion program? 

Yes................................... 

No ....................................  ̈ (If no, please describe your state’s philosophy and approach 

to export promotion.) THEN – Please return this survey 

to us. 

 

2. qDoes your export promotion program or state trade office define small-to-medium 

sized enterprises (SMEs) as firms with fewer than 500 employees? 

Yes....................  ̈Skip to 3

No .....................

a. If you checked “No” for question 2, what is your export promotion program’s or state 

office’s definition of an SME? 

 

3. qDuring FY 2007, approximately what proportion of your state’s export promotion 

budget was used to target the export needs of SMEs? 

Less than 50%............................

50-74%.......................................

75-90%.......................................

91% or more ..............................

Don’t know ...............................

4. qHow many staff are currently working on export promotion in your state’s office? 

Number full time staff Number part-time staff 

Domestic locations staff staff

Overseas locations staff staff

 2 
5. qHas your overall staffing level increased or decreased over the past five years? 

Increased ...................................................................................

Decreased..................................................................................

Stayed the same ........................................................................

6. What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and 

services to SMEs is recovered by user fees? 

No fee 

d

Fees cover 

part of cost 

d

Fees cover 

all of cost 

d

Service not 

provided 

d

a. qForeign company 

background checks 

b. qLicensee, joint venture, 

partnership contracts 

c. qMarket research

d. qAgent/distributor searches 

e. qTrade shows (U.S., foreign, 

catalog) 

f. qForeign trade missions 

g. qMarketing/promotional 

literature reviews 

h. qTraining programs 

& seminars

i. qProduct analysis/pricing 

information 

j. qMarket entry strategy 

development 

k. qExport counseling 

l. qOther [please specify 

below] 

 

 3 
7. qDuring the last 3 fiscal years, did your state trade office share program costs for any 

activities with any other organization (e.g., other government agency, association, etc.)? 

No ..................................................................................................................  ̈ Skip to 8 

Yes.................................................................................................................

a. What was the activity, type of provider and cost sharing rate?

 

8. qDoes your state trade office currently offer SMEs any grant programs or direct 

payments? 

No ....................................................................................................................  ̈Skip to 10 

Yes....................................................................................................................

9. qCan the grant programs or direct payments be used to defray the cost of Commerce’s 

export promotion programs and services? 

No .................................... 

Yes...................................  ̈ a. Please describe 

 

 4 
10. During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs 

and services, if any, has your state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

Not purchased 

d

Purchased directly 

from Commerce 

d

a. qGold Key Service 

b. qInternational Company Profile (ICP) 

c. qInternational Partner Search (IPS) 

d. qFeatured U.S. Exporter (FUSE) 

e. qBusiness Facilitation Service

f. qCustomized Market Research

g. qPlatinum Key Service ..........

h. qQuickTake ..........

i. qCatalog event/product literature center 

j. qSeminar/webinar ..........

k. qTrade fair ..........

l. qCommerce-led certified trade mission/trade 

mission 

m. qSingle company promotion 

n. qOther programs [please specify below]..........

 

11. qDuring the last three fiscal years, did your state trade office conduct any additional 

activities jointly with Commerce? [Other than the formal programs and services listed 

above, e.g., business recruitment projects, program and event planning, etc.] 

No ....................................

Yes...................................  a. What activities were these? 

 

 5 
12. In your opinion, did Commerce’s 2005 fee schedule changes cause your office to 

increase or decrease its use of the following Commerce export promotion services? 

(Click this link to go to appendix at back of survey for the fee structure after the 

increase.) 

Greatly 

increase 

d

Somewhat 

increase 

d

Stayed 

the same 

d

Somewhat 

decrease

d

Greatly 

decrease

d

No basis to 

judge 

d

a. qGold 

Key 

b. qICP 

c. qIPS 

In May of this year, Commerce introduced the new fee structure for its export promotion 

services: (Click this link to go to appendix at back of survey for the NEW fee structure.) 

13. In your opinion, will Commerce’s new fee schedule cause your office to increase or 

decrease its use of the following services that it purchases directly to assist SMEs (both 

new-to-export and those that already export)? 

Greatly 

increase 

d

Somewhat 

increase 

d

Stay the 

same 

d

Somewhat 

decrease

d

Greatly 

decrease

d 

No basis to 

judge 

d

a. qGold 

Key

b. qICP 

c. qIPS

14. What private sector providers does your state use for trade promotion programs (e.g., 

private consultants, American Chambers of Commerce overseas, etc.)? 

 

 6 
15. In your view, are Commerce’s new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low,

or just about right compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

Much too 

low 

d

Somewhat 

too low 

d

About 

right 

d

Somewhat 

too high 

d

Much too 

high 

d

No basis 

to judge 

d

a. qGold Key Service 

b. qInternational Company 

Profile (ICP)

c. qInternational Partner Search 

(IPS) 

d. qFeatured U.S. Exporter 

(FUSE) 

e. qDomestic Business 

Provider 

f. qCustomized Services (e.g. 

Business Facilitation Service, 

Platinum Key Service, Single 

Company Promotion, Trade 

Missions, Catalog Events, and 

Customized Market Research) 

g. qOther [please describe]

16. qIn general, do you view Commerce’s new fees for new-to-export SMEs as too high, 

too low, or about right compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

Much too low............................................................................

Somewhat too low ...................................................................

About right................................................................................

Somewhat too high ..................................................................

Much too high...........................................................................

Don’t know /No basis to judge .................................................

 7 
17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of 

the following programs/services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees 

it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

No 

decrease 

d

Slight 

decrease 

d

Moderate 

decrease 

d

Great 

decrease 

d

Very

great 

decrease 

d

No 

basis to 

judge 

d

a. qGold Key Service 

b. qInternational Company Profile 

(ICP) 

c. qInternational Partner Search 

(IPS) 

d. qFeatured U.S. Exporter 

(FUSE) 

e. qDomestic Business Provider 

f. qCustomized Services (e.g. 

Business Facilitation Service, 

Platinum Key Service, Single 

Company Promotion, Trade 

Missions, Catalog Events, and 

Customized Market Research) 

g. qOther [please describe] 

18. qAll things considered, does your office consider Commerce’s new fee schedule to be 

reasonable or unreasonable? 

Very reasonable ........................................................................

Somewhat reasonable ...............................................................

Neither reasonable nor unreasonable........................................

Somewhat unreasonable ..........................................................

Very unreasonable ....................................................................

No basis to judge ......................................................................

19. Do you have any other comments about Commerce’s new fee schedule? 

 

 8 
20. qDo you have any offices that are colocated with Commerce? [Check all that apply]

No..............................................................................................  ̈Skip to 22 

Yes, we have domestic offices..................................................

Yes, we have overseas offices ..................................................

21. qIn your opinion, how much has colocation helped your SMEs access Commercesponsored export promotion programs and services? 

Little or no help .............................................

Some help ......................................................

Moderate help................................................

Great help ......................................................

No basis to judge ...........................................

22. qIn your opinion, how important are Commerce services to your state’s export 

promotion capabilities? 

Very important .........................................................................

Moderately important ..............................................................

Slightly important .....................................................................

Not important............................................................................

Don’t know ...............................................................................

23. qHas your state trade office conducted or identified any evaluations about the effect of 

user fees on SMEs’ participation in federal export promotion programs? 

No ....................................

Yes...................................  ̈ If yes, please attach a copy and return via email. 

24. Please put any additional comments below. 

 

Thank you for completing the survey! 

Please save this file now and send an e-mail with your saved questionnaire file as an 

attachment to: State_Trade@gao.gov 

 9 
APPENDIX 

Former Commerce User Fee Schedule 

Former Commerce User Fee Schedule 

(FY 2005-FY 2008) Type of Service 

Band I Band II Band III Band IV 

Gold Key Service $685 (each 

additional day: 

$320) 

$735 (each 

additional day: 

$360) 

$765 (each 

additional day: 

$385) 

$770 (each 

additional day: 

$385) 

International Company Profile $520 $610 $710 $810

International Partner Search $500 $590 $690 $790

Featured U.S. Exporter $25-$50 (for 2 weeks)

Business Service Provider International: $150 - $500

Domestic: $250

QuickTake $750 for one industry sector 

$500 for each additional industry sector

Customized Services (e.g. Customized 

Market Research, Business Facilitation

Service, Platinum Key Service) 

Customized depending on company’s requirements:

100 percent of direct costs 

35 percent of indirect costs 

Click here to return to question 12

NEW Commerce User Fee Schedule (as of May, 2008) 

Standardized Services 

SME Company Large Company

Type of Service First 

appointment 

Additional 

appointments 

New-toExport 1st use 

of service 

First 

appointment 

Additional 

appointments 

Gold Key Service $700 $300 $350 $2,300 $1,000

International Company

Profile 

$600 * $350 $900 *

International Partner 

Search 

$550 * $350 $1,400 *

Featured U.S. Exporter $150 * $75 $300 * 

Domestic Business 

Provider 

$300 * $150 $600 *

Customized Services 

e.g., Business Facilitation SME Company Large Company

Service, Platinum Key

Service, Single Company

Promotion, Trade 

Missions, Catalog Events, 

and Customized Market 

Research 

100% of direct costs 

35% of indirect costs 

100% of direct costs 

35% of indirect costs 

Click here to return to question 13

 10 
Survey Results Summary 

back

1.Does your state have an export promotion program? 

Yes No

Number of 

respondents

42 2 44

back

2.Does your export promotion program or state trade office define small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as firms 

with fewer than 500 employees? 

Yes No

Number of 

respondents

37 7 44

back

3.During FY 2007, approximately what proportion of your state's export promotion budget was used to target the 

export needs of SMEs? 

Less than

50% 

50% - 74% 75% - 90%

91% or more Don't know

Number of 

respondents

6 4 9 23 2 44

back

4a.How many staff are currently working on export promotion in your state's office? 

Domestic locations 

Full-time staff 

Mean

Number 

of 

respondents

6.1 45

back

4b.How many staff are currently working on export promotion in your state's office? 

Domestic locations 

Part-time staff 

Mean

Number 

of 

respondents

0.5 45

back

4c.How many staff are currently working on export promotion in your state's office? 

Overseas locations 

Full-time staff 

Mean

Number 

of 

respondents

4.7 45

 11 
back

4d.How many staff are currently working on export promotion in your state's office? 

Overseas locations 

Part-time staff 

Mean

Number 

of 

respondents

1.1 45

back

5.Has your overall staffing level increased or decreased over the past five years? 

Increased Decreased Stayed the

same

Number of 

respondents

12 17 15 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

a. Foreign company background checks 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

23 3 3 15 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

b. Licensee, joint venture, partnership contracts 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

11 1 2 29 43

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

c. Market research 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

31 5 1 7 44

 12 
back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

d. Agent/distributor searches 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

25 7 2 10 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

e. Trade shows (U.S., foreign, catalog) 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

2 28 9 5 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

f. Foreign trade missions 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

3 28 8 5 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

g. Marketing/promotional literature reviews 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

23 6 2 13 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

h. Training programs & seminars 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

8 23 8 4 43

 13 
back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

i. Product analysis/pricing information 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

26 2 1 15 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

j. Market entry strategy development 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

30 4 1 9 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

k. Export counseling 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

38 1 0 5 44

back

6.What portion, if any, of the costs of providing any of the following programs and services to SMEs is recovered by 

user fees? 

l. Other 

No fee 

Fees cover 

part of cost 

Fees cover

all of cost 

Service not

provided

Number of 

respondents

4 1 0 2 7

back

7.During the last 3 fiscal years, did your state trade office share program costs for any activities with any other 

organization (e.g., other government agency, association, etc.)? 

No Yes 

Number of 

respondents

17 25 42

back

8.Does your state trade office currently offer SMEs any grant programs or direct payments? 

No Yes 

Number of 

respondents

25 19 44

 14 
back

9.Can the grant programs or direct payments be used to defray the cost of Commerce's export promotion programs 

and services? 

No Yes 

Number of 

respondents

5 14 19

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

a. Gold Key Service 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

22 22 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

b. International Company Profile (ICP) 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

41 3 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

c. International Partner Search (IPS) 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

41 3 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

d. Featured U.S. Exporter (FUSE) 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

44 0 44

 15 
back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

e. Business Facilitation Service

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

36 8 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

f. Customized Market Research 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

41 3 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

g. Platinum Key Service 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

37 7 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

h. QuickTake 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

42 2 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

i. Catalog event/product literature center 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

36 8 44

 16 
back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

j. Seminar/webinar 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

25 19 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

k. Trade fair 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

30 14 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

l. Commerce-led certified trade mission/trade mission 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

35 9 44

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

m. Single company promotion 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

40 3 43

back

10.During the last 3 fiscal years, which of the following Commerce-sponsored programs and services, if any, has your 

state trade office purchased directly from Commerce? 

n. Other programs 

Not 

purchased

Purchased

directly 

from 

Commerce 

Number of 

respondents

16 4 20

 17 
back

11.During the last three fiscal years, did your state trade office conduct any additional activities jointly with

Commerce? 

No Yes 

Number of 

respondents

8 34 42

back

12.In your opinion, did Commerce's 2005 fee schedule changes cause your office to increase or decrease its use of 

the following Commerce export promotion services? 

a. Gold Key 

Greatly 

increased Somewhat 

increased 

Stayed about

the same

Somewhat

decreased

Greatly 

decreased

No basis 

to judge Number of 

respondents

0 0 11 9 5 19 44

back

12.In your opinion, did Commerce's 2005 fee schedule changes cause your office to increase or decrease its use of 

the following Commerce export promotion services? 

b. International Company Profile (ICP) 

Greatly 

increased Somewhat 

increased 

Stayed about

the same

Somewhat

decreased

Greatly 

decreased

No basis 

to judge Number of 

respondents

0 1 6 3 1 32 43

back

12.In your opinion, did Commerce's 2005 fee schedule changes cause your office to increase or decrease its use of 

the following Commerce export promotion services? 

c. International Partner Search (IPS) 

Greatly 

increased Somewhat 

increased 

Stayed about

the same

Somewhat

decreased

Greatly 

decreased

No basis 

to judge Number of 

respondents

0 0 7 3 1 32 43

back

13.In your opinion, will Commerce's new fee schedule cause your office to increase or decrease its use of the 

following services that it purchases directly to assist SMEs (both new-to-export and those that already export)? 

a. Gold Key 

Greatly 

increased Somewhat 

increased 

Stayed about

the same

Somewhat

decreased

Greatly 

decreased

No basis 

to judge Number of 

respondents

5 10 12 3 0 14 44

 18 
back

13.In your opinion, will Commerce's new fee schedule cause your office to increase or decrease its use of the 

following services that it purchases directly to assist SMEs (both new-to-export and those that already export)? 

b. International Company Profile (ICP) 

Greatly 

increased Somewhat 

increased 

Stayed about

the same

Somewhat

decreased

Greatly 

decreased

No basis 

to judge Number of 

respondents

3 6 8 3 0 23 43

back

13.In your opinion, will Commerce's new fee schedule cause your office to increase or decrease its use of the 

following services that it purchases directly to assist SMEs (both new-to-export and those that already export)? 

c. International Partner Search (IPS) 

Greatly 

increased Somewhat 

increased 

Stayed about

the same

Somewhat

decreased

Greatly 

decreased

No basis 

to judge Number of 

respondents

3 6 8 3 0 23 43

back

15.In your view, are Commerce's new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low, or just about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

a. Gold Key Service 

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 1 18 10 6 9 44

back

15.In your view, are Commerce's new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low, or just about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

b. International Company Profile (ICP) 

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 0 13 10 4 17 44

back

15.In your view, are Commerce's new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low, or just about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

c. International Partner Search (IPS) 

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 0 13 10 4 17 44

 19 
back

15.In your view, are Commerce's new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low, or just about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

d. Featured U.S. Exporter (FUSE) 

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 0 10 6 2 26 44

back

15.In your view, are Commerce's new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low, or just about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

e. Domestic Business Provider

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 0 7 6 2 27 42

back

15.In your view, are Commerce's new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low, or just about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

f. Customized Services (e.g., Business Facilitation Service, Platinum Key Service, Single Company Promotion, Trade 

Missions, Catalog Events, and Customized Market Research) 

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 0 11 10 6 16 43

back

15.In your view, are Commerce's new fees for SMEs that already export too high, too low, or just about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

g. Other 

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 0 4 2 1 9 16

back

16.In general, do you view Commerce's new fees for new-to-export SMEs as too high, too low, or about right 

compared to fees charged by private sector providers? 

Much too 

low 

Somewhat 

too low 

About right Somewhat

too high

Much too

high

Don't 

know/No 

basis to

judge

Number of 

respondents

0 0 27 9 3 5 44

back

 20 
17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of the following programs/ 

services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

a. Gold Key Service 

No decrease

Slight

decrease Moderate

decrease 

Great 

decrease Very great

decrease

No basis 

to judge 

Number of 

respondents

1 2 6 5 23 7 44

back

17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of the following programs/ 

services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

b. International Company Profile (ICP) 

No decrease

Slight

decrease Moderate

decrease 

Great 

decrease Very great

decrease

No basis 

to judge 

Number of 

respondents

0 3 5 3 19 14 44

back

17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of the following programs/ 

services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

c. International Partner Search (IPS) 

No decrease

Slight

decrease Moderate

decrease 

Great 

decrease Very great

decrease

No basis 

to judge 

Number of 

respondents

0 3 6 2 19 14 44

back

17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of the following programs/ 

services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

d. Featured U.S. Exporter (FUSE) 

No decrease

Slight

decrease Moderate

decrease 

Great 

decrease Very great

decrease

No basis 

to judge 

Number of 

respondents

0 3 4 2 14 21 44

back

17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of the following programs/ 

services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

e. Domestic Business Provider

No decrease

Slight

decrease Moderate

decrease 

Great 

decrease Very great

decrease

No basis 

to judge 

Number of 

respondents

0 4 2 1 16 21 44

back

 21 
17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of the following programs/ 

services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

f. Customized Services (e.g., Business Facilitation Service, Platinum Key Service, Single Company Promotion, Trade 

Missions, Catalog Events, and Customized Market Research) 

No decrease

Slight

decrease Moderate

decrease 

Great 

decrease Very great

decrease

No basis 

to judge 

Number of 

respondents

1 4 4 3 19 12 43

back

17. Based on your experience, to what extent, if any, would you expect usage by SMEs of the following programs/ 

services to decrease if Commerce charged SMEs the same fees it now charges large firms under its new fee schedule? 

g. Other 

No decrease

Slight

decrease Moderate

decrease 

Great 

decrease Very great

decrease

No basis 

to judge 

Number of 

respondents

0 1 1 0 7 8 17

back

18.All things considered, does your office consider Commerce's new fee schedule to be reasonable or unreasonable? 

Very 

reasonable Somewhat 

reasonable 

As reasonable

as not

Somewhat

unreasonable

Very 

unreasonable

No basis 

to judge Number of 

respondents

11 13 4 6 3 6 43

back

20.Do you have any offices that are colocated with Commerce? 

No Yes, 

domestically Yes, overseas Both,

domestically

and overseas

Number of 

respondents

28 12 2 1 43

back

21.In your opinion, how much has colocation helped your SMEs access Commerce-sponsored export promotion 

programs and services? 

Little or

no help

Some help Moderate

help 

Great help No basis

to judge

Number of 

respondents

1 3 3 8 28 43

back

22.In your opinion, how important are Commerce services to your state's export promotion capabilities?

Very 

important 

Moderately 

important Slightly

important

Not important Don't know Number of 

respondents

28 8 6 1 1 44

 22 
back

23.Has your state trade office conducted or identified any evaluations about the effect of user fees on SMEs' 

participation in federal export promotion programs? 

No Yes 

Number of 

respondents

43 0 43

 23