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U.S. Business 

Guide to USTDA

U.S. Trade and Development Agency

1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1600

Arlington, Virginia 22209

Phone: 703.875.4357 • Fax: 703.875.4009

 Website: www.ustda.gov

9/09
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency 

(USTDA) advances economic development 

and U.S. commercial interests in developing 

and middle-income countries. The agency 

funds various forms of technical assistance, 

feasibility studies, training, orientation visits 

and business workshops that support the 

development of a modern infrastructure and 

a fair and open trading environment.

USTDA’s strategic use of foreign assistance 

funds to support sound investment policy and 

decision-making in host countries creates an 

enabling environment for trade, investment and 

sustainable economic development. Operating 

at the nexus of foreign policy and commerce, 

USTDA is uniquely positioned to work with 

U.S. firms and host countries in achieving 

the agency’s trade and development goals. In 

carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis 

to economic sectors that may benefit from 

U.S. exports of goods and services.

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USTDA is an independent U.S. Government 

foreign assistance agency that is funded by the 

U.S. Congress.

What are USTDA’s objectives?

Our aim is a win-win scenario: promoting 

economic growth in developing and middleincome countries, while simultaneously helping 

American businesses to export their products, 

thereby creating jobs. In addition, USTDA 

supports U.S. policy objectives related to 

development and capacity building activities. 

Since 1981, USTDA has been associated with 

more than $31.5 billion in exports—or approximately $35 in exports for every dollar invested 

in our activities.

What types of projects does USTDA support?

USTDA provides grant funding for the planning of 

projects that support the development of modern 

infrastructure and an open trading system. 

While USTDA projects span a wide variety of 

sectors, many focus on clean energy and power, 

transportation, information and communications 

technology, environmental infrastructure and 

services, and healthcare. 

What are the requirements for USTDA funding?

USTDA evaluates projects primarily based on:

• Their priority to the project sponsors and the 

countries where they are located, and their likelihood of receiving implementation financing 

or, in the case USTDA’s trade capacity building 

work, advancing trade liberalization efforts; and 

• Whether they offer mutual economic benefit for 

the host country and the United States, including opportunities for commercial cooperation 

with U.S. firms, thereby supporting U.S. jobs.

With whom does USTDA work?

USTDA provides grants directly to overseas 

project sponsors who, in turn, select U.S. 

companies to perform USTDA-funded activities. 

An overseas project sponsor is the local entity 

with the decision-making authority and ability 

to implement a project. The sponsor may 

be a government institution at the national, 

state/provincial, or local level, or it may be a 

local private sector company.

USTDA is open in more than one hundred 

countries around the world. In certain nations, 

statutory, resource and policy constraints limit the 

availability of USTDA programs. 

What types of activities does USTDA support?

USTDA accomplishes its mission by funding: 

1) trade capacity building and sector 

development; and 2) project definition 

and investment analysis. 

Trade capacity building and sector development 

assistance supports the establishment of industry 

standards, rules and regulations, market liberalization and other policy reform. Project definition and investment analysis involves activities 

that support large capital investments related to 

overseas development. 

What is USTDA?
Trade Capacity Building and Sector Development

Sect or Development Technica l Ass ista nce

USTDA provides technical assistance to help 

with the development of sector strategies, industry standards, and legal and regulatory regimes. 

This assistance helps to create a favorable business and trade environment. Transportation 

safety and security and clean energy development 

are particularly important sectors for USTDA’s 

technical assistance work. 

Training

USTDA provides training for foreign decisionmakers in economic sectors where there are 

opportunities for the sale of U.S. equipment 

and services. The training is normally focused 

on technology or regulatory issues and is 

designed to give project sponsors a better understanding of U.S. experience and capabilities. 

Training can be conducted in the United States 

and/or in the host country. 

Trad e and Indust ry Advisors

Foreign government entities may obtain 

USTDA grants for trade and industry advisors. 

These advisors are typically located in ministries 

or municipalities, where they can help with 

capacity building activities relevant to trade 

regulations, standards or the import of technology and additional expertise.

Project Definition and Investment Analysis

Feas ibility Stud ies

USTDA provides grants for overseas infrastructure project planning assistance, such as 

feasibility studies. These studies evaluate the 

technical, financial, environmental, legal, and 

other critical aspects of infrastructure development projects that are of interest to potential 

lenders and investors. 

Orientat ion Visits

Orientation visits bring foreign project sponsors to the United States to observe the design, 

manufacture, demonstration and operation of 

U.S. products and services that can potentially 

help them to achieve their development goals. 

Workshops and Conferences

USTDA organizes workshops, conferences and 

technical symposia worldwide. These events 

are sector or project oriented and connect 

overseas project sponsors with U.S. firms and 

entities that supply project finance, technology 

and industry expertise that may be useful in 

project implementation. 

Procu rement Ass ista nce

To promote project transparency and integrity, 

USTDA provides grants to assist in the establishment and oversight of international project 

procurement activities. Support can take the form 

of developing appropriate bidding procedures, 

assisting in the evaluation of technical proposals, 

and identifying potential suppliers or bidders. 

This 47.5 megawatt power plant was constructed in the 

Aydin-Germencik geothermal field in Turkey by the Gurmat 

Energy Investment and Trade Company, a private Turkish 

company, following the findings of a USTDA-funded feasibility 

study. The plant, which became operational in May 2009, was 

constructed using over $23 million in U.S. goods and services 

from eight states. 
How is a project brought to 

USTDA for consideration?

If you are developing a project or initiative that 

you would like USTDA to consider for possible 

grant funding, you should begin by:

1. Contacting the appropriate USTDA Regional 

Director or Country Manager (see How Do I 

Contact USTDA? ); or,

2. Communicating with the commercial or 

economic officer, or USTDA representative, 

at the U.S. Embassy in the country where 

the project is located. 

To formally initiate USTDA consideration of 

a proposal, the host country project sponsor 

should direct a request to USTDA. In cases 

where a specific U.S. company has been identified 

as a partner or preferred supplier on the project, 

the U.S. company should submit a separate, 

detailed proposal to USTDA. There is no set 

deadline for proposals to be considered.

How does the approval process work?

USTDA’s due diligence review of a proposal 

involves two steps. First, USTDA staff conducts 

an internal review to determine whether the 

proposal represents an appropriate opportunity 

for USTDA support. Second, proposals that 

satisfy this internal analysis are independently 

assessed by USTDA-funded definitional mission 

(DM) and desk study (DS) consultants.

A DM provides a detailed evaluation of a 

particular proposal, involving travel to the 

designated region. A DS provides quick 

analysis of a proposal and is produced within 

the United States. Both DMs and DSs are 

carried out exclusively by small U.S. firms. 

Because of the high demand for USTDA 

funding, not all proposals that meet USTDA 

funding criteria can be supported. 

How does the grant process work?

If USTDA approves funding, it signs a Grant 

Agreement with the foreign project sponsor. The 

grant recipient then signs a contract with the 

U.S. company it selects to carry out the USTDAfunded activity. Both the Grant Agreement and 

the contract contain the terms of reference that 

outline the parameters of the activity. 
Is there any cost-sharing 

or reimbursement required?

In cases where an overseas project sponsor 

would like to sole source a USTDA-funded 

activity to a specific U.S. firm, USTDA and 

the U.S. firm share the cost of the activity. 

USTDA’s contribution varies according to 

a number of factors, including the size of 

the firm, the costs the firm has incurred in 

developing the project, and the risks associated 

with the project. In addition, USTDA may 

require the U.S. firm to reimburse part or 

all of USTDA’s funding if the project is 

implemented and the firm receives substantial 

economic benefit. These commitments are 

included in a letter agreement between USTDA 

and the company.

How much money is available?

Each year, USTDA funds approximately 

125 grant activities. The average USTDA 

grant is $400,000. 

On average, contracts to perform desk 

studies range from $2,500–$5,000 and 

definitional missions range from $25,000–

$35,000.

How can small businesses learn 

about opportunities from USTDA?

Current USTDA procurement opportunities 

and business opportunities with agency 

grant recipients are posted to the Federal 

Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) 

website at www.fedbizopps.gov. Links to the 

opportunities on FedBizOpps associated 

with USTDA’s program are posted to the 

agency’s website at www.ustda.gov.

Small U.S. firms that wish to be considered 

for desk study solicitations should register 

on‐line with USTDA’s consultant database 

at www.ustda.gov. All firms interested 

in potential contracting opportunities 

with USTDA should register with the 

U.S. Government’s Central Contractor 

Registration website at www.ccr.gov. 

Issued biweekly, USTDA’s News and 

Information is your best source to learn 

about agency procurements, business 

opportunities with overseas grant recipients 

and upcoming events. A free subscription is 

available at www.ustda.gov.

Integrated Manufacturing Technologies (IMT) employees in Red Bud, 

Illinois benefited from USTDA’s commercially-focused foreign assistance 

program. Working with IMT’s parent company, Roeslein & Associates 

(St. Louis, MO), USTDA funded a feasibility study on the establishment 

of a can manufacturing facility in Nigeria utilizing U.S. equipment. 

Based on the study’s positive recommendation and the entrepreneurial 

spirit of Roeslein & Associates’ management, IMT’s Illinois employees 

constructed a can assembly line for shipment to Nigeria. 
What is USTDA’s relationship with 

International Financing Institutions and 

Multilateral Development Banks?

USTDA works closely with the MDBs to 

co‐finance technical assistance and feasibility 

studies that lay the groundwork for project 

financing. 

Since MDBs finance many of the capital 

projects in developing countries, USTDA’s close 

relationship with them is advantageous for the 

U.S. business community. In addition to the 

valuable project information that is gained 

through the MDBs, working on bank projects 

ensures that a potential funding source has 

been identified.

How does USTDA work with other 

Trade Promotion and Commercial 

Development Agencies?

As a member of the inter-agency Trade 

Promotion Coordinating Committee, USTDA 

works with a wide variety of other U.S. 

Government agencies to support opportunities 

for U.S. commercial involvement overseas. 

USTDA learns of many viable projects from 

the Commerce Department’s Commercial 

Service and the State Department’s economic 

and commercial officers. USTDA works closely 

with these agencies to identify projects and 

gauge the likelihood of their implementation.

Where is USTDA located?

The agency is headquartered in the 

Washington, D.C. area in Arlington, Virginia. 

In addition, USTDA has offices in South 

Africa and Thailand to promote the Agency’s 

program throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and 

Asia, and country representatives in Brazil, 

China, India and Vietnam. 

USTDA is headquartered in 

the Washington D.C. area 

in Arlington, Virginia.

What other U.S. Government Trade Partners 

can I contact?

• Overseas Private Investment Corporation 

www.opic.gov 

• Export-Import Bank of the United States 

www.exim.gov

• Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 

www.ustr.gov

• U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service 

www.usatrade.gov

• Millennium Challenge Corporation

www.mcc.gov

• U.S. Department of State

www.state.gov
how do i contact ustda ?

More information about USTDA is 

available at www.ustda.gov. General 

inquiries about USTDA’s program can 

be made by calling (703) 875-4357, 

sending a fax to (703) 875-4009 or an 

e-mail to info@ustda.gov, or completing 

the Contact Form on USTDA’s website. 

To contact USTDA’s program staff, send 

an e-mail to your region of interest:

• East Asia:

East_Asia@ustda.gov

• Europe and Eurasia:

Europe_Eurasia@ustda.gov

• Latin America and the Caribbean:

LAC@ustda.gov

• Middle East and North Africa:

MENA@ustda.gov

• South and Southeast Asia: 

South_Southeast_Asia@ustda.gov

• Sub-Saharan Africa:

Africa@ustda.gov