[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 179 (Monday, September 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43523-43525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19797]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Upcoming 2018 International Trade Administration Aerospace 
Industry Trade Mission to Singapore

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration (ITA) is announcing an additional upcoming trade mission 
that will be recruited, organized, and implemented by ITA. The mission 
is:
    <bullet> Aerospace Executive Service Trade Mission to the Singapore 
Airshow--February 5-9, 2018.
    A summary of the mission is found below. Application information 
and more detailed mission information, including the commercial setting 
and sector information, can be found at the trade mission Web site: 
http://export.gov/trademissions.
    For each mission, recruitment will be conducted in an open and 
public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, posting 
on the Commerce Department trade mission calendar (http://export.gov/trademissions) and other Internet Web sites, press releases to general 
and trade media, direct mail, broadcast fax, notices by industry trade 
associations and other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry 
meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows.

The Following Conditions for Participation Will Be Used for Each 
Mission

    Applicants must submit a completed and signed mission application 
and supplemental application materials, including adequate information 
on their products and/or services, primary market objectives, and goals 
for participation. If the Department of Commerce receives an incomplete 
application, the Department may either: Reject the application, request 
additional information/clarification, or take the lack of information 
into account when evaluating the application. If the requisite minimum 
number of participants is not selected for a particular mission by the 
recruitment deadline, the mission may be cancelled.
    Each applicant must also certify that the products and services it 
seeks to export through the mission are either produced in the United 
States, or, if not, are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have 
at least fifty-one percent U.S. content by value. In the case of a 
trade association or organization, the applicant must certify that, for 
each firm or service provider to be represented by the association/
organization, the products and/or services the represented firm or 
service provider seeks to export are either produced in the United 
States or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at 
least 51% U.S. content.
    A trade association/organization applicant must certify to the 
above for all of the companies it seeks to represent on the mission.
    In addition, each applicant must:
    <bullet> Certify that the products and services that it wishes to 
market through the mission would be in compliance with U.S. export 
controls and regulations;
    <bullet> Certify that it has identified any matter pending before 
any bureau or office in the Department of Commerce;
    <bullet> Certify that it has identified any pending litigation 
(including any administrative proceedings) to which it is a party that 
involves the Department of Commerce; and
    <bullet> Sign and submit an agreement that it and its affiliates 
(1) have not and will not engage in the bribery of foreign officials in 
connection with a company's/participant's involvement in this mission, 
and (2) maintain and enforce a policy that prohibits the bribery of 
foreign officials.
    In the case of a trade association/organization, the applicant must 
certify that each firm or service provider to be represented by the 
association/organization can make the above certifications.

The Following Selection Criteria Will Be Used for Each Mission

    Targeted mission participants are U.S. firms, services providers 
and trade associations/organizations providing or promoting U.S. 
products and services that have an interest in entering or expanding 
their business in the mission's destination country. The following 
criteria will be evaluated in selecting participants:
    <bullet> Suitability of the applicant's (or in the case of a trade 
association/organization, represented firm or service provider's) 
products or services to these markets;
    <bullet> The applicant's (or in the case of a trade association/
organization, represented firm or service provider's) past, present, 
and prospective business activity in relation to the Mission's target 
market(s) and sector(s);
    <bullet> The applicant's (or in the case of a trade association/
organization, represented firm or service provider's) potential for 
business in the markets, including likelihood of exports resulting from 
the mission; and
    <bullet> Consistency of the applicant's (or in the case of a trade 
association/organization, represented firm or service provider's) goals 
and objectives with the stated scope of the mission.
    Referrals from a political party or partisan political group or any 
information, including on the application, containing references to 
political contributions or other partisan political activities will be 
excluded from the application and will not be considered during the 
selection process. The sender will be notified of these exclusions.

Trade Mission Participation Fees

    If and when an applicant is selected to participate on a particular 
mission, a payment to the Department of Commerce in the amount of the 
designated participation fee below is required. Upon notification of 
acceptance to participate, those selected have 5 business days to 
submit payment or the acceptance may be revoked.
    Participants selected for a trade mission will be expected to pay 
for the cost of personal expenses, including, but not limited to, 
international travel, lodging, meals, transportation, communication, 
and incidentals, unless otherwise noted. Participants will, however, be 
able to take advantage of U.S. Government rates for hotel rooms. In the 
event that a mission is cancelled, no personal expenses paid in 
anticipation of a mission will be reimbursed. However, participation 
fees for a cancelled mission will be reimbursed to the extent they have 
not already been expended in anticipation of the mission.
    If a visa is required to travel on a particular mission, applying 
for and obtaining such visas will be the responsibility of the mission 
participant. Government fees and

[[Page 43524]]

processing expenses to obtain such visas are not included in the 
participation fee. However, the Department of Commerce will provide 
instructions to each participant on the procedures required to obtain 
business visas.
    Trade Mission members participate in trade missions and undertake 
mission-related travel at their own risk. The nature of the security 
situation in a given foreign market at a given time cannot be 
guaranteed. The U.S. Government does not make any representations or 
guarantees as to the safety or security of participants. The U.S. 
Department of State issues U.S. Government international travel alerts 
and warnings for U.S. citizens available at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html. Any question regarding 
insurance coverage must be resolved by the participant and its insurer 
of choice.

Definition of Small and Medium Sized Enterprise

    For purposes of assessing participation fees, the Department of 
Commerce defines Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) as a firm 
with 500 or fewer employees or that otherwise qualifies as a small 
business under SBA regulations (see http://www.sba.gov/services/contractingopportunities/sizestandardstopics/index.html). Parent 
companies, affiliates, and subsidiaries will be considered when 
determining business size. The dual pricing reflects the Commercial 
Service's user fee schedule that became effective May 1, 2008 (see 
http://www.export.gov/newsletter/march2008/initiatives.html for 
additional information).
    Mission List: (additional information about each mission can be 
found at http://export.gov/trademissions).

Aerospace Executive Service Trade Mission to the Singapore Airshow, 
February 5-9, 2018

Summary

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration is organizing a non-Executive led Aerospace Executive 
Service Trade Mission (AESTM) to Singapore in conjunction with the 
Singapore Airshow 2018 (http://www.singaporeairshow.com).
    The AESTM will include representatives from a variety of U.S. 
aerospace-industry manufacturers and service providers. The mission 
participants will be introduced to international agents, distributors 
and end-users whose capabilities are targeted to each participant's 
needs.
    Mission participants will also be briefed by key local industry 
leaders who can advise on local market conditions and opportunities.
    The mission's goal for the AESTM at the Singapore Airshow is to 
enhance the presence of U.S. exporters at the show. The AESTM will 
enable U.S. aerospace and defense companies to familiarize themselves 
with this important air show, conduct market research, and explore 
export opportunities through pre-screened meetings with potential 
partners.

Schedule

Sunday, February 4, 2018
--Arrival of AESTM participants
Monday, February 5, 2018
--One-on-one business matchmaking appointments
--Networking Session with members of the Association of Aerospace 
Industries (Singapore)
--Briefing at the designated hotel on AESTM event logistics
--Breakfast Market Briefing for SA2016 exhibitors
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
--Singapore Airshow participation
--Attend U.S. Pavilion Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with U.S. VIP 
participation
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
--Singapore Airshow participation
--Show Time Business to Government Meeting Program
Thursday, February 8, 2018
--Singapore Airshow participation
--Show Time Business to Government Meeting Program
Friday, February 9, 2018
--Singapore Airshow participation
--Show Time Business to Government Meeting Program
--Program Concludes

Participation Requirements

    All companies interested in participating in the AESTM at the 
Singapore Airshow must complete and submit an application for 
consideration by the Department of Commerce. All applicants will be 
evaluated on their ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy 
the selection criteria as outlined below. A minimum of ten and a 
maximum of 15 companies will be selected to participate in the mission 
from the applicant pool. Participants may include companies that are 
new to or have previously participated in the AESTM. U.S. companies 
already doing business in Singapore or elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific 
region as well as U.S. companies seeking to enter those markets for the 
first time may apply.

Fees and Expenses

    After a company has been selected to participate on the mission, a 
payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of a participation 
fee is required. The participation fee will be $2,750 for a small or 
medium-sized enterprise (SME) and $3,450 for large firms.* The fee for 
each additional firm representative (large firm or SME) is $300. 
Expenses for travel to and from Singapore, lodging, meals, and 
incidentals will be the responsibility of each mission participant.
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    * An SME is defined as a firm with fewer than 500 employees or 
that otherwise qualifies as a small business under SBA regulations 
(see https://www.sba.gov/contracting/getting-started-contractor/make-sure-you-meet-sba-size-standards/small-business-size-regulations#regulations). Parent companies, affiliates, and 
subsidiaries will be considered when determining business size. The 
dual pricing reflects the Commercial Service's user fee schedule 
that became effective April 12, 2017 (see http://trade.gov/fees/ for 
additional information).
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Conditions for Participation
    <bullet> An applicant must submit a completed mission application 
and supplemental application materials, including adequate information 
on the company's products and/or services, primary market objectives, 
and goals for participation. If the Department of Commerce receives an 
incomplete application, the Department may reject the application, 
request additional information, or take the lack of information into 
account when evaluating the applications.
    <bullet> Each applicant must also certify that the products and 
services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in 
the United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm 
and have at least 51 percent U.S. content of the value of the finished 
product or service.
Selection Criteria for Participation
    <bullet> Suitability of the company's products or services to the 
Asia Pacific markets.
    <bullet> Applicant's potential for business in Asia Pacific, 
including likelihood of exports resulting from the mission.
    <bullet> Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with 
the stated scope of the mission.
    Payment must be made by December 1, 2017, otherwise USDOC reserves 
the rights to exclude applicants from the AESTM program.
    Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing 
references to partisan political activities

[[Page 43525]]

(including political contributions) will be removed from an applicant's 
submission and not considered during the selection process.

Timeline for Recruitment

    Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, 
including publication in the Federal Register and posting on the 
Commerce Department trade missions calendar--http://export.gov/trademissions/--and other Internet Web sites, publication in domestic 
trade publications and association newsletters, mailings from internal 
mailing lists, faxes to internal aerospace clients, emails to aerospace 
distribution lists, and promotion at industry meetings, symposia, 
conferences, trade shows, and other events. The ITA Aerospace and 
Defense Technology Team members in U.S. Export Assistance Centers will 
have the lead in recruiting the AESTM.
    Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no 
later than December 1, 2017. The U.S. Department of Commerce will 
evaluate applications and inform applicants of selection decisions 
periodically during the recruitment period. All applications received 
subsequent to an evaluation date will be considered at the next 
evaluation. Applications received after December 1, 2017, will be 
considered only if space and scheduling constraints permit.

Contacts

Jason Sproule, Senior International Trade Specialist, U.S. Commercial 
Service--Los Angeles, U.S. Department of Commerce, Phone: +1-213-894-
8785, Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c5afa4b6aaabebb6b5b7aab0a9a085b1b7a4a1a0eba2aab3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5b313a28343575282b29342e373e1b2f293a3f3e753c342d">[email protected]</span></a>
Hawcheng Ng, Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy Singapore, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, Phone: +011-65-6476-9037, Email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f991988e9a919c979ed7979eb98d8b989d9cd79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="721a1305111a171c155c1c153206001316175c151d04">[email protected]</span></a>

Frank Spector,
Senior Advisor for Trade Missions.
[FR Doc. 2017-19797 Filed 9-15-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P


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