Firms can contact trading houses in the United States or request that U.S. government foreign commercial officers initiate introductions. Alliance-building can create competitive advantages for participants who pool their resources in the bidding process. The advantages stem from the shared technical expertise, cultural experience, and language skills that pooling makes possible. The government of Japan has put more weight on the expertise and ability of a given feasibility study team rather than the nationality of any one company. Participation in feasibility study teams presents an opportunity for foreign firms to involve themselves from the earliest stages of project identification.
Consulting firms can be useful in making introductions between U.S. and Japanese business.
Like trading houses, these firms are major players in the ODA market and are good sources of information. The following organizations have developed specifically to assist companies in their efforts to build alliances. IECA assists developing countries by providing them with technical experience in planning, designing, building, and operating capital infrastructure. IECA also provides ODA project information to members and assists in bringing ODA member companies together with entities looking for consultants. In addition, IECA recently established a database of company names and their areas of expertise.