Tools Feasiblity Studies to position U.S. companies in the planning stages of major projects. The Most Direct Measure of TDA s commercial success is the total volume of business won by U.S. companies which has been facilitated by TDA activities called the TDA Multiplier. The Multiplier has increased since 1993, when every dollar invested by TDA was associated with twenty-five dollars in U.S. exports. Today, thirty-two dollars in exports are associated with every dollar the agency invests. The bulk of these exports are associated with feasibility studies, the agency s primary tool.
Feasibility studies are the nuts and bolts of project planning.
These business plans, which evaluate the technical, legal, economic, environmental and financial aspects of a project, are required by financial institutions to assess the credit worthiness of a project. Most importantly, when U.S. firms conduct feasibility studies, recommendations and specifications can be written to American codes and standards, positioning U.S. suppliers for procurement opportunities when the project is implemented. In 1998, TDA funded a total of 122 feasibility studies representing 61.4 percent of the agency s program funds. Infrastructure development is always a long-term business. In emerging markets, project implementation can take even longer.