TPCC Export Interagency Trainin

The International Trade Administration (ITA), Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing training sessions to train government business assistance representatives (both managers and staff), to accurately gauge their customers' needs and make appropriate referrals to federal, state, and local resources. Specifically, the contractor will provide training in the areas of Federal export promotion, finance, advocacy, market access, and regulatory compliance programs and services that are available, as well as at a broader level; issues surrounding the changing global marketplace. After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed and specifications are developed for ITA's minimum requirements, ITA may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Contract. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside. BACKGROUND: The Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) is a Congressionally-mandated interagency task force made up of the heads of 20 U.S. Government agencies with oversight of, or responsibility for, trade and is chaired by the Secretary of Commerce. The TPCC was created by the Export Enhancement Act of 1992 to coordinate the export promotion and export finance activities of the U.S. Government. One of the chief duties of the TPCC is to ensure better delivery of services to U.S. businesses. The mission of the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), is to strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promote trade and investment, and ensure fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. The Under Secretary for ITA serves as the de facto Deputy Chair of the TPCC. For this reason, the TPCC Secretariat is located within ITA. One of the mandates of the legislation which created the TPCC is a yearly report due to Congress detailing the National Export Strategy. The 2002 National Export Strategy Report called on the trade promotion agencies to develop a training program to improve customer service by strengthening interagency cooperation and client management. Prior research indicated that customer service would improve if trade promotion staff in each agency had a more sophisticated understanding of the programs of other Federal agencies in addition to their own, and how they all interrelate, in order to best serve the needs of their clients. Based on these identified needs and priorities, the TPCC created the TPCC Interagency Trade Officer Training Program in 2003. The training program for Government trade assistance staff increases their knowledge and understanding of the array of Government assistance programs available to businesses, and also improves the communication between the trade promotion agencies and the working relationships between Government trade assistance staff. All of this is directed toward improving the coordination of and collaboration by the programs and the leveraging of resources toward cross-governmental trade promotion priorities. The goal is to better equip the Government trade officer (no matter which agency he/she works for) to be able to direct the business client to that part of the Government which can best serve him in his desire to either begin exporting or to increase how much he exports. STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS: In support of this approach, ITA seeks to obtain specific information from vendors on their current capabilities to provide the following course content and materials. - Competitive pressures in the global economy and their impact on the customer service expectations of U.S. companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises - Best practices Government can employ to create customer value and seamless service delivery across agencies - Export counseling, marketing, and matchmaking programs throughout Government, as well as client intake and referral procedures - Federal market research and export business planning resources on line, including Business.USA.gov, trade.gov, and export.gov. - Trade financing challenges and Federal financing and risk management solutions - Federal trade advocacy, foreign market access, and trade agreements compliance services, including resources for addressing global standards and intellectual property issues - Avoiding duplication and leveraging other agencies' resources to improve customer service. - Other Government programs and policies that U.S. exporters must consider and/or comply with, such as, U.S. export regulations and customs procedures - Coaching all presenters to address TPCC themes (e.g., interagency client referrals, information sharing, National Export Initiative (NEI), program coordination) ITA is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 611430, as those domestic sources having average annual gross receipts that do not exceed $14 Million for the past three years. Please include your company's size classification in any response to this notice. Companies that can provide such services are requested to email a detailed written response describing their abilities to jemal.williams@trade.gov, no later than the response date for this source sought notice. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name of the company(ies) that are experienced in providing the described services, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address), and DUNS number. 2. Indication of whether the services for which specifications are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s). 3. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research. THIS SYNOPSIS IS FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION REQUESTS.