Advocacy Center Services
Advocacy Center Services
How Advocacy Can Help
The Advocacy Center helps U.S. companies to win foreign government contracts across the globe. We work with your company to pursue foreign government contracts when you are competing against foreign firms. Advocacy assistance is provided to businesses of all types and sizes, but you must apply and qualify to receive advocacy services.
Advocacy assistance may involve:
- Meetings between key foreign decision-makers and high-ranking U.S. Government (USG) officials
- Direct support from USG officials stationed abroad
- Letters to foreign decision-makers
- Coordinated action by USG agencies
Our mission is to marshal USG resources and authority in order to level the playing field on behalf of U.S. business interests as they compete against foreign firms for specific international contracts or other U.S. export opportunities. In doing so, the Advocacy Center helps create and retain U.S. jobs through exports.
Contact the Advocacy Center
We recommend you contact us early:
- When considering pursuing a foreign government procurement
- When concerned about getting fair treatment in the procurement process
- Before applying for advocacy assistance
- Advocacy Center Contacts by Region and Country
- Contact Multilateral Development Bank Liaison Officers
Benefits to U.S. Firms
Advocacy Center services offer a competitive advantage to U.S. companies by:
- Centralizing commercial advocacy services in one office
- Mobilizing resources in support of U.S. company proposals and business opportunities
- Offering an institutionalized process in support of the U.S. national interest, creating and retaining US jobs, and expanding the U.S. export base
How We Work With You
The Advocacy Center coordinates the actions of 14 USG agencies involved in international trade. Once a company’s application has qualified for Advocacy assistance, we work with relevant agencies to devise an appropriate advocacy strategy.
- USG advocacy ranges from U.S. Embassy and Consulate assistance to Sub-Cabinet and Cabinet messages delivered through a variety of media (e.g., letters, phone calls, or face-to-face meetings).
- We work in unison with the U.S. company, and often play a prominent role in coordinating both the message and the medium.
- We work with EXIM Bank, the Trade and Development Agency, and the International Development Finance Corporation to marshal USG financial support, where appropriate, to relevant and qualified U.S. companies.
- We have Commercial Liaison Officers at the five major Multilateral Development Banks to assist U.S. firms and advocate on their behalf when they compete for Bank tenders.
Why We Advocate
USG advocacy:
- Promotes U.S. exports, supports U.S. employment, and increases global market share for U.S. businesses
- Counters foreign government advocacy and political pressure, thus “leveling the playing field” for U.S. companies
- Encourages transparency, promotes fair treatment of U.S. companies, and addresses bribery and corruption in tender processes
Outside the Center’s Scope of Work
The Advocacy Center’s mission specifically focuses on procurements with foreign government decision-makers, and business-to-business transactions and commercial policy are outside of our purview.