In 2013, USTDA launched the Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI) to improve the overall outcome of public procurements in emerging economies. GPI helps public officials utilize tools such as life-cycle cost analysis to guide their procurement decisions and consider the total cost of ownership of their infrastructure investments.
USTDA develops its customized GPI activities with its partners from the Government Procurement Law Program at George Washington University Law School. The Agency also works with technical specialists in the energy, transportation and IT sectors who provide in-depth training on conducting life-cycle cost analyses. The Agency’s goal is to provide each GPI partner country with the access, opportunity and support they need to structure sound infrastructure tenders that can foster sustainable economic growth.
To connect American businesses with USTDA’s export promotion program, the Agency launched Making Global Local (MGL) on World Trade Day in 2012. MGL is an alliance of more than 80 partnerships with export promotion organizations in 33 U.S. states.
This initiative supports the creation of U.S. jobs by connecting cities and towns across the country with USTDA’s export-promotion programs. Through MGL, the Agency forges innovative partnerships with state, city, and local business development and trade promotion organizations.
U.S. Gas Infrastructure Exports Initiative
USTDA and U.S. industry launched the U.S. Gas Infrastructure Exports Initiative in 2017 to connect American companies to export opportunities across the gas value chain in emerging economies. Under the initiative, USTDA uses the full breadth of its proven toolkit to support American gas industry jobs including early- stage project preparation assistance that informs how infrastructure projects will ultimately be designed, financed and implemented.
The Initiative builds on USTDA’s leadership in the gas sector, supporting more than 300 projects in over 70 countries, which has generated $7.5 billion in U.S. gas sector exports.