Objective

To help U.S. companies find local partners and licensees abroad, the International Partner Search (IPS) provides a report on up to five qualified overseas agents, distributors, manufacturer's representatives, joint venture partners, licensees, franchisees, or strategic partners who have examined a U.S. company's materials and have expressed an interest in the company's products, services, or licenses, or have expressed an interest in otherwise partnering with the company.

Fees

SME Company*: $550;  Large Company*: $1,400;  SME New-to-Export companies using Service for the first time: $350 

*A Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or self-certified as a small business under SBA regulations.  A large company is defined as a firm with more than 500 employees.  Subsidiaries will be classified based on the size of the parent company.

International Partner Search Report Overview

An IPS report contains:

• The names and addresses, including e-mail and/or web site addresses, of prospective overseas companies or representatives;
• The name and title of the key contact person(s) at each overseas company and their telephone number, and fax and email addresses;
• The language preferred by the overseas company for correspondence;
• Each overseas company's prospect's opinion on the market for the client's product and/or service and the projected success of an agreement, licensing arrangement, joint venture, or other strategic partnership;
• The Commercial Service specialist's opinion on the overseas contacts' level of interest in the U.S. company and the overall suitability of the identified companies and/or representatives;
• The competition from local firms and/or from a third country, if any; and
• Basic marketing information, such as the size of the company and the number of years the overseas company has been in business, will be provided. At the client's request, and at additional cost to the client, additional marketing information will also be provided.

Negative IPS Report

In rare cases, overseas firms contacted may not be interested in the U.S. company's offer. In these cases, the overseas Commercial Service office conducting the IPS will return a "negative" IPS report. This report will include information on the marketability of the client's product or service, such as regulatory, trade, competitor and/or other factors that may prohibit or limit sales prospects in the relevant market. The report will also include the contact information on each overseas company or representative contacted.

Delivery Time for IPS Report

The IPS report will be delivered within the 15 business days from receipt of payment and of the requisite U.S. company's information at the overseas Commercial Service office, preferably in electronic format. In the rare event that an overseas Commercial Service office cannot deliver the IPS report within 15 business days, that office will inform the client, the domestic Commercial Service office and headquarters, via email, of the reason for the delay and the proposed new date for delivery of the IPS report.

U.S. Commercial Service Responsibilities

• The domestic or overseas field office trade specialist receiving the request will ensure that the U.S. client company is export ready (e.g., the U.S. firm must be ready to fill orders for its products or services in a reasonable timeframe);
• Prior to placing the order for the IPS, the trade specialist will counsel the client concerning the company's prospects in the international market in question;
• Repeat clients will be able to order business solution services from the overseas Commercial Service offices on-line once the Commercial Service website becomes transactional in 2001
• Prior to placing the order for the IPS, the trade specialist will contact the relevant overseas Commercial Service office to notify them of the request;
• The domestic or overseas trade specialist will offer clients all available delivery options - via email, fax, courier, or in person by the domestic trade specialist, whenever possible, to assist the client with appropriate follow-up;
• For expedited requests, the domestic trade specialist will obtain advance approval from the overseas Commercial Service office for the expedited request; and
• For add-on work, the domestic trade specialist will obtain advance approval from the overseas Commercial Service office for the additional work and will inform the U.S. client of all fees up front.

Client Responsibilities

• Provide timely responses to email and/or other queries from the domestic or overseas commercial specialists working on the search;
• Transmit client materials to the relevant overseas Commercial Service office via an email, a web site address, courier, or Overnight Express mail.
• Contact the host-country companies or representatives identified in the IPS within 15 business days of receipt of the IPS report to initiate further discussions. Successful IPS searches can only be assured through effective follow-up on the part of U.S. clients.

U.S. Commercial Service Quality Assurances

The U.S. Commercial Service assures that:

• The overseas commercial specialist receiving the request will immediately contact the company ordering the IPS to ensure that he/she has a complete understanding of the client's product, service, license, joint venture or strategic alliance/partnership;
• The domestic or overseas trade specialist will carefully screen each U.S. client to determine the client's suitability for the IPS in the relevant market;
• The domestic trade specialist will obtain advance approval from the overseas commercial officer or specialist for all expedited IPS requests;
• The overseas commercial specialist responsible for preparing the report will conduct a telephone interview with an overseas company if that company is known to the trade specialist; if the company is not known to the specialist, he/she will visit the overseas company; and
• The domestic or overseas trade specialist will serve as client's primary point of contact and will respond in a timely manner to all client inquiries.
• The domestic or overseas trade specialist who takes the order will follow-up with the client to ensure satisfaction with the IPS report, focusing on its relevance, timeliness, and accuracy.