May 2011 ITU
- Table of Contents
- Full Issue in PDF
- U.S. Institutions of Higher Education Explore Opportunities in Southeast Asia
- Wage Benefit Found in Export-Intensive Services Industries
- ITA Win: ITA Makes the Difference in Dog Fight Over Air Traffic Control System
- Short Takes
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- Featured Trade Event: Executive-Led Trade Mission to South Africa
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ITA Win: Help From The International Trade AdministraTion
Signage at Hong Kong International Airport. With ITA help, Raytheon successfully competed to sell an air traffic control system to the airport. (photo © KingWu/iStock)
International Trade Administration makes the difference in dog fight over air traffic control system.
Big-ticket items, such as air traffic control systems, generate competitors like airports generate travelers at rush hour. So when U.S. manufacturer Raytheon was competing to sell a $62 million system to Hong Kong International Airport, it asked for advocacy help from the International Trade Administration (ITA) and other U.S. government agencies.
The purchase was complicated because of the number of other national governments pressing for a deal that favored their own homegrown companies and because of complex political relationship between Hong Kong and China, of which Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region.
During a period of 18 months, officials from the ITA’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS) and the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong met with the Raytheon team to devise an appropriate advocacy strategy. The USFCS’s Advocacy Center in Washington, D.C., coordinated an advocacy strategy for Raytheon and a second U.S. bidder and supported colleagues in Hong Kong in these efforts. Senior U.S. government officials—including Suresh Kumar, director general of the USFCS, and Ray LaHood, secretary of transportation—engaged their counterparts in the Hong Kong government to encourage them to select one of the U.S. bidders, seek a level playing field, and ensure a fair selection process.
In the end, Raytheon was awarded the contract, which was announced on March 25, 2011. An added bonus is that Raytheon will now be better positioned to compete for contracts to provide state-of-the-art air traffic control systems at airports in mainland China, which are experiencing rapid growth and are consequently looking to acquire the latest technology.
Through its network of domestic and international offices, the International Trade Administration (ITA) works to help U.S. businesses succeed in the global marketplace. This article is one in a series of stories that highlight recent U.S. export successes that benefited from services offered by ITA. For more information on export assistance programs offered by ITA and other federal agencies, visit Export.gov.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.