Participation Requirements

All parties interested in participating in the Central America and the Dominican Republic Business Development Mission must complete and submit an application package for consideration by the Department of Commerce. All applicants will be evaluated on their ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. Between 15 and 20 companies will be selected to participate in the mission from the applicant pool.

Conditions for Participation:

An applicant must submit a completed and signed mission application and supplemental application materials, including adequate information on the company’s: products and/or services, primary market objectives, and goals for participation. If we receive an incomplete application, we may either reject the application or take the lack of information into account when we evaluate the applications.

Each applicant must also:

1. Certify that the products and services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in the United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content. (This certification does not apply to investment.)
2. In cases where the U.S. content does not exceed fifty percent, especially where the applicant intends to pursue investment and major project opportunities, the following factors, often associated with U.S. ownership, may be considered in determining whether the applicant’s participation in the trade mission is in the U.S. national interest:
3. U.S. materials and equipment content;
4. U.S. labor content;
5. Repatriation of profits to the U.S. economy; and/or
6. Potential for follow-on business that would benefit the U.S. economy;
7. Certify that the export of the products and services that it wishes to export through the mission would be in compliance with U.S. export controls and regulations;
8. Certify that it has identified to the Department of Commerce for its evaluation any business pending before the Department of Commerce that may present the appearance of a conflict of interest;
9. Certify that it has identified any pending litigation (including any administrative proceedings) to which it is a party that involves the Department of Commerce; and
10. Sign and submit an agreement that it and its affiliates (1) have not and will not engage in the bribery of foreign officials in connection with company’s/participant’s involvement in this mission, and (2) maintain and enforce a policy that prohibits the bribery of foreign officials.

Selection Criteria for Participation:

Selection will be based on the following criteria in decreasing order of importance.

Suitability of a company’s products or services to the Central American and Dominican Republic markets and likelihood of a participating company’s increasing exports to or investment in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua within a year as a result of this mission;

Demonstrated export and/or investment experience in Central America and the Dominican Republic and/or globally;

Current or pending major project participation; and

Rank/seniority of the designated company representative.

Additional factors, such as diversity of company size, type, location, demographics, and traditional under-representation in business, may also be considered during the review process.

Referrals from political organizations and any documents, including the application, containing references to partisan political activities (including political contributions) will be removed from an applicant’s submission and not considered during the selection process.