Objective

To assist U.S. companies to enter into international business relationships with confidence, the International Company Profile (ICP) helps U.S. companies evaluate potential business partners by providing a detailed report on overseas companies which have been personally visited, if feasible, by a commercial specialist or commercial officer of the U.S. Commercial Service. Through the service, clients can request answers to detailed questions about overseas companies on a variety of issues and receive expert advice from our commercial specialists about the relative strength of the firm in its market and its reliability, among other things. Upon request, detailed questions will be asked of the overseas companies, beyond those in the standard questionnaire.

Price

SME Company*: $600;  Large Company: $900;  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.

If additional questions are required, or if a faster deadline is necessary, an additional fee will be charged. The fee for delivery of the ICP in less than 10 business days or for additional data could be up to twice that amount, depending on costs at individual overseas Commercial Service offices. Credit card transactions are preferred, but other payment options, including electronic fund transfers, can be arranged.

International Company Profile Report Overview

An ICP report contains:

• The names and addresses, including e-mail and/or website addresses, (when available) of the managers of overseas companies;
• The name and title of the key contact person(s) at each overseas company and the telephone number, fax, e-mail address, and website (when available) for each overseas contact;
• The language preferred by the overseas company for correspondence;
• The commercial specialist's opinion on the viability and reliability of the overseas firm;
• The commercial specialist's opinion on relative strength of the firm in its sector as compared to other similar firms in the overseas market; and
• Basic marketing information, such as the size of the company, the number of years the overseas company been in business, its product or service lines, and after-sales services, will be provided. At the client's request, and at additional cost to the client, additional marketing information will also be provided.

Negative ICP Report

In rare cases, the overseas firm that has been contacted by a commercial specialist may not be interested in receiving a visit from the specialist. In these cases, the Commercial Service office conducting the ICP will return a "negative" ICP report. This report will provide valuable information on the overseas firm from secondary sources, when available.

Delivery Time for ICP Report

An ICP will be delivered within 10 business days from receipt of payment. Delivery of the ICP report will be via email (preferably) or other electronic format. In the rare event that a delay occurs due to unforeseen circumstances, the overseas Commercial Service office will inform the U.S. client, the domestic Commercial Service office and Headquarters, via e-mail, of the reason for the delay and the proposed new date for delivery of the ICP 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 ICP, the trade specialist will counsel the client concerning program logistics i.e., response time, preparation by host country vs. contractor; reporting status, anonymity of requesters, sale of reports at the overseas Commercial Service office, and availability of service;
• Repeat clients will be able to order business solution services from the on-line once the Commercial Service website becomes transactional in 2001;
• Prior to placing the order for the ICP, 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

Clients are responsible for:

• Provide timely responses to email and/or other queries from the domestic or overseas commercial specialists working on the report;
• Contact the domestic or overseas trade specialist to see if there is a need to initiate further discussions regarding the overseas companies in which they have an interest. Successful ICP reviews 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 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, if feasible;
• A domestic or overseas trade specialist will serve as client's primary point of contact; and respond in a timely manner to all client inquiries.
• The overseas commercial specialist receiving the request will immediately contact the company ordering the ICP to ensure that he/she has a complete understanding of the client's questions for which the client is seeking answers;
• The domestic or overseas trade specialist will carefully screen the overseas company to determine its suitability for the ICP in the relevant market; and
• The domestic or overseas trade specialist who takes the order will follow-up with the client to ensure satisfaction with the ICP report, focusing on its relevance, timeliness, and accuracy.

Please contact your local trade specialist if any of these quality assurances have not been met.