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emerging markets build the Export-Import Bank of the United States infrastructure they need to (EXIM) grow their economies by sponsoring early-stage project EXIM is the nation's offipreparation activities," says cial export credit agency. Thomas Hardy, USTDA's Founded in 1934, its misdirector of congressional and sion is to finance U.S. public affairs. exports in order to support By bringing in U.S. U.S. jobs at home. The orgaexperts to perform these "Doing business nization supported about activities, USTDA is also American jobs in overseas has a lot 109,000 able to help generate exports fiscal year 2015 and has supin common with ported more than 1.4 milof U.S.-manufactured goods doing business and services. Every dollar lion jobs in the U.S. during USTDA has invested in its the last seven years, accordhere in our programs has yielded $74 in to Lawton King, public home markets." ing U.S. exports, Hardy says. affairs specialist at EXIM. ERIC DEAN COOK The agency provides U.S. In 2015, EXIM generated GREENBRIER ENGINEERING COMPANY, engineering firms and other a surplus of $431.6 million businesses with opportunities CHAIRMAN, ACEC for American taxpayers. INTERNATIONAL to engage in large infrastruc- COMMITTEE Over the last two decades, ture projects overseas during the bank has wired nearly the critical early stages of a project-when $7 billion to the U.S. Treasury to support designs, requirements and technology deficit reduction. options are being defined. It sponsors For engineering firms, as well as other feasibility studies that provide the comcompanies looking to do business outside prehensive analysis needed for projects to the U.S., EXIM can provide buyer financachieve financing and implementation. ing at competitive rates for the U.S. con"We also provide technical assistance tent of international projects. Likewise, to help create environments conducive EXIM can provide short-term insurance to increased U.S. exports," Hardy says. and working-capital support to U.S. "And we fund pilot projects, which demexporters, King says. By doing so, EXIM onstrate a U.S. company's equipment or levels the playing field on the financing technology in an overseas setting. U.S. side, freeing up U.S. firms to compete on firms perform all of the work under these the basis of quality, technology, price and activities." other commercial factors. For example, USTDA sponsored a "There are currently 85 export credit feasibility study to help Kawar Energy, a agencies in 67 countries around the world private Jordanian energy company, design seeking to win sales for their respeca solar photovoltaic power plant. Followtive exporters," King says. "For some ing the feasibility study, U.S.-based firm projects-like water and wastewater First Solar was selected as the engineering, projects-EXIM can provide extended procurement and construction contractor repayment terms of up to 18 years from for the project. To date, the project has project completion as part of the OECD generated $16.8 million in exports of U.S. Sector Understanding covering renewable solar equipment and engineering services, energy, climate change mitigation and Hardy says. adaptation, and water projects. EXIM Currently, three USTDA grant can also authorize financing of local costs recipients offer contracting opportuniup to 30 percent of the value of the U.S. ties in each of the agency's priority secscope of supply." tors: energy, transportation and IT/ In the last 10 years, EXIM has suptelecommunications. ported the export of about $10 billion The USTDA also provides Trade in U.S. engineering services. Projects Leads-alerts about opportunities in benefiting from these services include oil emerging markets. These opportunities are refineries, water treatment and distribubased either on previous USTDA-funded tion facilities, natural gas liquefaction activities or provided by the agency's netfacilities, mines, oil-field development work of overseas partners. and petrochemical plants. 32 ENGINEERING INC. SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2016 The World Bank The World Bank is an MDB that supports development projects in 173 countries. Each year the bank typically finances between $15 billion and $20 billion worth of projects. About 75 percent of these projects are infrastructure-related, and they generally fall into the transportation, water and energy sectors. In addition, the bank also finances many projects in health, education, environment, agriculture and other areas, and offers developing countries grants, low-interest loans and zero-to-low-interest credits. The projects cover areas such as public administration, agriculture, environmental and natural resource management, infrastructure, and financial and private sector development. Some are cofinanced with governments, other financial institutions and private-sector investors. "The World Bank provides financing to projects that otherwise may not happen," says Christopher Browne, chief procurement officer. "We also provide technical, procurement, financial management, environmental and social [and] governance expertise to the project and the borrower." The bank sets the rules of procurement that must be followed when its finances are used, Browne says. Some lower-value projects might use the country's own procurement documentation with amendments to meet bank requirements. For larger projects, the bank's Standard Bidding Documents are used. The bank finances about 1,800 investment projects, including those in power technology, planning, and water and wastewater treatment. "The projects we finance are planned well in advance," Browne says. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) One of the key goals of IDB is to improve conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean. The bank offers financial and technical support for countries in those regions as a means to reduce poverty and inequality, and also to support health care, education and the building of more advanced infrastructures. IDB is the main source of development financing for these regions, through loans, grants and technical assistance. Since IDB was founded in 1959, the bank has sought effective ways to deal with the economic, environmental,

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