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World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, San Francisco (6-10 Nov) |
| Fourth member of US Government Access Team starts work |
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Please welcome David Kutchinksi to Austrade's US Government Access team. David brings a wealth of experience and contacts with the US Government at the FBI, US Army and Argonne Laboratories. David Kutchinski is the team's fourth member and is based in Colorado Springs. David brings a wealth of contacts and experience within the intelligence, law enforcement and defence communities in the US, as well as in the Middle East and Central America. Most recently David was responsible for the safety of over 150 civilian contractors in IRAQ and Southern Sudan for a large global engineering group.
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E3: New |
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The new E-3 Visa is a great victory for the Australian people and grants unprecedented access to the US marketplace. Resulting from the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) negotiations, US Congress recently enacted Section 501 of the Real ID Act of 2005 which has modified the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow for a new category of E Treaty Visa. The new modification created Section 101(a)(15)(E)(iii), which allows nationals of the Commonwealth of Australia to enter the United States to perform services in a 'specialty occupation' under the new E-3 Visa category. With 10,500 E-3 Visas available each fiscal year, this new visa will greatly assist companies seeking to take advantage of opportunities available under the new Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement.
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| Upcoming Announcements - Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) |
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Austrade has received advanced notice of some upcoming announcements on 26 research and development prototypes across a broad range of security areas.
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| Breakfast Seminar: Free Trade - How to win business with US government departments |
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Melbourne: Tuesday, 4 October 2005, 7.30am – 9.30am Sydney: Friday, 7 October 2005, 7.30am – 9.30am Brisbane: Tuesday, 11 October 2005, 7.30am – 9.30am These breakfast seminars, hosted by Hunt & Hunt Lawyers and Washington Management Group, are designed to assist Australian businesses in selling their products and services to US Federal and State Government departments. These departments represent the world’s largest and most diverse markets, generating billions of dollars in sales opportunities each year. The recently introduced Free Trade Agreement has opened the door for Australian business to pursue this lucrative market. Yet, as exciting as the opportunities may be, realising them can be daunting for those who lack the contacts or the know-how. For further information and RSVP, please contact Rebecca Ball on (02) 9391 3036 or via rebecca.ball@hunthunt.com.au. Attendance fee is $88. |
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| DHS $6 Billion IT Procurement, A Chance for Everyone... Really? |
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On 9 August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that portions of the $6B they spend annually for Information Technology (IT) products and services will be procured through two new acquisition vehicles. DHS released draft RFPs for two new multiple award IDIQ programs. The two acquisitions are identified as Eagle - IT support services and First Source - IT products.
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| Unsolicited proposals and how to submit them |
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Unsolicited proposals are a key sales tool for anyone interested in selling into the US government market. Essentially they are a written proposal for a new or innovative idea that is submitted to and agency for the purpose of obtaining a contract. They are a creature of the US Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 15.6. They allow unique and innovative ideas or approaches that have been developed outside the government to be made available to government agencies for use in accomplishment of their mission. Robert Bugge from AGSAS provides some advice.
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| Hurricane Katrina |
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Austrade is monitoring the situation in the Gulf Coast closely after the devastation of the Hurricane Katrina. Emergency assistance and clean-up efforts are now in full swing and you can find out more about these activities at www.fema.gov and www.eps.gov/katrina.html. If you wish to keep informed of any opportunities arising from reconstruction efforts, please email us an overview of your capabilities to usgovaccess@austrade.gov.au. |
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| US Government Health IT Initiative |
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Austrade is working with DC-based systems integrators on opportunities for Australian health IT solutions providers within the US Department of Health and Human Services. If you wish to be involved in this initiative, email us at usgovaccess@austrade.gov.au. |
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| Recent news from Washington |
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DHS looks at bigger picture for infrastructure protection R&D The Department of Homeland Security is taking a cross-sector approach to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure in a national R&D plan released this week. Government Computer News 19/8/05 Read more
GSA issues RFI for database to share terrorism information The General Services Administration is asking industry to provide a governmentwide, searchable database of information, organizations, services and personnel related to each agency's mission in the war on terrorism. Government Computer News - 22/08/05 Read more
NIST to evaluate iris recognition technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) bills its Iris Challenge Evaluation as the "first large-scale, open, independent evaluation" of the technology. Government Computer News - 15/08/05 Read more
Government should commit $1.2B to transit security A 9/11 Commission member urges the federal government to increase funding for security measures. Government Computer News - 19/08/2005 Read more Border news |
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Austrade's US Government Access Team can assist you explore any of the opportunities listed above further. If you wish to discuss our team's assistance, please contact us at usgovaccess@austrade.gov.au or ring 02 9390 2395. |