U.S.-Oman Trade Bulletin - State Trade Bulletin ... MOCI informed attendees of their services to support Small and Medium Enterprises ... Oman EPC Projects 2012 will address the trends,

THE FIRST OFFICIAL OMANI DELEGATION ATTENDS THE

OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE IN HOUSTON, TX

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Official Delegation to the

Offshore technology

Conference

2,

3

Session on franchising: An

Attractive Business

Opportunity 4

Meet the Bankers Coffee

Roundtable 5

Roundtable on Tendering

Process in Oman 6

New American Small

Business in Oman 7

Doing Business Under the

U.S.-Oman FTA 8

Upcoming Events 9 ,

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U.S.-Oman Trade Bulletin

A P R / M A Y / J U N 2 0 1 2 w w w . o m a n . u s e m b a s s y . g o v

Contact Our Office:

Ida Mathew

Phone: 2464 3400

Fax: 2469 6928

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.export.gov/oman

The Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy in Muscat recruited a first-ever 26-member

International Buyer Program (IBP) delegation from Oman to attend the Offshore Technol-

ogy Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas from April 30 to May 3, 2012.

The delegates were offered a host of benefits including: pre-registration for the show;

advance discount hotel reservations; special fares on a direct flight to Houston via partner

airline Qatar Airways; inclusion in an official Oman delegation brochure outlining sector

background and individual company profiles and objectives distributed to all U.S.

exhibitors; assistance in arranging and scheduling appointments with U.S. exhibitors;

U.S. Ambassador Richard J. Schmierer (Center), CEO of OPAL Mohammed Al Harthy

(right of the Ambassador), Economic and Commercial Officer Emily Shaffer (extreme

right), Commercial Assistant Ida Mathew (extreme left) along with the delegates during

the send-off ceremony.

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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N

an immigration letter from the U.S. Commercial Service; visa referrals; invitations to a number of ex-

clusive networking events; access to special business lounges for international delegates; and follow-

up and facilitation of referrals after the event. The delegates were hosted with a special pre-departure

send-off ceremony at which Ambassador Richard J. Schmierer thanked and congratulated the dele-

gates and encouraged further U.S.-Omani cooperation in the oil and gas sector. During the send-off,

Mohammed Al Harthy, CEO of OPAL, applauded the embassy’s efforts, and noted that he had never

seen such successful recruitment for a petroleum event in his decades of experience in the sector.

Commercial Assistant Ida Mathew, accompanied the delegates and participated in “Showtime” meet-

ings to advise U.S. companies about opportunities in Oman and promote the U.S.-Oman Free Trade

Agreement. Showtime is a series of pre-scheduled meetings between U.S. Commercial Services repre-

sentatives and individual U.S. exhibitors to discuss marketability of their products and services, spe-

cific opportunities, and any issues in the host country market. Delegates were also invited to a high

level reception hosted by the Bilateral U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (BUSACC) for the MENA

delegates, where the guest speaker was Francisco J. Sanchez, the Under Secretary of Commerce for

International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce, which served as a useful networking opportunity.

BUSACC also invited a few delegates to a VIP reception and a private board dinner.

It was many of the travelers’ first experience with such a large and diverse gathering of industry pro-

fessionals. Delegates were able to meet U.S. companies and find new U.S. technology suitable for

Omani markets. We plan to organize a delegation to the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference which

will be held from May 6th to 9th in Houston, Texas.

Ambassador Schmierer and Mohammed al Harthy, CEO of OPAL (on Ambassador’s left), agreed

that U.S. firms can transfer valuable technology and expertise to allow Omani petroleum sector

participants to take on greater professional responsibility and even introduce innovative enhanced

oil recovery solutions to the global market.

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OFFICIAL DELEGATION TO THE OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

Ambassador Schmierer and Kris

Raghavan, Technical Advisor for

Occidental Oman, cut the celebra-

tory cake

Ambassador Schmierer and Sheikh

Ghassi al Junaibi, Director of Duqm

Overseas Trading Group, cut the

celebratory cake

Francisco J Sanchez, Under

Secretary of Commerce for

International Trade, addressing the

gathering at an annual reception

hosted by BUSACC to welcome

MENA delegates to Houston

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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N

U.S. Embassy Muscat, together with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) and the

Muscat American Business Council, organized an information session on “How to bring

American franchises to Oman” on May 6, 2012 at Sultan Qaboos University. The forum high-

lighted franchising as an exciting business model for first-time entrepreneurs.

MOCI informed attendees of their services to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

and regulatory procedures for registering a new franchise in Oman. Bank Muscat’s SME divi-

sion presented on services and products aimed at assisting up-and-coming entrepreneurs who

may want to finance a new franchise. Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Company law firm pro-

vided expert guidance on the legal aspects of bringing a franchise to the region. Successful lo-

cal franchisees shared their valuable insight and experiences in bringing well-known American

brands to Oman. U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial Officer Emily Shaffer highlighted

the opportunities in the U.S. franchising industry and the FTA as an added advantage. The Em-

bassy also informed the audience about the International Franchise Show in New York City

which is a good opportunity for interested Omani businesses to be exposed to a wide selection

of U.S. franchises under one roof, meet directly with franchise owners, and compare notes

with like-minded international franchisees. The workshop helped participants understand the

concept of franchises and the opportunities offered by establishing U.S. franchises in Oman.

A SESSION ON FRANCHISING: AN ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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MEET THE BANKERS COFFEE ROUNTABLE

U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N

The U.S. Embassy in Muscat organized a Coffee

Roundtable at the Ambassador’s residence on

June 19 to introduce key decision-makers in the

banking sector to new-to-market American com-

panies in Oman. David Hamod, President of the

National U.S. –Arab Chamber of Commerce

(NUSACC), attended, along with representatives

from Miro Technologies, Booz Allen Hamilton,

and Gulf Consulting Group.

New U.S. companies in Oman had the opportunity

to be introduced to the banking community and

learn more about the services offered by local

banks. Guests also discussed changes in the dy-

namics of the banking sector, especially the im-

pact of the recent introduction of Islamic banking.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) financing

was at the top of most bankers’ agendas, yet all

agreed that additional, non-financing measures

such as business training and government procure-

ment reform are necessary to drive meaningful

SME development in Oman. Finally, the bankers

were unanimous in their desire for greater private

sector participation in project financing, but noted

syndicates would need to be created to meet the

long-term financing needs of large infrastructure

projects, and the Central Bank of Oman should

direct more dollar liquidity to local banks as short-

ages are often an obstacle to financing interna-

tional projects.

U.S. Ambassador Richard J. Schmierer,

Abdulaziz Al Balushi (CEO of Ahli Bank),

Ganesan Sridhar (Bank Muscat’s Group General

Manager for Corporate Banking and Interna-

tional Operations), and Emily Shaffer (Economic

and Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy)

Emily Shaffer (Economic and Commercial

Officer, U.S. Embassy) addressing the group

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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N

ROUNDTABLE ON TENDERING PROCESS IN OMAN

U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial

Officer Emily Shaffer introduces James

Filpi, Director of the U.S. Commerce De-

partment’s Commercial Law Develop-

ment Program, who provided insight on

international government procurement

The U.S. Embassy organized a discussion regarding the Tendering Process in Oman on May 19.

Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) representatives provided insights on interna-

tional public procurement best practices, while the Director of the Utilities Division at Ernst &

Young provided an overview of Oman Tender Board procedures and requirements. The discus-

sion evoked great interest among some large U.S. firms including: Raytheon, Baker Hughes, GE,

Schlumberger, KBR, and 3M. The Embassy and CLDP were able to gain a better understanding

of the actual experiences of the tendering procedures since tendering reforms were introduced in

mid-2011.

U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial

Officer Emily Shaffer thanks guest

speaker Naveen Kandukuri, Utilities Di-

rector at Ernst & Young, who presented

an overview of the tendering process in

Oman.

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AMERICAN SMALL BUSINESS: DECORATIVE SPINNERS FROM TEXAS

U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial Officer Emily Shaffer visits an American small business on

June 26. Siraj Qazi, Director of Qazi International, imports decorative spinners from Texas under the

U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement, and has gift stands in Qurum City Centre, Seeb City Centre, and the

Muscat Grand Mall.

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U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N

The second annual Oman Transport Infrastructure Summit 2012 (OTIS 2012) will focus on the imple-

mentation and construction of transportation networks across the Sultanate with a focus on land trans-

portation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, tunnels and railway. For further details visit: http://

www.omantransportinfrastructure.com

Oman EPC Projects 2012 will address the trends, issues, opportunities and strategies for procuring

and delivering exceptional EPC projects for the Oil & Gas and Power & water sectors in Oman.The

three day conference will include in-depth case studies, keynote presentations showcasing the current

trends, issues, opportunities and strategies, updates on technology and solutions , extensive networking

opportunities and workshops. For further details visit: http://www.omanepcprojects.com

With the Middle East market for MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) products and services set

to boom on the back of a revived construction industry, MEP Oman 2012 will explore the challenges

and review the solutions and best practices available to enhance quality and performance of MEP pro-

jects in Oman. For further details visit: http://www.mepomansummit.com

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The Fourth Annual Renewable Energy Technology Conference

and Exhibition October 17 to 19, 2012 in Washington, DC

U . S . - O M A N T R A D E B U L L E T I N

UPCOMING EVENTS

MAGIC Marketplace 2012

Products: Textile, Fashion,

and Accessories

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Date: August 20-23, 2012

www.magiconline.com

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2012 Graph Expo

Products: Printing/Graphic

Arts Equipment

Location: Chicago, IL

Date: October 7-10, 2012

www.graphexpo.com

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Pack Expo 2012

Products: Food Processing

and Packing Equipment

Location: Chicago, IL

Date: October 28-31, 2012

www.packexpo.com

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Greenbuild Expo 2012

Products: Green Building

Location: San Francisco, CA

Date: November 14-16, 2012

www.greenbuildexpo.org

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Greater New York Dental

Meeting 2012

Products: Dental Products

Location: New York City, NY

Date: November 23-28, 2012

www.gnydm.com

GridWeek 2012 to be held October 2 to 4, 2012

in Washington, DC

RETECH 2012 is the only event dedicated to delivering coverage on

EVERY discipline of renewable energy technology. RETECH is

THE renewable energy industry's meeting place for over 3,000 Government,

Utility, Finance and Technology professionals from 60 countries. For more

information about the show, visit: http://www.retech2012.com/

GridWeek is globally recognized as the “must-attend” gathering dedicated to

the modernization of our global Smart Grid. GridWeek is the only event that

attracts the complete diversity of global electric-industry stakeholders to ex-

plore Smart Grid’s impact on the economy, utility infrastructure, consumers

and the environment. Now in its sixth year, GridWeek is planned by a repre-

sentative committee of 14 industry stakeholder groups to ensure the agenda is

focused on the most pressing industry topics. You can access more information

at http://www.gridweek.com