Overview of the Task Order

USAID’s Latin America and Caribbean / Rural Sustainable Development Office (LAC/RSD) is managing a regional IQC task order focused on support to the field in building trade capacity in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. 

The activity, known as “LAC Trade III,” being implemented by CARANA Corporation , provides rapid-response technical assistance to LAC countries on trade capacity building issues related to trade negotiation preparation, trade agreement implementation, and the transition to free trade.  The objective is to provide assistance that supports advancing trade negotiations, implementing trade agreement provisions, and making adjustments so as to enable countries to benefit from trade liberalization, where such assistance cannot be provided in the short-term by existing bilateral or regional programs.  Assistance approved by the CTO complements existing Mission priorities and activities, and typically is carried out on a short-terms basis (4 weeks – 6 months). 

Throughout the FTAA, DR-CAFTA, Andean FTA and Panama FTA negotiations, the LAC Trade series of activities has played a significant role in assisting governments, private sector stakeholders and bilateral missions to define and implement new areas of technical assistance (see examples below).  The current task order, funded in FY 05, will function through March 31, 2007.