Establishment of an Interagency Task Force on Commercial Advocacy

This executive order creates an Interagency Task Force on Commercial Advocacy, chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, to coordinate federal support for U.S. businesses competing for international contracts against foreign firms. The Task Force brings together 15 agencies to prioritize advocacy cases, coordinate senior-level engagement with foreign officials, raise business awareness of available services, and report progress every 180 days.

Federal Register Open PDF 77 FR 73893

Impact dates

Jun 4, 2013
First progress report to Export Promotion Cabinet due
Jun 4, 2013
Subsequent progress reports to Export Promotion Cabinet (recurring)
Apr 5, 2013
Maximum duration for voluntary personnel exchanges between agencies

Key directives

Establish Interagency Task Force on Commercial Advocacy chaired by Secretary of Commerce
Designate senior-level officials from 15 specified agencies as Task Force members
Designate Executive Director from Commerce Department
Review and prioritize commercial advocacy cases approved by Advocacy Center
Coordinate agency leadership engagement with foreign counterparts on commercial advocacy
Develop strategies to raise business community awareness of commercial advocacy assistance
Institute processes to obtain and distribute information about foreign procurement opportunities
Facilitate voluntary short-term personnel exchanges not to exceed 120 days between Commerce and other agencies
Submit progress report to Export Promotion Cabinet every 180 days with metrics on cases, engagements, and business utilization

Timeline

Immediate

Task Force establishment
Secretary of Commerce designated as Chair
Executive Director designation authority

Near term (90d)

Initial Task Force convening and agenda setting
Beginning of commercial advocacy case review and prioritization
Development of awareness-raising strategies for business community

Long term

Ongoing coordination of senior-level foreign engagement
Institutionalization of cross-agency personnel exchanges
Sustained reporting cycle to Export Promotion Cabinet

Risks & tensions

No dedicated appropriation specified; funding limited to 'extent permitted by law and consistent with existing appropriations' may constrain operations
Task Force adds another coordination layer atop existing Export Promotion Cabinet and Advocacy Center structures; potential for bureaucratic overlap
Voluntary nature of personnel exchanges may limit uptake
Vague metrics for 'success' in advocacy cases; 180-day reports measure activity outputs rather than export outcomes
No enforcement mechanism for agency participation beyond presidential/chair designation authority