Turnkey setup delivered USDEC’s first international center in Singapore

The Situation
The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) decided to establish its first Center of Excellence outside the US to showcase US dairy products and promote exports. USDEC hired Tractus to undertake a location strategy that resulted in Singapore being chosen as the optimal location for the Center. Tractus was then retained to provide turn-key program management services to set-up the new operation.

The Approach

• Site Selection: Identified long-list of 74 potential sites across Singapore and shortlisted 14 of them based on the USDEC’s Critical Location Factors (CLFs) for the new Center
• Entity Set-up: Coordinated corporate entity establishment and obtained relevant licenses and permits in coordination with local legal counsel and corporate secretarial firm.
• Recruiting: Identified HR agencies for hiring of contractors for the center, including food and nutrition specialists, marketing executives and research analysts.
• Banking/Insurance: Managed the establishment of bank accounts, identifying and qualifying outsourced accounting service providers, short-listed appropriate banks to establish accounts and required insurance as well as auditors.
• Design/Construction: Identified Design-Build firms, managed the RFQ process and, in collaboration with USDEC, vetted, hired and managed the Design-Build firm to fit-out the Center including incorporating a best-in-class show kitchen and sensory lab.
• IT&AV: Managed RFP and contractor selection process and oversaw all activities from installation, testing and handover

Key Challenges
Selecting a suitable location that provided a combination of access to users of the Center and also allow the establishment of show kitchen facilities meeting local regulatory requirements

The Results
The U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence was officially unveiled in Singapore on 14 October 2020, on-time and on budget, as a hub for dairy innovation and collaboration among U.S. dairy farmers & Southeast Asia business-to-business users and consumers of dairy products