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