USTDA Partners with SAWACO to Improve Ho Chi Minh City's Water Supply
September 10, 2012
(USTDA)
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM –At a ceremony in Ho
Chi Minh City, USTDA awarded a $593,660 grant
to upgrade SAWACO's Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) Strategy and
Implementation Plan. The grant was signed by
Robert Ogburn, Acting Consul General of the
U.S. Consulate in Vietnam and Tran Dinh Phu,
General Director of the Saigon Water
Corporation (SAWACO). This technical assistance
grant will enhance operational efficiency and
planning at SAWACO by improving the existing
strategic plan through needed information
management, and developing an implementation
plan for an ICT management system for Ho Chi
Minh City's water supply network.
USTDA Regional Director Henry Steingass noted,
“The rapid growth of the economy and population
has made water supply infrastructure
development a priority in Vietnam. We are
pleased to support the development of SAWACO's
ICT strategy and implementation, and to connect
them with U.S. technologies and expertise.”
“This technical assistance will assist SAWACO
in reaching its goal of supplying 100 percent
of consumers in HCMC with potable water by
2025,” stated Ogburn. “The grant that we are
signing today is further evidence of the
continued partnership between our countries and
highlights the priority that the U.S.
government and the U.S. private sector have
placed on their relationship with Vietnam.”
SAWACO produces more than 1.2 million cubic
meters per day of potable water, a number which
is increasing due to rapid economic and
population growth. As such, SAWACO is striving
to improve and modernize its service and
provide reliable supply with 100 percent
coverage. By helping SAWACO improve its
operations, the assistance will help SAWACO
meet its potable water supply goals to meet Ho
Chi Minh City's demand, increasing water
distribution to nearly 530,000 homes and
providing piped water to an additional 20,000
new homes.
This technical assistance grant will mark the
second time which USTDA has supported SAWACO in
meeting its development objectives. In 2009,
USTDA funded a feasibility study to help
develop a method for water treatment and sludge
disposal which was completed for SAWACO in
2011.
The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded
technical assistance will be competed on the
Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. A
link to the FBO announcement will be posted to
USTDA's website at www.ustda.gov. Interested
U.S. firms should submit proposals according to
the instructions in the FBO announcement.
Welcome to the Exporting Source
Your one-stop resource for finding help to export to new customers, to learn about government export programs, to join export-promoting trade missions, to sign up for trade conferences and training, and to link to other exporting services. Whether you're an old hand at exporting or just getting started, the Exporting Source provides a place to locate foreign customers, export financing and foreign investment assistance.