BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: POST-SHIPMENT END-USE CHECK

UNCLAS DHAKA 001137 SIPDIS DEPT FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KOMC BG SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: POST-SHIPMENT END-USE CHECK ON LICENSE 050099495 REF: SECSTATE 066361 ¶1. Post conducted a site visit to Asia Projects and met with officials at Bangladesh,s Director General for Defense Purchase (DGDP) to conduct a background check on Asia Projects License number: 050099495. Representatives from Asia Projects and DGDP confirmed the order/receipt of articles specified in reftel request. ¶2. Asia Projects provided copies of contract excerpts and correspondence, documenting its past experience in representing U.S. companies, including Associated Industries, with Bangladesh defense procurement tenders dating back to ¶1993. Asia Projects, other U.S. suppliers include M/S Power Conversion Technologies, Inc. (based in Harmony, PA); Maranatha Industries (based in Payne, OH),and NAPCO International, Inc (based in Hopkins, MN). ¶3. Like other vendors to DGDP, Asia Projects plays an intermediary role of preparing bid submissions for DGDP tenders and representing U.S. suppliers through the bidding process. Both DGDP and Asia Projects report that all goods are received directly by DGDP for transfer to the military. ¶4. In its contract documentation, Asia Projects included excerpts from Contract No. 214/2050/C/DGDP/PROV/SIG/P-2, dated 13 March, 2008 specified in reftel request. Col. M.A.S. Sedeque, Director of Army Purchases at DGDP, told Pol-Econoff that the consignment from this contract was delivered directly to the Bangladeshi Army through the DGDP depot at Chittagong Port, Bangladesh,s primary port. He confirmed that the Bangladeshi Army received all the items in this contract and that the Signals Base Workshop will store the consignment until issued to Bangladeshi Army personnel. Dean