Industry Distribution Letter

Month, Day, 2014

Dear Mr.______,

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, is undertaking a survey and assessment of the U.S. strategic materials supply chain. The principal purpose of this assessment is to assist the U.S. Government in understanding the health and competitiveness of critical material suppliers and identify specific issues and challenges facing the industry. Over the longer term, agencies will be better informed to develop targeted planning and acquisition strategies to ensure the availability of the strategic materials needed to support critical defense missions and programs.

Your organization has been identified as a direct or indirect supplier of products and/or services utilizing the strategic materials covered by this survey. To begin, download the Microsoft Excel formatted survey and corresponding instructions at:

[Strategic Materials Survey web address]

For your internal data collection purposes, a PDF version of the survey can also be downloaded at this website. BIS will only accept Excel survey submissions.

Information furnished to BIS is deemed Business Confidential and will not be published or disclosed other than in aggregate form. Disclosure of such information is also protected from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Your organization is required by federal law under 50 U.S.C. App Sec 2155 to complete the survey within 30 calendar days of receipt of this letter.

If you have any questions regarding the survey instrument, please contact BIS staffers at [email address] or by phone (202) 482-7808. Please contact me at (202) 482-4060 if you have specific questions regarding the overall strategic materials supply chain assessment.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Brad Botwin
Director, Industrial Studies
Office of Technology Evaluation