EVALUATION OF NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE (NTIS) CONTRACT FOR A "TECHNICAL INFORMATION NETWORK" (10/15/75-11/5/75)

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM, IMPLEMENTED BY THE NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE (NTIS), IS TO PROMOTE THE DISSEMINATION OF US GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED RESEARCH RESULTS TO LDC'S IN LATIN AMERICA. A TEAM OF 3 EVALUATORS REVIEWED PROJECT MATERIALS AND INTERVIEWED NTIS PERSONNEL IN WASHINGTON AS WELL AS NTIS AGENTS AND CLIENTS OF THOSE AGENTS IN BRAZIL, ECUADOR, AND COLOMBIA. THE AGENCY RELATIONSHIPS WHICH NTIS HAS ESTABLISHED WITH LDC INFORMATION ORGANIZATIONS HAVE HELPED TO INCREASE SALES OF USG REPORTS. THE EVALUATORS NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT EXCEPT FOR SALES RECORDS, NEITHER USAID NOR NTIS HAS COLLECTED CASE STUDIES OR OTHER INFORMATION WHICH CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT THE REPORTS ARE RELEVANT TO LDC NEEDS AND HAVE AN IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT. DISCUSSIONS WITH AGENTS AND END-USERS IN THE COUNTRIES VISITED INDICATED THAT USG REPORTS, ALTHOUGH USEFUL, ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST RESOURCES FOR THEIR NEEDS. PARTICULARLY IN SMALL AND MEDIUM INDUSTRY, RESEARCH RESULTS DO NOT PROVIDE THE KINDS OF INFORMATION THAT CAN IMMEDIATELY BE APPLIED TO THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS AT HAND. WHAT PLANT MANAGERS AND ENGINEERS NEED ARE ACTUAL SYSTEM DESIGNS, PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS, "HOW-TO" MANUALS, MACHINERY CATALOGS, AND NAMES OF MANUFACTURERS AND TECHNICAL PERSONNEL WITH RELEVANT EXPERIENCE. END-USERS INDICATED THAT USG REPORTS HAVE BEEN PRIMARILY USEFUL IN STIMULATING IDEAS FOR NEW BUSINESS VENTURES AND THAT NEED IS GREATEST FOR OLDER US TECHNOLOGY RATHER THAN FOR CURRENT, MORE SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY. MANAGEMENT CONTROL BY BOTH USAID AND NTIS HAS BEEN LESS THAN ADEQUATE. NTIS SHOULD INSTITUTE A SYSTEM OF REPORTS FROM AGENTS, COLLECT CASE STUDIES, AND VISIT AGENTS MORE FREQUENTLY FOR TRAINING AND EVALUATION. NTIS SHOULD ALSO IMPROVE ITS PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS BY ADDING ABSTRACTS, SIMPLIFYING ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS, AND HELPING AGENTS PREPARE LOCAL-LANGUAGE VERSIONS. USAID SHOULD CONTINUE PROGRAM SUPPORT BUT IT SHOULD ALSO INVESTIGATE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS BESIDES NTIS WHICH ARE MORE EXPERIENCED IN PROVIDING A FULL RANGE OF INFO SERVICES AND WHICH ARE NOT LIMITED TO USG INFO.