2027 Semicon Japan Trade Mission Request for Proposals

The California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is requesting proposals for planning and executing a 2027 Semicon Japan Trade Mission, with proposals due September 18, 2026 at 5:00 PM PST. A 5 percent preference applies to California-certified small businesses or microbusinesses, and an additional 5 percent preference applies to bidders meeting Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise participation goals.

The scope includes pre-event marketing and business recruitment for up to 8 delegate organizations; B2B matchmaking generating a minimum of 10 pre-vetted tailored business meetings per California delegate; coordination of at least six business site visits or group meetings in Japan; event planning with networking opportunities at each city stop; logistics support including transportation and hotel coordination; Semicon Japan trade show participation support; and post-event reporting and analysis. The Trade Mission is scheduled for December 2027 during the Semicon Japan trade show week. Proposers must demonstrate a minimum of two years of continuous operation with an established international trade consulting practice or significant representative presence in Japan, and the lead consultant must have a minimum of eight years of experience in export promotion and FDI attraction, with relevant experience supporting U.S. State EDOs.

The maximum fixed-price contract value is $75,000, with payment issued in four installments tied to project milestones: contract execution and recruiting material approval, completion of recruiting, completion of pre-event deliverables, and submission of post-event deliverables. The contract period runs from November 2, 2026 through January 31, 2028. Evaluation criteria are relevant experience (20 points), technical approach (40 points), cost proposal (30 points), and references (10 points). Review and interviews are scheduled for September 21 through October 1, 2026, with tentative award notice on October 5, 2026. Proposers must complete mandatory California compliance forms including Darfur Act certification, drug-free workplace certification, payee data record, and contractor certification clauses. All proposals become public records upon completion of committee scoring, though proposers may designate specific confidential information for protection under California Public Records Act exemptions.