The Center for Trade and Investment Services connected U.S. firms and their counterparts in the developing world, fostering economic opportunities and promoting economic development in a timely, reliable, and effective manner. Under subcontract to the Academy for Educational Development, DevTech's CTIS staff of trade analysts responded to trade and investment inquiries by providing value-added counseling and conduct business research for CTIS clients by collecting and disseminating information through databases, management information systems, meetings, conferences, classes, networking, and travel. They monitored a wide range of information sources within and outside USAID in order to identify critical market intelligence as well as transaction and procurement opportunities for U.S. businesses. The staff had access to USAID's Development Information System; the Department of Commerce's National Trade Data Bank and Electronic Bulletin Board; International Monetary Fund, United Nations, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development sources; and commercial trade and business databases. The CTIS staff also cultivated close working relationships with USAID/Washington and field offices by conducting presentations of CTIS resources for Bureau staff, project officers, country desk officers, Mission directors, and field staff, and served as an essential source of information about the U.S. market.