Membership renewal

General Information top

ACBC membership is required for participation in the Co-op. See below for detailed enrollment and ordering information.

The privilege of receiving food and non-food items is extended to contractors by means of the bilateral agreement between the US and Egyptian governments, through the US Embassy and the USAID Contractor Liaison Office. Duty-free status is for the contractor and his immediate family ONLY. Selling items to non-USAID contractors or allowing them to use this service is a violation of the bilateral agreement and puts this service at jeopardy. All members must sign a Full Compliance Agreement stating that all products imported are for personal, including immediate family, use only and will not be resold. This is especially important regarding duty free personal shipments. VIOLATIONS OF THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN THE PERMANENT LOSS OF ACBC MEMBERSHIP.
Agritech Products International, Inc. of New Jersey is the food supplier. They provide a wide range of foods, health foods and cleaning items. No tobacco, alcohol or prescription drugs can be ordered. There is no longer a order size limit. We currently order twice a year (April and September) with estimated food delivery dates in September and January (of the following year).
All orders must be made by the case but the contents can be shared among Co-op members. The arrangements for sharing orders are the responsibility of individual members, but ACBC will provide e-mail addresses to facilitate the process. In addition, ACBC will coordinate a "food sale," soon after the food arrives, where members can sell excess food to other members.
Agritech's catalogs are available online as Excel files.
Order forms (Excel format) are also available to members online, and completed forms are to be returned via e-mail or by disk. Members are responsible for confirming the accuracy of their order. Orders will not be accepted after the deadline.
Payment must be made by US check upon submission of the order. A $20 clearance fee will be charged to members who pay with US denominated checks drawn on a local Egyptian bank (EAB, EBB, CIB, etc).
For differences between the amount paid and the actual order cost, members will have the choice of either receiving a refund or carrying the difference over to the next order cycle. Any orders not paid for in full by the deadline will not be processed.
Four Winds International is our freight forwarder and warehouser. Their warehouse is located in New Maadi on Palestine (Falastin) Street, near GUPCO.
Once the container has arrived at the warehouse and the sorting has been completed, members must verify their order personally or designate someone to verify their order before delivery.
Orders can be delivered within the greater Cairo area. Members living outside the Cairo area will have to make special arrangements for pickup or delivery. All orders will be delivered to the address indicated by the member or arrangements can be made for the members to pick them up at the warehouse. Orders delivered outside the Greater Cairo region will incur additional delivery charges.

Duty Free Personal Shipments (Non-Food Imports) top

ACBC members have now been authorized to receive personal shipments via the Agritech container on a duty free basis. While this has always been part of USAID contractors' duty free privileges, a method for making it possible has not always been available. We will now make space available in the food containers, or additional containers if necessary, for personal shipment items (clothing, books & music, electronics, etc). We will coordinate these shipments with the food orders in April and September. Restrictions still remain, of course, on explosive and firearms, alcohol and tobacco, and motorized vehicles. The general guidelines governing duty free personal shipments are:

Packages sent must be for ACBC member use only. No packages can be received on behalf of non-ACBC members.
Only items approved in advance by ACBC will be included on the container. Send an e-mail to ACBC detailing the items being sent and from what company along with the carrier name and tracking number of each package!.
A Full Compliance Agreement must be signed stipulating that items will not be resold.
Violations of rules 1 or 2 will result in the immediate and permanent loss of ACBC membership.
Each customer will be charged a per package overhead charge based on package weight(determined after items arrive in Cairo).
All items must arrive at Agritech labeled in the approved label format to ensure that all items are identified and included in the containers.
All items must arrive at Agritech by the deadline date to ensure they are included in the container. Any package arriving after the deadline will be held until the next shipment or returned to sender at the discretion of Agritech Int'l.
Packages less than 20KG can be sent to Agritech's office for more secure control. Packages over 20KG should still be sent to the original warehouse address. See approved label format for address info.
Packages should be shipped by a carrier that offers "online" tracking and receipt confirmation. USPS (the postal service) does not do this efficiently. Tracking numbers must be sent to ACBC prior to the final acceptance date for arrival of packages at the Agritech facility.
Members are advised that ACBC does not take any financial responsibility for the loss of individual packages, but will insure against the loss of the entire container.

Joining ACBC top

Membership is limited to US citizens or approved TCNs, who are USAID direct contractors, host country contractors or grantees who have duty free entrance eligibility.
Enrollees must sign an Enrollment Agreement specifying the accountability and liabilities of the organization and its members.
Enrollment is required before orders are accepted. Contractors must submit 1.the Enrollment Agreement, 2.a copy of their passport and 3.a signed and stamped letter from the Chief of Party of the USAID project specifying the contractor's eligibility for duty free privileges. The letter must be on project letterhead and state the project name and duration of the contractor's contract. They will become a permanent part of the contractor's ACBC record.
Those contractors who are unable to provide either the passport or the letter, but believe they are still eligible, should contact their USAID contracting officer to determine eligibility and request a certification letter before enrolling.
An membership fee of $25 is due upon enrollment (make checks payable to Andrew L. Goddard). Checks drawn on a US bank ONLY please. A $20 clearance fee will be charged to members who pay with US denominated checks drawn on a local Egyptian bank (EAB, EBB, CIB, etc).
Due to the uncertain future of ACBC, enrollment will be valid for one order only. The fee has been cut to $25 per order to reflect this change in rules. Enrollment documents will be valid for one calendar year or two orders!

Ordering from ACBC top

After payment of the enrollment fee, members will be given access to ordering information and catalogs of food and Health & Beauty items. Please read the Catalog Instructions prior to completing the order. All completed orders are to be returned to ACBC via e-mail.
Meeting the deadlines specified is the responsibility of the member. Orders will not be accepted after the specified date.
If members split a case of food with another member, that case should be included on only one order. You are responsible for the distribution of the individual items. The order will only be delivered to one address.
An overhead charge (23%) will be added to determine the total cost. This charge covers additional Agritech Products Int'l shipping costs, insurance, transportation, freight forwarding and warehousing, ACBC management fees, and miscellaneous overhead costs.

Send completed orders via e-mail to acbc@link.net

Paying for Orders to ACBC top

Orders must be paid for in full.
The Excel order file you submit with order payment will be considered your ACBC detailed invoice with your confirmed order, prices and overhead charges.
Only checks drawn on a U.S. bank will be accepted. All checks should be made to Andrew L. Goddard.
Checks must be sent, with a signed copy of your invoice, confirming the purchase. They can be delivered in person, by courier or mail as long as they are received by the deadline. Your canceled check will serve as a receipt.
If items are not shipped, then the cost of those items will be refunded or credited as requested by the member.

ACBC Contact Information top

Andrew L. Goddard

42b Road 18, Flat 6

Maadi, Cairo

website: www.acbc.00go.com

e-mail: acbc@link.net

or goddard@link.net

phone: 753-0198