CBP Updates COAC on C-TPAT's Smart Box Initiative and Other C-TPAT Issues
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) held a quarterly meeting on April 2, 2004 in Washington, DC to discuss, and receive updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials on various trade and customs issues.
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This is Part I of a multi-part series of summaries of the April 2, 2004 COAC meeting and focuses on the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), which is highlighted below. See future issues of ITT for additional summaries.
Interface for consenting C-TPAT participants to query each other. At the COAC meeting, CBP sources stated that they expect to soon make available a C-TPAT status verification interface (SVI) which will allow consenting, certified C-TPAT partners to query for information on other consenting, certified C-TPAT partners. CBP sources have more recently stated that they expect SVI to be operational by the end of April 2004.
350 ocean containers had moved under "Smart Box" initiative as of early April. CBP sources stated that as of early April 2004, over 350 ocean containers had moved under the "Smart Box" (i.e., smart container) initiative and the goal is to have 500 containers move under the "Smart Box" initiative by the end of April 2004.
(DHS has previously stated that "Smart Box" currently has two requirements - that the container be (1) securely sealed and (2) tamper evident - and that additional criteria for sealed containers under this program are still being developed.)
According to CBP sources, five C-TPAT participants are working with CBP on the first phase of its "Smart Box" initiative and additional C-TPAT participants are expected to be added when the "Smart Box" initiative moves into its next phase.
Another U.S. government source opined that DHS is reviewing future plans for the "Smart Box" initiative, including whether to fold the "Smart Box" initiative into Operation Safe Commerce (OSC).
700 C-TPAT validations have been initiated, with 230 completed in past year. CBP sources also provided COAC members with an update on its C-TPAT validation process. (The purpose of C-TPAT validation is to ensure that the supply chain security measures contained in the C-TPAT participant's security profile have been implemented and are being followed.)
According to CBP sources, over 700 C-TPAT validations have been initiated, with 230 of those validations having been completed within the past year. CBP states that the goal for 2004 is to complete at least 300 C-TPAT validations and that 100 of those validations have already been completed during the January-March 2004 period.
GAO to audit C-TPAT for second time. CBP sources state that the General Accounting Office (GAO) has begun another audit of C-TPAT program. CBP sources state that GAO is expected to focus its audit on two issues: (1) the status of its earlier recommendations; and (2) the C-TPAT validation process - where CBP is now and where it is going in the future.
(The GAO has previously audited CBP's C-TPAT and Container Security Initiative (CSI) and issued its report in July 2003. See ITT's Online Archives or 08/05/03 news, 03080505, for BP summary of the GAO's report.)
C-TPAT currently has over 6,000 participants. According to CBP sources, C-TPAT currently has over 6,000 participants that have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to participate in C-TPAT. This number includes:
- 500 importers
- 000 carriers
- 250 Customs brokers and freight consolidators
- foreign manufacturers in Mexico
- U.S. Marine Port Authorities/Terminal Operators