CBP Officials Discuss Expanding C-TPAT to 3PLs, Offices for Canada/Mexico C-TPAT Issues at February 2008 COAC Meeting
During the February 13, 2008 meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC)1, CBP officials discussed, among other things, the status of extending eligibility in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program to third party logistics providers (3PLs) and the addition of two new C-TPAT offices to handle Canada and Mexico issues.
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COAC members also raised the issue of expanding C-TPAT to exporters with CBP officials.
CBP Developing C-TPAT Eligibility Criteria for 3PLs
CBP officials updated COAC members on its goal of bringing 3PLs into C-TPAT.
CBP has drafted C-TPAT eligibility criteria for 3PLs and submitted them to COAC for review in early February 2008. CBP is now in the process of reviewing COAC's comments on this draft.
(CBP officials have previously stated that the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act allows CBP to expand participation in C-TPAT to additional enrollment sectors.)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 05/17/07 and 11/27/07 news, 07051705 and 07112705, for BP summaries on previous COAC discussions on adding 3PLs to the C-TPAT program, including CBP's November 2007 discussion of its goal to bring 3PLs into C-TPAT in 2008.)
COAC Raises the Issue of Extending C-TPAT to Exporters
COAC members also raised the issue of extending C-TPAT to exporters, with certain members noting that opening up C-TPAT to exporters could be an add-on for C-TPAT importers (i.e., if a company is already accepted into C-TPAT as an importer, that importer could request that its C-TPAT participation be expanded to include it as an exporter as well).
(CBP had previously expressed reservations about expanding C-TPAT to exporters due to implementation and resource issues. CBP had also previously stated that once it begins to build a solid foundation in the area of mutual recognition, it could then consider an expansion of C-TPAT to exporters.)
New C-TPAT Offices for Canada and Mexico Issues
CBP officials noted that they have two new C-TPAT offices in Buffalo, NY and Houston, TX. The C-TPAT office in Buffalo will have 18 Supply Chain Security Specialists (SCSS) and will focus on Canadian issues and the Houston office will be staffed with 25 SCSSs focusing on Mexican issues.
1Formerly known as the "Commercial Operations Advisory Committee."
(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/11/08 news, 08031105, for BP summary of the C-TPAT validation issues discussed at the February 2008 COAC meeting.)