CBP Will Not Go Forward with Global Trade Exchange Pilot
At an April 2, 2008 hearing of a House Subcommittee on Homeland Security1, Deputy Commissioner Jayson Ahern testified on cargo and border security issues, including the Global Trade Exchange (GTX) pilot for which U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) to eligible vendors in December 2007.
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CBP to Assess Benefits of 102 First, Before Seeking Additional Data
The CBP Deputy Commissioner's written statement said that:
"After evaluating the proposals submitted in response to the RFQ and in consideration of comments received from the trade community, CBP has decided not to move forward with a contract award for the GTX pilot.
CBP has determined that further consideration of the GTX concept is premature at this time, and may not be a prudent use of limited resources.
CBP's targeting systems will be enhanced through the 102 Security Filing, and before initiating further efforts aimed at gathering even greater supply chain security data, it is prudent to assess the benefits to be gained by the Security Filing."
(His written statement also provided the following background information on the GTX concept and the RFQ:
"On December 11, 2007, CBP issued a RFQ soliciting bid proposals from the vendor/contractor community for the development and implementation of the GTX. Specifically, the RFQ outlined the requirements for the development of a privately operated, self-sustaining trade information system that would have the potential to collect commercial transaction data not currently available to CBP from parties in the supply chain who have contracted or provided services for the production/movement of international shipments. The system, furthermore, was envisioned to allow government and trade community participants to input and access trade data through an information broker. When combined with existing CBP targeting/analysis tools, GTX would potentially allow CBP to identify and target suspect shipments/transactions well in advance of a shipment's entry into a U.S.-bound supply chain.
The RFQ process required qualified vendors to develop a business model and technical solution for the GTX system and to engage directly with industry partners who would provide the data that would populate the GTX system. This process was to ensure that the vendor proposals would be responsive to industry and international concerns about information security, cost, and transparency.")
(See ITT's Online Archives or 02/28/08 news, 08022805, for BP summary where CBP stated it had multiple bids for the GTX pilot. See ITT's Online Archives or 01/09/08 news, 08010905, for BP summary of CBP's RFQ for the GTX pilot.)
1This subcommittee is under the House Appropriations Committee.
(See future issue of ITT for BP summary on other aspects of the Deputy Commissioner's statement.)
CBP Deputy Commissioner's April 2, 2008 statement available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/congressional_test/border_secuirty_testify.xml