CBP to Revalidate C-TPAT Members in 2007

Feb. 14, 2007

The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency that manages the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program has announced plans to revalidate 1,200 companies in 2007.  2007 is the first year that participants in this voluntary program will have their supply chain security practices verified for a second time. The validation process includes on-site visits to foreign suppliers. These revalidations will include those companies that were first validated in 2003 and those that received checkups in 2004 because CBP has since then upgraded their eligibility standards from suggested guidelines to minimum criteria. CBP plans to re-audit companies every three years as required by the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. An exception to the three year rule will be Mexican highway carriers which will be revalidated on an annual basis.

CBP expects to conduct about 3,000 validations this year, including 1,800 first time checks of companies with certified security plans. C-TPAT has been in existence for four years and conducted 2,380 security assessments of corporate supply chains in 2006. Under the 2006 Safe Port Act, all first time validations must be completed within one year of certification so that importers can receive credit for faster security clearances.

Going forward, CBP expects to add about 800 more companies to the program from about 6,200 that are currently members. CBP also expects to enter into bilateral agreements with countries that have similar supply chain programs with the private sector. Likely candidates for such agreements are New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Jordan and Canada.