U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is forging ahead with its mission to modernize the way trade is conducted by collaborating with 13 partner government agencies to pilot a groundbreaking Global Business Identifier (GBI) program. The program seeks to replace the decades-old Manufacturer/Shipper Identification (MID) system with a more comprehensive and modern solution that will improve the US Government’s ability to efficiently identify high-risk shipments and facilitate legitimate trade.
Through the GBI Evaluative Proof of Concept (EPoC), volunteers from the trade community will provide CBP with entity identifier codes, used widely in various industries, to allow more comprehensive insight into shipper, seller, and manufacturer data. This innovative pilot will be a major step forward in modernizing trade processes and ensuring that the US Government can effectively identify high-risk shipments and facilitate legitimate trade.
As the world becomes more interconnected, the ability to track goods and services crossing international borders is becoming increasingly important. The Global Border Interoperability (GBI) Enhanced Portal of Commerce (EPoC) is a state-of-the-art system designed to provide increased visibility into the movement of goods and services across international borders. By making use of advanced technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and analytics, GBI EPoC offers U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as other U.S. partner government agencies, with a way to monitor and secure the border while facilitating faster, more efficient trade.
“The complexity of modern, global supply chains requires innovative solutions to increase transparency. Our hope for this pilot program is that it will give us a more complete picture of goods making their way into the U.S. so that we can focus enforcement efforts on high-risk shipments while ensuring the free flow of legal trade that supports our economy,” said AnnMarie R. Highsmith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, CBP Office of Trade.
The GBI EPoC system is designed to collect, manage, analyze, and share data from multiple sources, including CBP, other federal agencies, and the private sector. This data is then used to create a comprehensive view of the supply chain, allowing government agencies to gain a better understanding of the movement of goods and services between countries. GBI EPoC also provides a secure platform for exchanging information and documents related to the movement of goods, so that government agencies can quickly and easily verify the accuracy of the data.
The GBI EPoC system also has the potential to enhance CBP’s enforcement capabilities. The system can detect anomalies in the data, such as changes in the characteristics of goods, that could indicate potential threats or illegal activities. In addition, GBI EPoC can be used to identify and track vehicles, vessels, and aircraft that are entering or leaving the United States, helping to ensure that only legitimate goods and services are crossing the border.
At the same time, GBI EPoC also facilitates the clearance of “fair and legal” trade, allowing legitimate goods and services to cross the border more quickly and efficiently. The system can help ensure that all parties involved in a transaction are meeting their obligations, such as payment of duties and taxes, and that the goods and services being moved are compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. This helps to reduce delays and bottlenecks at the border and can lead to improved economic opportunities for all parties involved.
In sum, the GBI EPoC system offers the potential for CBP, and other U.S. partner government agencies, to gain greater visibility into international supply chains – enhancing CBP’s enforcement capabilities while facilitating the clearance of fair and legal trade. This system is an important step forward in the effort to streamline and secure the movement of goods and services between countries, while also providing an important tool for protecting the United States’ national security and economic interests.
Source – CBP Launches Global Business Identifier Pilot to Increase Supply Chain Visibility.