US TREASURY GIVES DEVELOPMENT OF ITDS TO CUSTOMS

TREASURY GIVES DEVELOPMENT OF ITDS TO CUSTOMS
    The Treasury Department said it will give Customs the responsibility to develop a single electronic link to all government agencies requiring access to trade data.
    The International Trade Data System (ITDS) is designed to operate as a switchboard to distribute shipment information to any of more than 100 government agencies.
    ITDS has been in development for the past two years. The multi-agency link promises to change the way import and export data is processed with the government.
    But many questions have emerged among industry and government officials in recent months about how the system would be managed and funded. The controversy was compounded by Customs’ efforts to develop its future umbrella system, the Automated Commercial Environment. Both systems are competing for funds from Congress.
    Treasury, which chairs the ITDS board, said it would be easier to seek funding if both systems initiatives worked together.
    Treasury also believes that Customs’ efforts to find a prime contractor to build ACE should include ITDS. "This will make it much easier for us to get a contract in place," said Jim Flyzik, chief information officer at Treasury.
    Initial industry responses favor Customs development of ITDS.
    "We have suggested that Customs should build ITDS for a while," said John Peterson, chairman of the Customs committee for the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America. "It’s a rational step for the government to take."