CUSTOMS TO CONDUCT SECOND ICMP TEST

CUSTOMS TO CONDUCT SECOND ICMP TEST    U.S. Customs said it will conduct a second test of its voluntary program to raise importer compliance with the government’s rules and regulations.
   The test, Importer Compliance Monitoring Program, will last for three years, and then it will be evaluated on whether to extend it.
   Customs announced the first ICMP in April 1998. The test was conducted with limited participation. The agency said it “now seeks to achieve a more extensive participation in the program test in order to ensure a more comprehensive and effective evaluation of the program.”
   The second ICMP test will begin no earlier than Aug. 22, and will include two parts: the application and implementation phases.
   The application phase allows Customs to review an importer’s operations to determine its readiness to be recommended for the ICMP’s “low risk” designation. The low risk designation substantially decreases cargo exams for the importer. If Customs finds problems in this initial phase, however, the importer will have the chance to fix them before continuing in the ICMP.
   The implementation phase includes testing the importer’s transactions in specific trade areas identified by Customs. It also requires importers to meet annual ICMP reporting requirements to the agency.
   Along side of the ICMP, Customs will use its Focused Assessment Process. Similar to the ICMP, this tool focuses on particular importer’s transactions that “pose a risk to Customs and the importer.”
   The agency said that during the test it will provide “ongoing guidance and assistance” to the importer through its ICMP Customs Regulatory Audit team and the importer’s Customs account manager, if one is assigned.
   For more information about the ICMP, contact Matthew Krimski, Customs’ director of compliance assessments, at (202) 927-0411; Joseph Palmer, Customs’ field director of regulatory audit, at (312) 983-9615; or Russel Ugone, Customs’ director of trade agreements branch, at (202) 927-0728.