New online system to list C-TPAT members

New online system to list C-TPAT members    Companies who are certified to participate in the supply chain security program known as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism soon will be able to use a new Web site to double-check if companies they work with have similar credentials.
   The system is scheduled to be operation by late March or early April at the latest, said Bob Perez, director of C-TPAT for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.
   C-TPAT is a voluntary program that requires participants to have policies and procedures in place to ensure the integrity of their shipments from the supplier all the way to the ultimate consignee in exchange for expedited processing of their goods at the border. The challenge for companies is to make sure there are no weak links in their supply chain. That means their vendors and suppliers must also have stringent security plans in place. But many companies have complained that it is difficult to verify exactly which carriers, brokers and other intermediaries belong to C-TPAT and can trust with their shipments.
   In response to a request late last year by the Customs Bureau’s Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC), whose members represent major international trading companies, Customs began developing a Web-based system that will enable C-TPAT members to confirm the identity of other members in the program. Customs’ technology staff will test the C-TPAT Status Verification System later this month, Perez said at Friday’s COAC meeting.
   Prior to the rollout of the system Customs will post detailed instructions on how to register for and use the system, as well as send an e-mail to corporate compliance managers notifying them of the new system and how to prepare the associated consent forms, Perez said.