More 'Assertive Role' May be Necessary from White House on ITDS, Says Advisory Group

The White House may need to step up its role in development of the International Trade Data System, according an Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (ACSCC) draft letter (here). The draft, addressed to Commerce Department Secretary Penny Pritzker, includes a series of concerns and some suggested resolutions hoped to help with the completion of ITDS by the White House mandated deadline. The Department of Homeland Security was put in charge of finishing ITDS, also known as the Single Window, by 2016 as part of an executive order last year (see 14021928).

The next level of ITDS development will require an even higher level of interagency work, said the ACSCC. "We believe the White House will need to intervene more aggressively across the interagency process to ensure that all of the agencies are aligned and cooperating fully with helping the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) successfully complete this system by December 2016," the group said. "We also believe that the White House needs to take a more assertive role in addressing key differences between the data elements and regulatory differences between and among the agencies." The draft letter is signed by Rick Blasgen, chairman of the ACSCC and CEO of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

The ACSCC draft suggests that the White House hold a summit on the issue, potentially around the anniversary of the executive order. The event would allow those involved to "share the progress made, what resources or other institutional challenges are needed to be addressed to make the deadline," it said. The draft letter was posted by the committee among documents related to its Jan. 14-15 meetings (here). DHS recently spelled out its plans for progressing on ITDS (see 1412190021). The ACSCC is an industry advisory group that consults with the agency on supply chain issues.