Continuing Education Requirement for Licensed Customs Brokers, 87387-87389 [2024-24464]

Download as PDF khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2024 / Notices Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, 7207 N. Gessner Road, Houston, TX 77040, 713–856–8288/ 800–800–2387 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, 69 First Ave., Raritan, NJ 08869, 908–526–2400/800–437–4986 (Formerly: Roche Biomedical Laboratories, Inc.) Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, 1904 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, 919–572–6900/800–833–3984 (Formerly: LabCorp Occupational Testing Services, Inc., CompuChem Laboratories, Inc.; CompuChem Laboratories, Inc., A Subsidiary of Roche Biomedical Laboratory; Roche CompuChem Laboratories, Inc., A Member of the Roche Group) Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, 1120 Main Street, Southaven, MS 38671, 866–827–8042/ 800–233–6339 (Formerly: LabCorp Occupational Testing Services, Inc.; MedExpress/National Laboratory Center) MedTox Laboratories, Inc., 402 W County Road D, St. Paul, MN 55112, 651–636–7466/800–832–3244 Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, 1 Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55417, 612–725– 2088. Testing for Veterans Affairs (VA) Employees Only Omega Laboratories, Inc.*, 2150 Dunwin Drive, Unit 1 & 2, Mississauga, ON, Canada L5L 5M8, 289–919–3188 Pacific Toxicology Laboratories, 9348 DeSoto Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311, 800–328–6942 (Formerly: Centinela Hospital Airport Toxicology Laboratory) Phamatech, Inc., 15175 Innovation Drive, San Diego, CA 92128, 888– 635–5840 US Army Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory, 2490 Wilson St., Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755– 5235, 301–677–7085, Testing for Department of Defense (DoD) Employees Only * The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) voted to end its Laboratory Accreditation Program for Substance Abuse (LAPSA) effective May 12, 1998. Laboratories certified through that program were accredited to conduct forensic urine drug testing as required by U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. As of that date, the certification of those accredited Canadian laboratories continued under DOT authority. The responsibility for conducting quarterly performance testing plus periodic on-site inspections VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Oct 31, 2024 Jkt 265001 of those LAPSA-accredited laboratories was transferred to the U.S. HHS, with the HHS’ NLCP contractor continuing to have an active role in the performance testing and laboratory inspection processes. Other Canadian laboratories wishing to be considered for the NLCP may apply directly to the NLCP contractor just as U.S. laboratories do. Upon finding a Canadian laboratory to be qualified, HHS will recommend that DOT certify the laboratory as meeting the minimum standards of the current Mandatory Guidelines published in the Federal Register. After receiving DOT certification, the laboratory will be included in the monthly list of HHScertified laboratories and participate in the NLCP certification maintenance program. DOT established this process in July 1996 (61 FR 37015) to allow foreign laboratories to participate in the DOT drug testing program. Anastasia D. Flanagan, Public Health Advisor, Division of Workplace Programs. [FR Doc. 2024–25450 Filed 10–31–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160–20–P DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Customs and Border Protection Continuing Education Requirement for Licensed Customs Brokers U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. ACTION: General notice. AGENCY: This document announces that individual customs broker license holders may begin completing qualified continuing broker education courses on January 1, 2025 (compliance date) and, accordingly, 20 credits as the prorated number of required credit hours for the triennial period beginning on February 1, 2024, and ending on January 31, 2027. Further, this notice announces the criteria that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) used to select qualified accreditors, the list of CBP-selected qualified accreditors, and the period of award for these accreditors. DATES: Individual brokers may begin completing qualified continuing broker education courses on January 1, 2025. The initial three-year period of award for CBP-selected qualified accreditors will be from June 2, 2024, through June 1, 2027. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elena D. Ryan, Special Advisor, Broker Continuing Education, Trade Policy and SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 87387 Programs, Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at (202) 302– 2426 or CONTINUINGEDUCATION@ cbp.dhs.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Section 641 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1641), provides that individuals and business entities must hold a valid customs broker’s license and permit to transact customs business on behalf of others. The statute also sets forth standards for the issuance of broker licenses and permits, provides for disciplinary action against customs brokers in the form of suspension or revocation of such licenses and permits, and provides for the assessment of monetary penalties against customs brokers. The statute also provides for the assessment of monetary penalties against persons for conducting customs business without the required broker’s license. Based upon 19 U.S.C. 1641, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has promulgated regulations setting forth additional obligations of customs brokers pertinent to the conduct of their customs business, in part 111 of title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR part 111). Part 111 provides the regulations regarding the licensing and granting of permits to persons desiring to transact customs business as customs brokers. These regulations also include the qualifications required of applicants, the procedures for applying for licenses and permits, the duties and responsibilities of individual brokers, the grounds and procedures for disciplining individual brokers, including the assessment of monetary penalties, and the revocation or suspension of licenses and permits. CBP has also updated part 111 to require individual brokers to satisfy a continuing education requirement. CBP believes that maintaining current knowledge of customs laws and procedures is essential for customs brokers to meet their legal duties. Requiring a customs broker to fulfill a continuing education requirement is the most effective means to ensure that the customs broker keeps up with an everchanging customs practice after passing the broker exam and subsequently receiving the license. Therefore, on October 28, 2020, CBP published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register (85 FR 68260), soliciting comments on a potential framework of continuing education requirements for licensed customs brokers. On September 10, 2021, CBP published a notice of E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM 01NON1 87388 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2024 / Notices proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (86 FR 50794), in which CBP responded to the 29 comments it received in response to the ANPRM, and adopted some of the suggestions proposed by the commenters. CBP thus drafted the NPRM accordingly and announced proposed regulatory amendments to include a proposed framework for individual customs broker license holders (individual brokers) to administratively maintain their license through completion of qualified continuing broker education. On June 23, 2023, CBP published a final rule in the Federal Register (88 FR 41224). In the final rule, CBP responded to the 70 comments it received in response to the NPRM, and adopted as final, with changes, the proposed amendments. The final rule added a new subpart F in part 111, requiring continuing education for individual brokers and setting forth the framework for administering the requirement. In addition, CBP stated that it would announce, in a Federal Register notice following publication of the final rule, the date on which individual brokers may begin completing qualified continuing broker education courses and the prorated number of required continuing broker education credit hours for the triennial period beginning on February 1, 2024, and ending on January 31, 2027 (the 2024–2027 triennial period). The final rule also noted that CBP will announce the date on which qualified continuing broker education courses will be available to individual brokers to begin meeting the requirement and will publish an initial list of available qualified continuing broker education opportunities on CBP.gov. Lastly, CBP will periodically publish notices in the Federal Register announcing the criteria that CBP will use to select an accreditor, the period during which CBP will accept applications by potential accreditors, and the period of award for CBPselected accreditors. khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES II. CBP Implementation of the Continuing Education Requirement for Licensed Customs Brokers A. Compliance Date and Prorated Number of Required Continuing Broker Education Credit Hours for the 2024– 2027 Triennial Period CBP has now completed full implementation of the framework for administering the new continuing broker education requirement. Thus, CBP is ready to announce that individual brokers may begin completing qualified continuing broker VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Oct 31, 2024 Jkt 265001 education courses on January 1, 2025 (compliance date). On this same date, qualified continuing broker education courses will be made available to individual brokers to begin meeting the requirement. The initial list of available qualified continuing broker education opportunities, as well as free qualified continuing broker education activities available to individual brokers through CBP and other U.S. government agency offerings, may be found at CBP.gov. CBP believes that individual brokers will be able to fulfill the continuing broker education requirement through the free, online-based trainings that CBP and other U.S. government agencies offer, alone. The CBP regulations in section 111.102(b) require individual brokers to complete at least 36 continuing education credits of qualifying continuing broker education per triennial period, with limited exceptions. In the final rule, CBP announced that, to allow for full implementation of the continuing education requirement, CBP would reduce the 36 continuing education credits required to be completed for the 2024–2027 triennial period by six (6) credit hours for approximately every six (6) months that elapse between February 1, 2024, and the compliance date on which individual brokers may begin completing qualified continuing broker education courses. To give individual brokers additional time to prepare for the new continuing education requirement, CBP is reducing the number of required credit hours that individual brokers must earn to 20 credit hours for the 2024–2027 triennial period (with certification of completion of the credits by February 1, 2027). This reduced number of credits applies to the 2024–2027 triennial period only. Individual brokers are required to earn the full 36 credit hours for all triennial periods following the 2024–2027 triennial period. B. CBP-Selected Accreditors In order to supplement the available trainings offered by CBP and other U.S. government agencies, CBP selected accreditors to administer the accreditation of additional broker training and educational activities offered by providers other than by a U.S. government agency. Section 111.103(c) sets forth the process used by CBP for selection of accreditors, based on a Request for Information (RFI) and a Request for Proposal (RFP) announced through the System for Award Management (SAM) or any other electronic system for award management approved by the U.S. PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 General Services Administration, in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR 1.000 et seq.), for a specific period of award, subject to renewal. On August 29, 2023, CBP announced through SAM an RFI (Notice ID 201400XX) seeking information from organizations interested in establishing a relationship with CBP to review and accredit commercial training, programs, course materials, and other activities relating to the new continuing education requirement for licensed customs brokers. CBP received replies from 11 organizations expressing such interest. In response to the replies CBP received, on February 6, 2024, CBP announced through SAM a nontraditional RFP (Notice ID 70B06C24R00000030) to solicit applications to become approved accreditors of qualifying continuing customs broker education. The RFP set forth the following criteria to be used for the selection of accreditors: • Identification of at least one key official in the applicant’s organization that holds an individual customs broker license. • Demonstration of knowledge of international trade laws, customs laws and regulations, and general customs practices for imported goods and goods subject to drawback. • Demonstration of knowledge of other U.S. Government agencies that are involved in transactions of international trade. • A description of the applicant’s process for handling accreditation requests, beginning with how an individual submits a training or educational activity proposed for credit to the applicant, including detail on electronic and online methods for submitting materials for consideration. • Confirmation that the applicant’s process for handling accreditation requests uses a secure online (webbased) repository and an overview of the basic functionality of the envisioned online repository, and confirmation that the applicant can protect any business sensitive or proprietary information collected in the requests. • Identification of up to five (5) professional references with contact information, who should be familiar with the applicant’s relevant professional history, job performance, and have the knowledge to determine if the applicant is capable of conducting the kind of complex work described in this RFP. Additionally, the applicant was required to provide contact information that included an individual’s full name, entity employing the individual (if applicable), email address, and telephone number. E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM 01NON1 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2024 / Notices • Disclosure of any known potential organizational or personal conflicts of interest, any applicant personnel who have previously been employed by CBP, and any applicant personnel who perform critical functions for one or more other applicants applying to be approved accreditors under this RFP. • Demonstration of the applicant’s ability and commitment to complete the accreditation process, resulting in transmission of an approval or denial of credit to the requestor, within four (4) business days of request submission. CBP evaluated the applications received in response to the RFP based on the above-mentioned criteria and selected the following accreditors: • E-Merchants Trade Council Inc. (EMTC)–Global Trade Professionals Alliance (GTPA)–Practera • International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA) • National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) • Sandler Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. • TrüTrade Solutions, Inc. The initial three-year period of award for CBP-selected accreditors will be from June 2, 2024, through June 1, 2027. The list of CBP-selected accreditors may be found at CBP.gov. Dated: October 11, 2024. AnnMarie R. Highsmith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade. [FR Doc. 2024–24464 Filed 10–31–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9111–14–P DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Customs and Border Protection [OMB Control Number 1651–0003] Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension; Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Inspection and Permit (CBP Form 7512, 7512A) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security. ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments. khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:47 Oct 31, 2024 Jkt 265001 information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. DATES: Comments are encouraged and must be submitted (no later than December 2, 2024) to be assured of consideration. Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ PRAMain. Please submit written comments and/or suggestions in English. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function. ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional PRA information should be directed to Seth Renkema, Chief, Economic Impact Analysis Branch, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings, 90 K Street NE, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20229–1177, Telephone number 202–325–0056 or via email CBP_PRA@cbp.dhs.gov. Please note that the contact information provided here is solely for questions regarding this notice. Individuals seeking information about other CBP programs should contact the CBP National Customer Service Center at 877–227–5511, (TTY) 1–800–877–8339, or CBP website at https://www.cbp.gov/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CBP invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the proposed and/or continuing information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register (89 FR 65640) on August 12, 2024, allowing for a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8. Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies should address one or more of the following four points: (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) suggestions to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) suggestions to PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 87389 minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. The comments that are submitted will be summarized and included in the request for approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. Overview of This Information Collection Title: Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and Permit. OMB Number: 1651–0003. Form Number: 7512, 7512A. Current Actions: This submission is being made to extend the expiration date with an increase to the estimated annual burden hours. No change to the information collected or method of collection. Type of Review: Extension (with change). Affected Public: Businesses. Abstract: Title 19 U.S.C. 1552–1554 authorizes the movement of imported merchandise from the port of importation to another Customs and Border Protection (CBP) port prior to release of the merchandise from CBP custody. Forms 7512, ‘‘Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and Permit,’’ and 7512A, ‘‘Continuation Sheet,’’ allow CBP to exercise control over merchandise moving in-bond (merchandise that has not entered the commerce of the United States). Forms 7512 and 7512A are filed by importers, brokers, or carriers, and they collect information such as the names of the importer and consignee, a description of the imported merchandise, and the ports of lading and unlading. Use of these forms is provided for by various provisions in 19 CFR to include 19 CFR 10.60, 19 CFR 10.61, 19 CFR 123.41, 19 CFR 123.42, 19 CFR 122.92, and 19 CFR part 18. These forms are accessible at: https://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/ forms/. Type of Information Collection: Forms 7512 and 7512A. Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,200. Estimated Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 871. Estimated Number of Total Annual Responses: 5,400,200. Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 900,033. E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM 01NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87387-87389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24464]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection


Continuing Education Requirement for Licensed Customs Brokers

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: General notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This document announces that individual customs broker license 
holders may begin completing qualified continuing broker education 
courses on January 1, 2025 (compliance date) and, accordingly, 20 
credits as the prorated number of required credit hours for the 
triennial period beginning on February 1, 2024, and ending on January 
31, 2027. Further, this notice announces the criteria that U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection (CBP) used to select qualified accreditors, the 
list of CBP-selected qualified accreditors, and the period of award for 
these accreditors.

DATES: Individual brokers may begin completing qualified continuing 
broker education courses on January 1, 2025. The initial three-year 
period of award for CBP-selected qualified accreditors will be from 
June 2, 2024, through June 1, 2027.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elena D. Ryan, Special Advisor, Broker 
Continuing Education, Trade Policy and Programs, Office of Trade, U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, at (202) 302-2426 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Section 641 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1641), 
provides that individuals and business entities must hold a valid 
customs broker's license and permit to transact customs business on 
behalf of others. The statute also sets forth standards for the 
issuance of broker licenses and permits, provides for disciplinary 
action against customs brokers in the form of suspension or revocation 
of such licenses and permits, and provides for the assessment of 
monetary penalties against customs brokers. The statute also provides 
for the assessment of monetary penalties against persons for conducting 
customs business without the required broker's license.
    Based upon 19 U.S.C. 1641, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 
has promulgated regulations setting forth additional obligations of 
customs brokers pertinent to the conduct of their customs business, in 
part 111 of title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR part 
111). Part 111 provides the regulations regarding the licensing and 
granting of permits to persons desiring to transact customs business as 
customs brokers. These regulations also include the qualifications 
required of applicants, the procedures for applying for licenses and 
permits, the duties and responsibilities of individual brokers, the 
grounds and procedures for disciplining individual brokers, including 
the assessment of monetary penalties, and the revocation or suspension 
of licenses and permits. CBP has also updated part 111 to require 
individual brokers to satisfy a continuing education requirement.
    CBP believes that maintaining current knowledge of customs laws and 
procedures is essential for customs brokers to meet their legal duties. 
Requiring a customs broker to fulfill a continuing education 
requirement is the most effective means to ensure that the customs 
broker keeps up with an ever-changing customs practice after passing 
the broker exam and subsequently receiving the license. Therefore, on 
October 28, 2020, CBP published an advance notice of proposed 
rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register (85 FR 68260), soliciting 
comments on a potential framework of continuing education requirements 
for licensed customs brokers. On September 10, 2021, CBP published a 
notice of

[[Page 87388]]

proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (86 FR 50794), in 
which CBP responded to the 29 comments it received in response to the 
ANPRM, and adopted some of the suggestions proposed by the commenters. 
CBP thus drafted the NPRM accordingly and announced proposed regulatory 
amendments to include a proposed framework for individual customs 
broker license holders (individual brokers) to administratively 
maintain their license through completion of qualified continuing 
broker education.
    On June 23, 2023, CBP published a final rule in the Federal 
Register (88 FR 41224). In the final rule, CBP responded to the 70 
comments it received in response to the NPRM, and adopted as final, 
with changes, the proposed amendments. The final rule added a new 
subpart F in part 111, requiring continuing education for individual 
brokers and setting forth the framework for administering the 
requirement. In addition, CBP stated that it would announce, in a 
Federal Register notice following publication of the final rule, the 
date on which individual brokers may begin completing qualified 
continuing broker education courses and the prorated number of required 
continuing broker education credit hours for the triennial period 
beginning on February 1, 2024, and ending on January 31, 2027 (the 
2024-2027 triennial period). The final rule also noted that CBP will 
announce the date on which qualified continuing broker education 
courses will be available to individual brokers to begin meeting the 
requirement and will publish an initial list of available qualified 
continuing broker education opportunities on CBP.gov. Lastly, CBP will 
periodically publish notices in the Federal Register announcing the 
criteria that CBP will use to select an accreditor, the period during 
which CBP will accept applications by potential accreditors, and the 
period of award for CBP-selected accreditors.

II. CBP Implementation of the Continuing Education Requirement for 
Licensed Customs Brokers

A. Compliance Date and Prorated Number of Required Continuing Broker 
Education Credit Hours for the 2024-2027 Triennial Period

    CBP has now completed full implementation of the framework for 
administering the new continuing broker education requirement. Thus, 
CBP is ready to announce that individual brokers may begin completing 
qualified continuing broker education courses on January 1, 2025 
(compliance date). On this same date, qualified continuing broker 
education courses will be made available to individual brokers to begin 
meeting the requirement. The initial list of available qualified 
continuing broker education opportunities, as well as free qualified 
continuing broker education activities available to individual brokers 
through CBP and other U.S. government agency offerings, may be found at 
CBP.gov. CBP believes that individual brokers will be able to fulfill 
the continuing broker education requirement through the free, online-
based trainings that CBP and other U.S. government agencies offer, 
alone.
    The CBP regulations in section 111.102(b) require individual 
brokers to complete at least 36 continuing education credits of 
qualifying continuing broker education per triennial period, with 
limited exceptions. In the final rule, CBP announced that, to allow for 
full implementation of the continuing education requirement, CBP would 
reduce the 36 continuing education credits required to be completed for 
the 2024-2027 triennial period by six (6) credit hours for 
approximately every six (6) months that elapse between February 1, 
2024, and the compliance date on which individual brokers may begin 
completing qualified continuing broker education courses. To give 
individual brokers additional time to prepare for the new continuing 
education requirement, CBP is reducing the number of required credit 
hours that individual brokers must earn to 20 credit hours for the 
2024-2027 triennial period (with certification of completion of the 
credits by February 1, 2027). This reduced number of credits applies to 
the 2024-2027 triennial period only. Individual brokers are required to 
earn the full 36 credit hours for all triennial periods following the 
2024-2027 triennial period.

B. CBP-Selected Accreditors

    In order to supplement the available trainings offered by CBP and 
other U.S. government agencies, CBP selected accreditors to administer 
the accreditation of additional broker training and educational 
activities offered by providers other than by a U.S. government agency.
    Section 111.103(c) sets forth the process used by CBP for selection 
of accreditors, based on a Request for Information (RFI) and a Request 
for Proposal (RFP) announced through the System for Award Management 
(SAM) or any other electronic system for award management approved by 
the U.S. General Services Administration, in accordance with the 
Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR 1.000 et seq.), for a specific 
period of award, subject to renewal. On August 29, 2023, CBP announced 
through SAM an RFI (Notice ID 201400XX) seeking information from 
organizations interested in establishing a relationship with CBP to 
review and accredit commercial training, programs, course materials, 
and other activities relating to the new continuing education 
requirement for licensed customs brokers. CBP received replies from 11 
organizations expressing such interest. In response to the replies CBP 
received, on February 6, 2024, CBP announced through SAM a non-
traditional RFP (Notice ID 70B06C24R00000030) to solicit applications 
to become approved accreditors of qualifying continuing customs broker 
education. The RFP set forth the following criteria to be used for the 
selection of accreditors:
     Identification of at least one key official in the 
applicant's organization that holds an individual customs broker 
license.
     Demonstration of knowledge of international trade laws, 
customs laws and regulations, and general customs practices for 
imported goods and goods subject to drawback.
     Demonstration of knowledge of other U.S. Government 
agencies that are involved in transactions of international trade.
     A description of the applicant's process for handling 
accreditation requests, beginning with how an individual submits a 
training or educational activity proposed for credit to the applicant, 
including detail on electronic and online methods for submitting 
materials for consideration.
     Confirmation that the applicant's process for handling 
accreditation requests uses a secure online (web-based) repository and 
an overview of the basic functionality of the envisioned online 
repository, and confirmation that the applicant can protect any 
business sensitive or proprietary information collected in the 
requests.
     Identification of up to five (5) professional references 
with contact information, who should be familiar with the applicant's 
relevant professional history, job performance, and have the knowledge 
to determine if the applicant is capable of conducting the kind of 
complex work described in this RFP. Additionally, the applicant was 
required to provide contact information that included an individual's 
full name, entity employing the individual (if applicable), email 
address, and telephone number.

[[Page 87389]]

     Disclosure of any known potential organizational or 
personal conflicts of interest, any applicant personnel who have 
previously been employed by CBP, and any applicant personnel who 
perform critical functions for one or more other applicants applying to 
be approved accreditors under this RFP.
     Demonstration of the applicant's ability and commitment to 
complete the accreditation process, resulting in transmission of an 
approval or denial of credit to the requestor, within four (4) business 
days of request submission.
    CBP evaluated the applications received in response to the RFP 
based on the above-mentioned criteria and selected the following 
accreditors:

 E-Merchants Trade Council Inc. (EMTC)-Global Trade 
Professionals Alliance (GTPA)-Practera
 International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA)
 National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America 
(NCBFAA)
 Sandler Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.
 Tr[uuml]Trade Solutions, Inc.

The initial three-year period of award for CBP-selected accreditors 
will be from June 2, 2024, through June 1, 2027. The list of CBP-
selected accreditors may be found at CBP.gov.

    Dated: October 11, 2024.
AnnMarie R. Highsmith,
Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade.
[FR Doc. 2024-24464 Filed 10-31-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P

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