CBP Issued a Request for "White Papers" on Smart and Secure Containers

According to the RFI, this solicitation of white papers was open for 60 days (from December 16, 2003 through February 17, 2004). CBP sources have confirmed that there has been no extension of the February 17, 2004 deadline for the submission of white papers. (Sources note that this RFI was not published in the Federal Register and was available to the public through the Federal Business Opportunities Web site (www.fedbizopps.gov).)

CBP notes that this RFI is not a request for proposal (RFP), but for investigative purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the government.

Innovative Concepts for Smart and Secure Containers and Related Infrastructure

In its RFI, CBP stated that it was soliciting white papers from state and local governments, consortia, industry, and academia on innovative concepts for smart and secure containers and related infrastructure to be used in the trade system. According to CBP, some examples of what smart containers might entail include:

off-the-shelf concepts for improving integrity and security of containers presently in the international trade system;

advanced concepts for detecting intrusion en route and assuring integrity of a container upon arrival at a port of entry;

advanced concepts for container designs employing embedded technologies for timely detection of contraband materials including explosives, radiological and special nuclear materials, chemical/biological agents and their precursors, and devices and weapons employing these agents or materials;

advanced approaches addressing the infrastructures required for supporting embedded technology systems (i.e., power, communications, multiple sensor modules, etc.)

CBP also stated that the concepts for smart and secure containers should address one of the following four implementation timelines: (1) concepts that are deployable immediately; (2) concepts that are deployable within 6 months; (3) concepts that will take less than 24 months to deploy; and (4) concepts that will take longer than 24 months to deploy.

In addition, CBP stated that the practicality of implementation, operational impact, estimated costs, and potential pilot test concepts should be discussed in the white papers.

CBP Does Not Expect to Make White Papers Available to the Public

CBP sources state that they do not expect to make the white papers they received in response to this RFI available to the public.

World Shipping Council Responds to CBP's Request for "White Papers"

Although CBP will not be making the white papers publicly available, at least one trade association that submitted a white paper, the World Shipping Council (WSC), has made its white paper available to the public on its Web site.

According to a WSC press release, the WSC white paper proposes several principles of general applicability that it believes the government should consider in any smart and secure container effort, and responds to CBP's inquiry about the need to consider costs and operational impacts in such efforts.

The press release also states that WSC's paper provides a recommended framework for how Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology used in electronic seals and in cargo shipment tags should be analyzed and applied in the consideration of "smart" container initiatives.

RFI (posted 12/16/03) available at http://www1.eps.gov/servlet/Documents/R/269510.

WSC press release (dated 02/18/04) available at

http://www.worldshipping.org/press_release_customs and WSC white paper (dated 02/17/04) available at http://www.worldshipping.org/cbprif_wscresponse.pdf.