“Significant changes are imminent” for brokers that deal with duty-free entries under government military contracts through the Defense Contract Management Agency, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an emailed alert. Beginning Jan. 14, customs brokers no longer will have access to a portal in the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) to download the duty-free certification required for entry filing, the NCBFAA said. Instead, they’ll access duty-free entry “via a tokenized email,” the trade group said. While the process after the email is received “appears to be user friendly,” it’s still unclear how the broker will get the email and whether it will be timely sent, the NCBFAA said.

The Defense Department, the General Services Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are adjusting procurement thresholds according to a pre-determined formula under relevant trade agreements and the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement, as it does every two years, it said in a notice. The new thresholds take effect Jan. 15. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in December had announced the new procurement thresholds to begin Jan. 1.

The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notice for Nov. 19:

Defense officials in the Trump administration are treading cautiously in determining whether to take any tariff or quota action against other countries, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Ellen Lord said Oct. 4 during the Bureau of Industry and Security annual export control policy conference. The administration launched Section 232 investigations in April into whether steel and aluminum imports are a threat to national security, and affirmative findings could result in tariffs or quotas on those products. The investigations, led by the Commerce Department, remain under interagency review after Commerce indefinitely postponed its self-imposed deadline of June 30 for concluding the steel investigation (see 1705240034).

The Defense Department, the General Services Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to add Ukraine and Moldova as new designated countries under the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement, in a final rule (here). Ukraine and Moldova joined the procurement agreement in 2016. The final rule takes effect Oct. 31.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on March 26 called on Congress to “reinforce our nation’s security” by passing Trade Promotion Authority and allowing the Obama administration to lock down pending trade pacts. “The bottom line is that, as global trade intensifies, we need to be both at the helm, and in the thick of it,” he said at the State Department’s Global Chiefs of Mission Conference (here). “Three years ago, trade accounted for about a third of global GDP. In a decade, it could approach half of global GDP. America’s economy, and our security that depends on it, cannot afford to be left behind.” Some observers say the Trans-Pacific Partnership is nearing completion, and the U.S. is calling for progress this year in Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. Carter said trade boosts jobs, and pointed to overlooked contributions the U.S. makes to global supply chains.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Nov. 24:

The Department of Defense will host a Sept. 4 meeting with domestic athletic footwear manufacturers to discuss the details of a DoD policy that will require the agency to purchase footwear from domestic manufacturers, said advocate of the policy Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine. The policy brings the government into compliance with the Berry Amendment, and may provide a boost to industry in New England, Michaud added. The agency said in April it would take steps to implement the law, which gives preference to domestic producers in government procurement (here).

The Department of Defense issued a final rule May 6 to improve the detection and avoidance of counterfeit electronic parts in the defense acquisitions process. The final rule implements provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that address contractor responsibilities, the use of trusted suppliers, and requirements that contractors report counterfeit electronic parts and suspect counterfeit electronic parts. The amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement take effect May 6.

The U.S. Defense Department is adjusting its trade agreement thresholds according to a pre-determined formula under the agreements, as it does every two years, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Dec. 31. The new thresholds take effect Jan. 1. On Dec. 18, the U.S. Trade Representative published new procurement thresholds 13121721.