C-TPAT is a joint government-business initiative to build cooperative relationships that strengthen overall supply chain and border security. C-TPAT recognizes that Customs can provide the highest level of security only through close cooperation with the ultimate owners of the supply chain: importers, carriers, Customs brokers, warehouse operators and manufacturers.

Through this initiative, Customs is asking importers, Customs brokers and NVOCCs to ensure the integrity of their security practices and communicate their security guidelines to their business partners within the supply chain.

The principals of Pier 34 Solutions, Inc. are experts in supply-chain security, which puts us in an excellent position to assist importers with achieving Certified Partnership in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) initiative of the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. We will assist you throughout the entire process, and alert you to situations and procedures in your business that can be altered to make your supply chain more secure.

Pier 34 Solutions, Inc. has developed a methodology that assists importers, Customs brokers and NVOCCs with this important process.  We have designed Security Surveys that meet or exceed CBP C-TPAT standards. We ask each entity in your supply chain to provide detailed information about their security awareness and implementation.  Inside the U.S.A., we help importers improve their security procedures and we suggest implementation of security measures, should we observe areas for improvement. Should changes or improvements be necessary at any stage of product handling, we follow up with suggested fixes.

After we have received the completed security surveys from your supply chain partners, and also your own comprehensive security information concerning your U.S. receiving points, we compile this information into a report that we submit to you for your approval. After your C-TPAT Point of Contact, who is a company officer in your organization, has approved the entire report, it is submitted to CBP. From that point forward, we follow CBP's progress with evaluating your application, and we assist you with any changes and/or additions that CBP requests.

After you have achieved a 1-Certified status in the C-TPAT, we can continue to evaluate security issues as relationships change in your supply chain dynamics, and we can continue to offer suggestions to keep your supply chain in full compliance with C-TPAT requirements as they exist at the moment of your certification, and as they evolve over time. We also can assist you through the CBP validation process. This process, executed by a CBP C-TPAT evaluation team, ensures that the security standards that you have stated to be in place, are in fact observed and are verifiable. After your successful validation, you will achieve Tier 2 status, and you will receive additional benefits at the points of entry for your imported merchandise.

Why join C-TPAT?

Over 80% of import volume into the USA is now done by companies that are C-TPAT certified. They derive measurable and extremely valuable benefits from their membership in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. 

C-TPAT offers businesses an opportunity to play an active role in the war against terrorism. By participating in this worldwide supply chain security initiative, companies will ensure a more secure and expeditious supply chain for their employees, suppliers and customers. Beyond these essential security benefits, CBP offers benefits, including:

• A reduced number of CBP inspections (reduced border delay times);
• Priority processing for CBP inspections. (Front of the Line processing for inspections when possible);
• Assignment of a C-TPAT Supply Chain Security Specialist (SCSS) who will work with the company to validate and enhance security throughout the company’s international supply chain;
• Potential eligibility for CBP Importer Self-Assessment program (ISA) with an emphasis on self-policing, not CBP audits.

Another very good reason to join C-TPAT is that many large US companies – your customers might be among them – are now demanding that their US suppliers are C-TPAT certified. So why miss out on high-volume business only because you haven’t taken the steps to become C-TPAT certified?