Department of Homeland Security
 Customs and Border Protection
Centers of Excellence and Expertise
What are Centers of Excellence and Expertise?
 Industry-focused and account-based points of
virtual processing for post-release trade
activities
 Aligned by 10 key industry sectors in strategic
location
CEE
 Consolidate existing expertise and build
industry-specific education to authoritatively
facilitate trade
 Provide national overview of participating
accounts to identify areas for further
facilitation or corrective action
 Serve as a resource to the broader trade
community and to CBP’s U.S. government
partners
2
Why Centers?
• Objective:
– Focus on industry-specific
issues
– Facilitation
– Reduce transaction costs
– Increase compliance
– Increase uniformity of
treatment
• Past processing:
– Company imports into 60
ports of entry
– 60 ports conduct entry
summary reviews
• Centers
– Company imports into 60
ports of entry
– Single Center conducts
entry summary reviews
3
CEE Strategic Vision and End State
• Pre-arrival, arrival, and cargo release
– Port Directors: arrival and manifest processing; release authority for
narcotics, terrorism, agriculture, and other security risks
• Centers will perform all trade processing post-release
– Entry summary review/verification, liquidation, protest, reconciliation,
drawback, liquidated damage and penalty initiation, commercial fraud
case development, collaboration with HSI
• Supply chain security
– Centers will partner with Supply Chain Security Specialists in basic
supply chain management
• Policy analysis
– Centers will provide subject-matter expertise to HQ policymakers on
decisions affecting the Centers’ industry; ensure policy is executed
uniformly
What are the benefits?
Action
Eliminates unnecessary
duplicative work from
compliant imports
Ports of Entry focus shifts to
high-risk shipments
Centralized office for trade
inquiries
Cross-functional expertise
Benefits
 Fewer cargo delays
 Reduced costs
 Greater predictability
 More complex enforcement work
 Improved enforcement results:
o Increased import safety
o Increased revenue protection
o Reduced economic loss to IPR theft
 Improved relationship with CBP as
small/medium-sized importers have a
streamlined inquiry process for resolving
concerns
 Increased uniformity and transparency
for the trade
 Environment for in-depth learning to
increase CBP expertise and therefore
enforcement
5
Background:
Status (1/10/14)
CurrentCurrent
Status (05/22/14)
Center
6
Accounts
Electronics
52
Pharmaceuticals, Health & Chemicals
31
Apparel, Footwear & Textiles
26
Consumer Products & Mass Merchandising
18
Agriculture & Prepared Products
17
Petroleum, Natural Gas, & Minerals
15
Automotive & Aerospace
14
Base Metals
9
Machinery
9
Industrial & Manufacturing Materials
7
Background: End
EndStatus
Status
Estimated Importers of Record by Center once fully implemented
Center
IORs
Consumer Products & Mass Merchandising
79,500
Machinery
53,500
Apparel, Footwear & Textiles
34,400
Industrial & Manufacturing Materials
32,300
Agriculture & Prepared Products
29,000
Electronics
25,700
Automotive & Aerospace
18,800
Pharmaceuticals, Health & Chemicals
15,800
Base Metals
15,200
Petroleum, Natural Gas, & Minerals
7
2,000
Centers of Excellence and Expertise
Call (866) 295-7624 to connect with your Center of interest
Industrial &
Manufacturing
Materials
Automotive &
Aerospace
Base Metals
Apparel,
Footwear &
Textiles
Electronics
Pharmaceuticals,
Health &
Chemicals
Consumer
Products & Mass
Merchandising
Machinery
Petroleum,
Natural Gas &
Minerals
Agriculture &
Prepared
Products
CEE mailbox
CEE@cbp.dhs.gov