DESCRIPTION U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is seeking information from organizations who would be interested in establishing a relationship with CBP to review and accredit commercial training, programs, course materials, and other activities relating to a new continuing education requirement for licensed customs brokers. The accreditation services are intended to support CBP with assessing the quality of commercial training offerings for the award of continuing education credits that are a proposed requirement for licensed customs brokers. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT. It is for informational purposes only. A solicitation is NOT being issued. This Request for Information (RFI) from industry will allow the Government to identify interested sources capable of meeting all requirements. The information sought will be used for the purposes of preparing a future Request for Proposals to become an accreditor of education for licensed customs brokers. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The Government will not award a contract on the basis of this RFI, nor will the Government pay for any information submitted by respondents. All proprietary or sensitive corporate information must be clearly marked. This announcement in no way obligates or commits the Government to acquire any product or service. There shall be no basis for claims against the Government as a result of information submitted in response to this RFI. BACKGROUND CBP believes that it is necessary to implement an accreditation process for training or educational activities not offered by a U.S. Government agency, including the special allowance for instructors, discussion leaders, or speakers, to ensure that such activities meet the objectives of a continuing broker education requirement. This requirement is detailed in a Final Rule published June 21, 2023 (88 FR 41224). Due to resource constraints, CBP is not well positioned to review and accredit training and other educational activities. Thus, CBP, through the Office of Trade, is proposing to select accreditors who will review and approve or deny such training or educational activities for continuing education credit. This RFI follows the process outlined in 19 CFR § 111.103(c), and the accreditation process in paragraph (d) of § 111.103. Selection of accreditors (§ 111.103(c))—“The Office of Trade will select accreditors based on a Request for Information and a Request for Proposal announced through the System for Award Management (SAM).” Responsibilities of CBP-selected accreditors (§ 111.103(d))—“CBP-selected accreditors administer the accreditation of trainings or educational activities… for the purpose of the continuing broker education requirement by reviewing and approving or denying such educational content for continuing education credit.” REQUESTED INFORMATION CBP seeks information from organizations that believe they are able to provide accreditation services as it specifically relates to licensed customs brokers. In the proposed rule for continuing education (86 FR 50794), CBP proposed the following criteria to become an accreditor: At least one key official in the entity must have a customs broker's license; A demonstrated knowledge of international trade laws, customs laws and regulations, and general customs practices for imported goods and goods subject to drawback; A demonstrated knowledge of other U.S. Government agencies that are involved in transactions of international trade; A list of professional references; Resumes for the key personnel who would be involved in accrediting course work; A description of the process for how someone would submit a training or educational activity proposed for credit to the accreditor, including electronic and online methods for submitting materials for consideration; A description of the criteria the accreditor would use to approve or deny trainings or educational activities for continuing education credit; A description of how the accreditor would avoid conflicts of interest; A description of how the accreditor would track accreditation activity for CBP review; A description of how customers can provide feedback to the accreditor and CBP on the approval process; An estimate of the “turn around” time for approving/denying activities under consideration for accreditation; and, An estimate of the charge, if any, for approving/denying an activity under consideration for accreditation. If you would like to respond to this RFI, please specifically address: Are there other criteria other than those listed above that you believe CBP should take into account? What process would your organization use to accept and process accreditation requests from commercial training providers? What is a reasonable turn-around time for processing and approving/denying activities under consideration for accreditation? How would your organization avoid conflicts of interest? Do you foresee any conflicts of interest? What pricing models are employed to assess charges for requests for accreditation and what would be the estimated cost for evaluating a 1-hour training course curriculum and content delivery methodology? What other services does your organization provide? Please provide prior experience that relates to this requirement. RESPONSE FORMAT AND LIMITS All responses shall be submitted electronically in Adobe PDF format. Responding to this RFI is not a perquisite to bid on a subsequent RFP, if one is issued. Responses may include links to available product demonstration websites or videos. Responses are due no later than September 29, 2023, at 4:00 pm ET. Responses must be submitted via e-mail to the contract officer:
[email protected]. Responses received should not exceed seven (7) pages in length and include the following: Address each of the seven requests for information listed above. Provide the company name and address, point of contact with phone number and e-mail, business size, and DUNS number (if applicable). Any other pertinent information, such as assumptions made relating to the ability to satisfy specific requirements. INDUSTRY DAYS From October 30, 2023 to November 3, 2023, CBP will be conducting “Industry Days” to allow the vendors that responded to the RFI to give one-on-one presentations with CBP. CBP will review the RFI submissions and contact the vendor directly to schedule a presentation time. Vendors that submit a response to this RFI are not required to participate in the Industry Days. On October 30, 2023, CBP will hold a webinar for all interested parties to provide general information and give an overview of how the one-on-one sessions will be conducted. From October 31, 2023 through November 3, 2023, CBP will conduct one-on-one sessions with interested parties. These sessions will be 45 minutes long, and they can be conducted in-person with CBP or via webinar. The webinar platform can be chosen by the interested party so long as it is secure. The sessions will be held from 8am to 4pm, ET. If you choose to conduct a one-on-one session with CBP, your presentation should be no longer than 45 minutes and cover the following: Address each of the seven requests for information listed above. Provide the company name and address, point of contact with phone number and e-mail, business size, and DUNS number (if applicable). Any other pertinent information, such as assumptions made relating to the ability to satisfy specific requirements. Providing a presentation to CBP is not a perquisite to bid on a subsequent RFP, if one is issued. Presentations may include links to available product demonstration websites or videos. QUESTIONS Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the contracting officer (
[email protected]) before September 15, 2023, at 11am ET. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Answers to questions that are of interest to all Vendors may be posted as an addendum to this RFI. Therefore, questions should not include proprietary or classified information. SUMMARY THIS IS ONLY A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). The information derived from this RFI will assist CBP in identifying sources that can satisfy the requirements of the Statement of Objectives. The information and specifications provided in the RFI are subject to change and are not binding on the Government. CBP has not made a commitment to procure any of the items presented, and release of this RFI should not be construed as a commitment or authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.