Border patrol gets $75.9m IT boost

Photo / Greg Bowker

A $75.9 million Government IT project aims to slash paperwork for international traders and use sophisticated software to hone-in on suspicious passengers and freight at ports and airports.

Plans to build the Joint Border Management System - to be used by several Government departments policing the border - have been in the pipeline for several years but the project has been delayed by a lack of funding.

However, in last week's Budget the Government committed $75.9 million over the next four years to complete the first stages of the JBMS project.

Most of the funding is allocated to the Customs Service, which is managing the project, although $6.7 million has been allocated to "Vote Biosecurity" controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which will be another major user of the system.

As a result of last week's funding confirmation, the Customs Service this week issued tendering documents to IT companies interesting in bidding to build the JBMS.

In the documents Customs says parts of the main software system it uses, CusMod, built between 1993 and 1995, are now obsolete.

It also says Quantum, the software MAF uses to manage biosecurity risks at the border, has become ineffective and a large amount of information needs to be recorded manually by MAF staff. Data links between Customs, MAF and the systems run by importers and exporters are "inefficient and incomplete", Customs says.

"MAF, for the most part, had to manage the significant growth in trade and travel in the past 10 years by increasing staff numbers at the border rather than by enhancing its systems."

The JBMS will allow the Government to create a "trade single window" - a hub for exchanging information electronically between importers, exporters and government agencies.

The development of a trade single window is seen as vital in improving efficiencies for businesses, many of which are required to spend significant time and effort completing and faxing shipping documentation to Customs and MAF.

Customs has told IT vendors interested in bidding to build the system it will need to be able to process the 65 million items of mail the department processes each year, more than nine million air travellers who fly into and out of the country each year, and several million messages and electronic transactions related to import and export activities.

It also wants the system to be able to cope with an expected 5 per cent per annum increase in processing requirements.

Customs expects to short-list a group of IT companies to bid for the JBMS work in August.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson said last week the JBMS would reduced compliance and operating costs for businesses, and benefit travellers by enabling those deemed "low risk" by MAF Biosecurity staff to be processed at checkpoints faster.

FLASH SYSTEM
* The Government plans to spend $75.9 million over the next four years on the first stages of a major new IT system to police the border.
* The Joint Border Management System will streamline the flow of information between government agencies including Customs, MAF, Immigration, the Food Safety Authority, Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, Police, Ministry of Justice and IRD.
* It aims to reduce compliance costs and paperwork headaches for businesses including importers, exporters, freight forwarders, customs brokers, shipping agents, port and airport authorities.
* It will use data-matching and analysis software to flag suspicious travellers, freight and vessels arriving at airports and ports.