Better, more secure system for Customs up by July

The Division of Customs will soon have a more sophisticated and far easier way of tracking imports and assessing tariffs on goods coming into the CNMI with the acquisition of a new computer system.

The new system is from Saipan’s MegaByte and its partner, Express Electronics, an information technology company based in American Samoa.

Express Electronics vice president Gary Sword announced the contract between his company and MegaByte with the government agency during Tuesday’s Saipan Rotary Club meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan.

Sword said the system is an Oracle-based solution that is 80 percent out-of-the-box, with the other 20 percent reserved for customization procedures to align the system with the actual requirements of the division.

The $580,000-project was bid out last March, with funding coming from the Department of the Interior.

Sword said the system should be up and running by July. Express Electronics, an Oracle Business Partner, would train system administrators and end-users as part of the contract.

He said that, with the new computer system, all data entry will be electronically transferred, shipping manifests will be received electronically via e-mail, and vendor declaration of entry will be received electronically.

He also said shipments can be cleared in a shorter time and can also be pre-cleared. Payments can be handled at any Customs office and the connectivity between islands can be achieved.

Sword said local end-users would have no trouble managing the system because it is user-friendly as it runs on Windows-based software.

He said that, before the acquisition of the new system, data input used to place a large burden on small island customs personnel; imports and exports were not being tracked most of the time due to lack of a comprehensive computer system; and import duties were not being collected due to inconsistent assessment of tariff rates.

He said criminals always take advantage of the lack of border security measures. He cited that early this year, five persons in Palau, including an immigration officer, were caught submitting false documents to its Customs office.

Sword also said foreign business people sometimes take advantage of the limited technology employed by small islands countries, including Saipan. Illegal commodities place a strain on the limited resources of an island, he said.

The software’s use at the Customs office can now help ease tracking imports and assessing tariffs on all items crossing the border to assure equal vendor treatment. Also, there would be improved cash flow, as all transactions are system generated.

The software would also help the tax office collaborate on correct tax assessment based on vendor imports. Sword said the system could now track officers for possible collaboration with certain vendors.

Customs officers can now inspect shipments more thoroughly to help them identify items used in making prohibited drugs and determine commodity trafficking.

Sword said the system could help Customs track importers and shippers before entry into the CNMI ports via an alert notification to identify criminals and possible terrorists.