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Through a mutually beneficial strategic partnership with Bolero.net, ICS provides its public sector customs access to a cost-free document authentication, verification, and certification service (certificate of origins, manifest information, declarations, etc.).
The partnership provides for a validated, global, cross-industry solution that allows all parties in a trade chain to interact seamlessly with each other by automating their information exchange, all within a secure environment. The objective of the partnership is to enable users to take full advantage of electronic commerce by providing a set of standard electronic documents that will facilitate interoperability amongst the members of the community.
ICS’s MicroClear system is a comprehensive and integrated customs modernization, control, and advanced decision support system that provides a rich and extensible foundation for building sophisticated customs clearance applications that integrate with existing back-end systems. Because MicroClear architecture is based on the Microsoft .NET Framework, it is easy to extend the platform by choosing from the large number of integrated third-party solutions available, or by having developers customize MicroClear tools to meet business needs.
The integration of ICS’s customs modernization solution onto a Bolero.Net platform will provide several key benefits to MicroClear users (traders, brokers, carrier agents, shipping agents, inspectors, auditors and other governmental bodies accessing the system).
Through the partnership, users of MicroClear can take full advantage of electronic data exchange through a set of simplified technology-independent electronic trade documents, founded upon a common business model. Also, small and medium size traders can benefit from services previously available to large EDI-dependent companies, at substantially lower costs. As the number of authenticated electronic transactions improves, customs processes also benefit from additional accuracy, shorter delays, and greater conformance. Furthermore, Importers/Exporters are able to send and receive authenticated and approved documents electronically without the time delays and costs associated with courier services. Furthermore, clearance times and associated demurrage charges can be reduced substantially.
The partnership also provides a secure legal foundation for online transactions as the latest encryption technology is leveraged to validate messages and a rigorous registration procedure acts as the gatekeeper for prospective members of the electronic community. The partnership improves the security of commercial dealings relative to paper-based processes as the solution is operated by S.W.I.F.T, an organization that sets the gold standard for operational integrity. Standards are vital to the exchange of information among parties. Documents and data flow seamlessly only when all parties consistently use the same terminology and framework. The fluidity of transactions, more precisely, the submittal of customs clearance documentation, thereafter results in larger revenues in terms of cost and time savings.
The main objective of the MicroClear/Bolero.net partnership is to eliminate the need for bilateral data interchange agreements that describe the structure and contents of electronic data being exchanged between two parties and to ensure the validity of these documents (for example: between a trader and the customs department). This will be achieved by providing a set of common standards that can be applied multilaterally. More precisely, MicroClear/ Bolero.net will be pioneers in getting rid of these inefficiencies by moving global customs clearance transactions onto the Internet, allowing documents and data to be exchanged online between trading communities and other external bodies/ entities that interact with customs and excise departments worldwide.
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