BSI Makes the 'GRADE' with U.S. Customs and Border Protection

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Mar 30, 2010, 06:25 ET

RESTON, Va., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program has selected BSI to provide a single-source, web-based intelligence repository that will be readily accessible by the C-TPAT's Supply Chain Security Specialists (SCSS). This purpose-built solution, termed Global Risk Analysis & Data Evaluation (GRADE), will assist the SCSS through a systematic approach of quantifying country risk factors necessary to help make informed decisions on where to conduct international C-TPAT validations.

BSI maintains one of the largest, continuously-updated, non-governmental proprietary databases that quantifies the risk of more than 870 terrorist groups and their threat to Western destined commerce. GRADE will provide the Supply Chain Security Specialists up-to-date country risk analysis data, risk of terrorism threats to Western interests, cargo disruption analysis in 200+ countries, country demographics, as well as extensive travel security data. Intelligence within GRADE will assist C-TPAT SCSS determine at risk locations and at risk supply chains in order to provide a risk-based approach to C-TPAT validation site selection.

BSI's Supply Chain Security experience, proprietary anti-Western terrorism and cargo disruption data bases and transportation security infrastructure assessments in more than 50 countries provides the foundation of GRADE. "We are working with the C-TPAT group to provide a clear and quantifiable measure of transportation and cargo security risk posed in every country. This insight will provide the Supply Chain Security Specialists a foundation of country level risks and help uniform the manner in which supply chain exposures are analyzed prior to performing the validation assessments," said Dan Purtell, BSI Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Solutions.

About BSI

BSI is a global independent business services organization that inspires confidence and delivers assurance to over 80,000 customers with standards-based solutions. Originating as the world's first national standards body, BSI has over 2,300 staff operating in over 120 countries through more than 50 global offices. BSI's key offerings are:

The development and sale of private, national and international standards and supporting information that promote and share best practice
Second and third-party management systems assessment and certification in all critical areas of management disciplines
Testing and certification of services and products for Kitemark and CE marking to UK, European and International standards. BSI is a Notified Body for 15 New Approach EU Directives
Certification of high-risk, complex medical devices
Performance management software solutions
Training services in support of standards implementation and business best practice.

For further information, please visit www.bsiamerica.com

About BSI's Supply Chain Solutions

BSI is a leading global provider of risk-based solutions, assessments, and training programs that emphasize C-TPAT regulatory compliance and protect corporate brand identity. Our extensive knowledge of business processes and management systems enables us to offer sophisticated supply chain management solutions, such as our Supplier Compliance Manager® (SCM). SCM incorporates BSI's proprietary global cargo tampering data and terrorism risk modeling to enable customers to effectively assess and mitigate supply chain risk, as well as meet rigorous government regulatory requirements.

An intelligence-based risk mitigation approach to supply chain management enables:

Informed procurement decisions by companies
Identify and address chain of custody gaps before incidents occur
Reduce costs associated with loss, theft, or other illicit activity
Improve cycle-time to market
Facilitate compliance with U.S. and other regulatory requirements related to supply chain safety and security

For further information, please visit: www.bsiamerica.com/supplychainsecurity

About U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is one of the Department of Homeland Security's largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws.