The system, named the Single Trade Window (STW), is central to the UK Government’s 2025 UK Border Strategy.
“When fully operational it [the STW] will provide a gateway between businesses and UK border processes and systems, allowing users to meet their import, export and transit obligations by submitting information once, and in one place,” says H M Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Following the Great Britain’s departure from the European Single Market, traders and logistics companies have had to get to grips with a number of systems, including the following:
- Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS)
- The Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS – only used in Northern Ireland)
- The Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES)
- The Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system
The hope is that the move to singular system will reduce errors and streamline customs and SPS processes.
“Crucially, the STW is a fundamental enabler for future change at the border. It will deliver a set of technology capabilities that make a range of border policy changes possible that were historically not feasible due to the disparate sources of border data across government,” adds HMRC.
Deloitte has been tasked with co-designing, building, operating and maintaining a “market leading digital platform” for the UK STW.
The company will have to ensure the service design and delivery of the STW is fit for now and for the future, to enable the “range of ambitious border transformations that Government is undertaking”.
Those ambitions include the “integration of supply chain data into HMG’s border model and ultimately implementation of the Ecosystem of Trust model which HMG is currently piloting with industry”.
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