How will the Single Window work?
To help make international trade more accessible and less onerous for all businesses, the DTI’s Small Business Service, HMRC, Defra and businesslink.gov.uk (Link to an external site - Disclaimer 
) have jointly set up the UK International Trade Single Window (UK ITSW) project in conjunction with SITPRO and with input from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
The project will deliver a web-based service on businesslink.gov.uk that will enable UK businesses to access all the information they need from across government to comply with international trade regulation in one place, and, ultimately, enable completion of necessary administrative processes online.
What are the benefits?
Some current examples of how bad the situation can be include companies moving leather coats who can face up to 26 controls (paperwork or physical inspections), pet food shipments up to 31 and bio pharmaceuticals up to 41. The duplication of data between these transactions is huge. Rationalising this down to a single set of data-elements, to be submitted only once, will save time and effort for traders.
It is estimated that UK ITSW will save Britain’s 150,000 international traders and their agents over £122m over the next five years. The estimated savings are based on reduced duplication of effort, ability to pre-populate forms, re-use of data between forms and improved dissemination of information across Government. This figure is set to rise rapidly once online transactions become available.
In addition, if the service encourages more of the country’s four million small and medium sized businesses into international trade, it will be good for business, ports, the UK economy and the freight forwarding industry. Improved compliance with regulations will also help protect the health of people, plants and animals in the UK by ensuring better control over imports.
When will implementation of UK ITSW begin?
The first stage of implementation launched a new International Trade information and guidance service at www.businesslink.gov.uk/internationaltrade (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ) in November 2006. Fresh content from across government was published on businesslink.gov.uk which guides traders through import and export regulations and procedures using concise explanations in plain English. The service also provides four interactive tools that help users find personalised answers to common international trade issues.
The launch in November also included a contact database which puts businesses in touch with organisations who can help them import and export with confidence, a glossary to explain the trade terms and acronyms involved with international trade, and a library of forms and links to government systems used for regulatory compliance in International Trade.
The new guides to importing and exporting can be found at www.businesslink.gov.uk/internationaltrade (Link to an external site - Disclaimer ).
What happens next?
From late- 2007, UK ITSW will launch the Automatic Licence Verification (ALV) service. This will allow the import systems of government departments, initially Defra, to link with HMRC's CHIEF system. Traders will benefit from more efficient administration and improved speed of Customs clearance, and government will be able to save resources while continuing to meet regulatory obligations.
Autumn 2007 will see the introduction of the first wave of online transactions – applications for CAP licences from the Rural Payments Agency - and the second launch of the information and guidance service, which will incorporate a free, online version of the Integrated Tariff of the United Kingdom.
The way forward
Phase Three of the UK ITSW project is in planning stage. If you are interested in participating in workshops to scope the next tranche of online transactions, please contact Sue Bravery 
.
The long-term aim of UK ITSW is to provide traders and their freight forwarders with a single interface for providing, in a single electronic message, all the information required to satisfy all government submissions to comply with regulation for international trade.
Traders and their agents will have the choice of submitting information once through a web form on the UK ITSW or alternatively using their commercial software to submit information required by Government directly to ITSW. This should greatly reduce the time and duplicated effort currently spent on required data submissions to numerous Government Departments.
For further information on the UK ITSW project, please contact Emma Fitzclarence emma.fitzclarence@businesslink.gov.uk.
What do traders think…
In 2004/2005, SITPRO undertook a study to quantify the benefits to UK businesses involved in international trade if the current procedures for lodging or exchanging information with government departments and/or agencies relating to a consignment were to be replaced by a single electronic window. The final report is now available on this website at www.sitpro.org.uk/reports/.
SITPRO also organises a Single Window Group to facilitate consultation with the trade. For further information about this group, please contact Graham Bartlett .
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