Air Force Trouser Contract Awarded

June 27, 2024, Goodwill Industries of South Florida Inc.,** Miami, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $16,927,067 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for curvy and straight trousers. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. The ordering period end date is June 24, 2029. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2029 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-22-D-N016).

**Mandatory source

New Request for Commercial Availability Determination under the CAFTA-DR: Certain Nylon/Polyester Dobby Weave Fabric

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) is considering Commercial Availability Request File Number CA2024002 for certain nylon/polyester dobby weave fabric, as specified below.

Responses are due by 11:59 P.M. EST on Monday, July 8, 2024.

SPECIFICATIONS: Certain Nylon/Polyester Dobby Weave Fabric

HTS: 5407.73.2015, 5407.73.2060, 5407.53.2020, and 5407.53.2060

Fabric Type: Dobby Weave on a Triple Beam Air Jet Loom

Fabric Content: 78% - 88% Polyester / 12% - 22% Nylon

Yarn Size:

Warp Yarn 1: Polyester 170Denier/144Filament Full Dull Air Textured Yarn (FDATY)

Warp Yarn 2: 166D/68F Nylon

Warp Yarn 3: Nylon 30D monofilament

Filling Yarn 1: Polyester 75D/72F Semi Dull Texturized

Filling Yarn 2: Polyester 170D/144F

Filling Yarn 3: Nylon 30D monofilament + 166D/68F Cordura (Nylon 6.6)

Note: Yarn size may vary by +/- 5% after processing. The yarn size designations describe a range of specifications for yarn in its greige condition. They are intended as specifications to be followed by the mill in sourcing yarn to produce the fabric. Weaving, dyeing, and finishing can alter the characteristic of the yarn as it appears in the finished fabric. This specification therefore includes yarns appearing in the finished fabric as finer or coarser than the designated yarn sizes, provided that the variation occurs after processing of the greige yarn and production of the fabric.

Thread Count:

Metric: Various

English: Various

Weight: 147 - 185 grams per sq. meter

Finished Density (ends/cm x picks/cm): 102 - 113 x 159 - 176

Face Side (Technical Face or Back): Technical Side

Width:

Metric: 137 to 150 cm, 142.24 cuttable

English: 54-60 inches, 57 cuttable

Dye Type: Yarn Dye of Various colors

Marine Corps Sweater Contract Awarded

June 20, 2024, Heartland Manufacturing,* Edgewood, New York, has been awarded a maximum $8,650,008 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for sweaters. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is five-year contract with no option periods. The ordering period end date is June 19, 2029. Using military service is Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-24-D-0056).

*Small business

Navy and Marine Corps Cap Contract Awarded

June 18, 2024, Southeastern Kentucky Rehabilitation Industries,** Corbin, Kentucky, has been awarded a maximum $48,607,173 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for caps. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. The ordering period end date is June 17, 2029. Using military services are Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-24-D-N017).

**Mandatory source

Sandbag Contract Awarded

June 14, 2024, AMR Supply LLC,* Bradenton, Florida (SPE8E6-24-D-0006); and CJ Connolly LLC,* Baltimore, Maryland (SPE8E6-24-D-0007), are sharing a maximum $19,380,313 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE8E6-23-R-0006 for polypropylene and cotton duck sandbags. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. These are two-year base contracts with three one-year option periods. The ordering period end date is June 14, 2026. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

*Small business

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Rulings and Legal Decisions Update

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• CBP conducted over 800 domestic and international outreach events – including trainings, conferences, public meetings, capacity building, and more – with U.S. manufacturers, importers, and members of the international customs community to increase awareness and mitigate risks in trade.
• In FY 2023, CBP partnered with 16 domestic and international academic and private industry entities, to provide technical guidance on the compliant importation of biological materials and highlight our layered agriculture safeguarding continuum. » CBP processed over $5 trillion in combined imports/exports. » The volume of entries CBP processed declined from 39.1 million in FY 2022 to 36.7 million; however, the value of imports processed was nearly the same, at $3.33 trillion compared to $3.35 trillion in FY 2022.
• The agency processed more than 36.6 million imported cargo containers at U.S. ports of entry and collected approximately $92.3 billion in duties, taxes, and other fees on behalf of the U.S. government in FY 2023, a 17.46% decrease from FY 2022.
• CBP issued more than 6,400 rulings and decisions that provide the trade community with guidance regarding the application of customs laws and regulations in order to facilitate trade compliance.
• CBP completed 435 audits and collected $114.5 million as a result of the audit work.
• CBP facilitated over 785 million transactions in Section 321 Data Pilot and Entry Type 86 Test. These technology pilots seek to collaborate with industry partners to mitigate risk and expedite clearance of low value e-commerce shipments.
• Approximately $3 billion in time and cost savings to CBP and the trade community were associated with Entry Type 86 electronic clearances. Since their inception, both pilots have resulted in an approximately 90% reduction in holds in participating online platforms. Publication number: 3737-0624
• The U.S. processed over 1 billion de minimis shipments, those valued at $800 or less, worth over $50 billion through postal, express, and non-express facilities.

To read full report Click HERE

De Minimis Webinar: Back to Basics

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Trade is hosting a webinar on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. ET titled De minimis: Back to Basics. The webinar will provide an overview of the basic filing requirements and data quality for the importation of de minimis shipments.

REGISTER HERE

After the live event, this and other previously recorded webinars will be available for replay at Trade Outreach Webinars

Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee

On June 10, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection published in the Federal Register (89 FR 48906) Committee management; notice of open Federal advisory committee meeting.

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Long Beach, CA. The meeting will be open for the public to attend in person or via webinar. The in-person capacity is limited to 50 persons for public attendees.

The COAC will hear from the current subcommittees on the topics listed below:

1. The Intelligent Enforcement Subcommittee will provide updates on the work completed and topics discussed in its working groups as well as present proposed recommendations for the COAC's consideration. The Antidumping/Countervailing Duty (AD/CVD) Working Group will provide updates regarding its work and discussions on importer compliance with AD/CVD requirements. The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Process Modernization Working Group anticipates providing proposed recommendations for the committee's consideration regarding the Trade Seminars Mailbox and enhancements to the CBP Petitions Portal specific to IPR enforcement. The Forced Labor Working Group (FLWG) will provide updates regarding its updated Statement of Work that aims to enhance focus on technology best practices, stakeholder training and guidance, increased transparency on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) applicability reviews, and enforcement of cotton imports under the UFLPA. Additionally, the FLWG will continue to monitor progress of the implementation of prior recommendations made by the COAC.

2. The Next Generation Facilitation Subcommittee will provide updates on all its existing working groups. The Broker Modernization Working Group (BMWG) plans to present proposed recommendations which aim to improve the end user experience and re-envision the Customs Broker Licensing Exam (CBLE). The Modernized Entry Processes Working Group (MEPWG) will report on the work done in the area of Cyber Incident Guidance for Brokers. The remaining working groups, the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) 2.0 Working Group, the Passenger Air Operations Working Group, and the Customs Interagency Industry Working Group (CIIWG), were not active this past quarter but will provide a report on topics that each working group will focus on in the coming quarter.

3. The Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee will provide updates on its seven active working groups: the Centers Working Group, the Cross- Border Recognition Working Group, the De Minimis Working Group, the Export Modernization Working Group, the FTZ/Warehouse Working Group, the Pipeline Working Group, and the Trade Partnership and Engagement Working Group. The Centers Working Group has continued to have robust discussions around the interactions between the Centers of Excellence and Expertise (Centers) and the trade community, including opportunities for improved communications and for providing the trade community with a better understanding of the Centers' internal organization. The Cross-Border Recognition Working Group has continued to discuss best practices at ports of entry on the southern border that facilitate legitimate trade. The De Minimis Working Group has continued discussions on the revised timeframe for submitting Type 86 entries and on potential compliance measurements for de minimis shipments that CBP can communicate to the trade community. The Export Modernization Working Group has continued its work on the Electronic Export Manifest Pilot Program. The Export Modernization Working Group is specifically focused on the effects of progressive filing by the shipper to continuously update export information on successive dates, rather than on a specific date. The Drawback Task Force under the Export Modernization Working Group has continued discussions around recommendations from last quarter, conducting an analysis of program statistics and examining areas to maximize resources. The FTZ/Warehouse Working Group continues to review previous recommendations along with 19 CFR part 146 and anticipates presenting proposed recommendations at the June public meeting. The Pipeline Working Group has continued discussing the most appropriate commodities and potential users of Distributed Ledger Technology to engage once the pilot for tracking pipeline-borne goods deploys. The Trade Partnership and Engagement Working Group has continued its work on the elements of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) security program and the validation process.

Physical Training Gear Jacket Contract Awarded

June 10, 2024, Blind Industries and Services of Maryland,*** Baltimore, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $7,814,400 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for physical training gear jackets. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is North Carolina, with a June 9, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Air Force and Space Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-24-D-B018). ***Mandatory source

Undershirt Contract Awarded

June 6, 2024, Peckham Vocational Industries Inc.,** Lansing, Michigan, has been awarded a maximum $14,111,500 modification (P00006) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-22-D-N163) with four one-year option periods for silkweight undershirts. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The ordering period end date is June 9, 2025. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

** Mandatory source

CBP Reports on Intellectual Property Rights Violation Seizures

On June 4, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection released IPR Annual Seizure Statistics

CBP Continues to Intercept Counterfeit Designer Clothing, Shoes, Purses and Watches at the Rochester, N.Y. Port of Entry

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Rochester Port of Entry seized various designer items throughout the month of May for bearing counterfeit trademarks.

CBP officers inspected several shipments that contained multiple pieces of “designer” clothing, shoes, handbags, and watches. One high-end watch discovered had a value of approximately $1.2 million dollars. After a thorough examination of the merchandise, all the items were determined to be inauthentic and were seized for bearing counterfeit trademarks. Had these items been genuine, the total Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) value of the shipments would have a be approximately $1.6 million dollars.

More information and photos HERE

New Customs Ruling Relating to the Classification of "Festive Articles'

In New York Ruling (NY) N325599, dated April 27, 2022, CBP classified an inflatable Olaf snowman with a sprig of holly leaves and red berries on its scarf in heading 6307, HTSUS, specifically in subheading 6307.90.98, HTSUS, which provides for “Other made up articles, including dress patterns: Other: Other: Other.” CBP has reviewed NY N325599 and has determined the ruling letter to be in error. It is now CBP’s position that an inflatable Olaf snowman with a sprig of holly leaves and red berries on its scarf is properly classified, in heading 9505, HTSUS, specifically in subheading 9505.10.25, HTSUS, which provides for “Festive, carnival or other entertainment articles, including magic tricks and practical joke articles; parts and accessories thereof: Articles for Christmas festivities and parts and accessories thereof: Christmas Ornaments: Other.

Read more in CUSTOMS BULLETIN AND DECISIONS, VOL. 58, NO. 20, MAY 22, 2024

Renewal of the United States Manufacturing Council

On June 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce published in the Federal Register (89 FR 47898) notice that 0n March 22, 2024, the charter of the United States Manufacturing Council (Council) was renewed for a two-year period, ending March 22, 2026. The Council is a Federal advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.