Thread by @AnnaJerzewska

On the NI Trader Support Service - why it's one of the biggest areas of risk in terms of Brexit readiness and why it has to work

/1

gov.uk/guidance/trade…

The Irish Sea border needs to be fully operational on 1 Jan. No simplifications, no phase-in period. Everything needs to work.

The contract for TSS has only been awarded a few weeks ago based on a last-minute proposal and design (the entire tender process was rushed).

/2

TSS will have several functions. One of them will be to provide customs advice to traders.

For that it needs consultants – that’s why the Institute of Export is hiring ppl.

You might also remember that we have a massive national shortage of ppl with customs knowledge.

/3

The 50k customs brokers estimated by Gov.

And this gig might not be paid as well as some other private-sector ones. So just think about it – what are the chances of getting good specialists involved?

/4

In addition, there is only one organisation within the winning team that has actual, practical experience with customs and border formalities. Only one…

/5

TSS will also be an IT system: it needs a trader interface and needs to communicate with CDS (new CHIEF) and the system that allows hauliers to submit pre-notifications – the infamous entry summary declarations.

/6

What are the chances of creating an IT system that has so many functions and capacity to handle that many enquiries/transactions in less than 2 months?

/7

Here is another interesting point, Fujitsu is the company responsible for delivering the IT side of TSS.

If that name sounds familiar in the context of a large Gov-sponsored customs IT projects, that’s cause Fujitsu are the company behind CDS.

/8

Reminder – CDS is the long-awaited and delayed replacement for the current customs system CHIEF.

As per 👇National Audit Office report, HMRC planned to COMPLETE migrating traders to CDS in January 2019.
We're still nowhere near that.

/9

brexit.hypotheses.org/files/2018/06/…

Not to say that delays with CDS delivery are in any way Fujitsu’s fault - I don't actually know why CDS has been delayed so many times.

It’s just to point out how long such large IT programmes take and how prone they are to delays.

/10

So back to TSS.

What happens if the system isn’t ready for 1 Jan?

There aren’t enough customs brokers in the region. And all the existing ones have just been given a reason NOT to increase capacity/ hire/ invest.

/11

They have no incentives to prep for 1 Jan.

I don’t know whether there are any fallback plans. Anything that can replace TSS if it's not ready on time.

But seems like there is quite a lot riding on this system being designed and created in 2 months.

/12

Meaning quite a lot of pressure on the TSS team and quite a lot of risk for NI and GB traders.

This one just has to work for 1 Jan.

/ends