USAID BTFA: Quarterly Progress Report: October–December 2014

The setup, acceptance, and regular meetings of the three working groups, formed under the leadership and ownership of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), have facilitated full and frank dialogue with both counterparts and other government agency stakeholders. These working groups serve as platforms for information-sharing and as a space for the resolution of modernization issues and concerns, ensuring ownership of modernization initiatives by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB). Regular donor coordination meetings have been called, even insisted upon by the NBR, and have greatly reduced the initial duplication of effort encountered during the first year of BTFA's operation. All donors are now aware of the reform initiatives of others and decisions are being taken in a consultative manner. The BTFA project has continued to lead reforms in the areas of the National Single Window (NSW), Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), Post Clearance Audit (PCA), and Advance Ruling (AR). The main donors in the trade reform arena, IFC and ADB, have acknowledged the BTFA project's position as the only long-term trade facilitation project with technical staff based in the country continuously throughout the next 3.5 plus years. The BTFA team has been instrumental in supporting the NBR with the much-needed legislative reforms required for modernization. The new Customs Act has been redrafted in Bangla, and the BTFA team has ensured that the translation fully reflects the English language draft. The timing of the new legislation fits perfectly with the aims and objectives of the BTFA. The DCOP has ensured that all requirements for a modern trade environment have been included. The BTFA project advanced training efforts, with five trainings conducted for counterparts with a total of 93 participants. The training covered a range of subjects, including Risk Management, PCA, and business process mapping. The training was well received and will continue during the next quarter. The training acts not only as a knowledge transfer for counterparts but also as a mechanism to raise awareness within the NBR of the modernization concept and the reform agenda of Bangladesh. The BTFA fielded three international consultants during the quarter. A.A. joined the team to start an initial risk management analysis and will return to complete her assignment in 2015, with a concentration on AEO development activities. J. M. carried out an assessment of current PCA practices in Bangladesh and delivered a train-the-trainers course for the newly appointed PCA officers in the NBR. J. will return in 2015 to complete an audit manual for the PCA department and guide the officers through their initial audits. Our final consultant, A. H., delivered an initial road map for the ICT development requirements for the national single window. A. will return in 2015 to support the Team Lead (TL) of the NSW component.