Customs IT Specialist (Nathan)

Proposed Personnel: Short-term Technical Assistance (STTA) on Customs IT and Database development: Customs IT Specialist
Period of Performance: Dec 2022 – Mar 2023
Origin/Destination: Direct/ Virtual

Project Background:

The Vietnam NSW was launched in 2014 and by September 20, 2021, the NSW had connected with 13 ministries and processed over 4.1 million dossiers relating to 249/261 Administrative Procedures from more than 49,500 businesses. The number of administrative procedures has increased by 39 times and declared dossiers by 193 times. The Vietnam NSW has brought about benefits to the private sector as well as to the GVN helping to reduce transaction costs, facilitating international trade and improving the business environment of the country. Cognizant of the importance of institutionalizing the connection and sharing of information via NSW, the GDVC, as the administrator of NSW, has taken the lead in the Government process of developing of a new decree governing Information Sharing among Stakeholders in NSW. The draft decree is now pending approval by the Government.

On May 4, 2022, the Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Can signed the Decision 707/QD-TCHQ to approve the Customs Digital Transformation Plan towards 2025 with directions to 2030. The Customs Digital Transformation Plan sets the goal of intensifying the digital transformation in customs administration in serving traders and ministries under ASW/NSW and achieve the target of 100% digitalized customs procedures (paperless). This goal is detailed out by a number of objectives including fully digitalized, automated, risk-based and integrated customs operations; customs documents processed online 247; connected with ASW/NSW. These objectives and goal are in line with the directions under the Customs Development Strategy until 2030. At the center of the Customs Digital Transformation is the objective to develop and accomplish the Smart Customs ICT system. The Smart Customs system will integrate all stages in customs procedures and data from the good entry, storage, customs clearance and exits; all the core customs operations and procedures are automated, including target analysis, risk assessment, shipment and vehicle document inspection, selectivity, clearance decision, duty management, and rates of yield management.

A standard enterprise architecture will include Business Architecture, Data Warehouse Architecture, and Application & Technology. For the past 12 months, the USAID Trade Facilitation Program (the Program) has provided intensive supports to the GDVC Working Groups in reviewing and validating the business requirements and processes, prerequisite for the new integrated and automated IT system. The data warehouse architecture plays a pivotal role in any enterprise architecture and key to the automation and integration of core process and functions. Therefore, after the Program’s assistance on reviewing and validating business requirements and processes, the GDVC has requested the Program to support with “developing the proposal for National Customs Database and Architecture for National Customs Database”.

Activity Description:

The National Customs Database is envisaged to be guided by directions of seamless connection and information sharing through National Single Window (forthcoming Decree on NSW Information sharing); the directions under Customs Development Strategy and Action plan; the Decision 707/QD-TCHQ to approve the Customs Digital Transformation Plan towards 2025 with directions to 2030 and other related documents such as the decrees on specialized inspection, and e-commerce.

The activity aims to provide support to the IT Department, GDVC in developing the proposal for National Customs Database and Architecture for National Customs Database through achieving the following objectives:

To assess the information needs, existing situation of GDVC’s data, and information inputs to the National Customs Database.
To propose the meta data/descriptions; source and scope; national customs database architecture including connection, sharing, structure and administration for update, processing, storage, and sharing of information for national customs database
To provide advice on the proposed timeline and cost (estimate) for the national customs database
To consult on proposed architecture and modus operandi of national customs database.

Tasks & Responsibilities:

The TFP will support the IT Department, GDVC in implementing the sub-activities from to March 30, 2023, as follows:

Customs IT Specialist will cooperate with the Data Engineer and the System Architech to implement the following activities:

Activity	Joint deliverables (to be submitted in either English or Vietnamese as the condition for payment)
1. Survey on the directions, needs and status quo of the input information to the National customs database. The survey should cover all the existing information sources from within GDVC, connected to GDVC and shared with GDVC. The information needs should be assessed on relevant departments within GDVC, local customs departments, other departments within MOF, ministries and central agecies, commercial banks and shipping lines.	Final survey report
Desk research and develop the questionnaire	Desk research report and finalized questionnaire
Conduct the survey by deploying the questionnaires and missions to discuss with a number of provincial customs departments Mission to 3-4 provinces (Binh Duong, Hanoi (NoiBai) and Vung Tau (Cai Mep seaport)
Report on the survey results. The report should elaborate on all the metadata, information criteria, sources, frequency, structure, etc and proposed architecture for housing the data	Cleansed dataset and draft/final report
2. Develop comprehensive report proposing on the National Customs Data warehouse Architecture	Draft and final Report with recommendations
Analyze and propose the information criteria in the National Customs database warehouse
Define the the sources, scope, and destinations of information flows to and from National Customs database
Propose model, architecture including connection, sharing, business architecture, data architecture and prelimnary IT architecture
Propose the administration, operation and security of updating, processing, storing, and sharing data under the National Customs database
Recommend on plan, budget and timeline for implementing the National Customs database
3. Organize the workshops on architecture and modus operandi of National Customs database
1 workshop in region (location to be decided) for 50 participants to consult on architecture and modus operandi of a National Customs database.	Presentations and slides
Total

Deliverables:

The Customs IT Specialist is expected to provide the following deliverables:

Desk research and draft questionnaire on key areas of customs processes
Insightful qualitative analysis to explain the underlying reasons for the stylized facts from the survey
Proposed agencies’ needs and information possessed to map the information flows to and from National Customs database; model, architecture including connection, sharing, business architecture, data architecture and preliminary IT architecture; administration, operation and security of updating, processing, storing, and sharing data under the National Customs database
Recommended plan, budget and timeline for implementing the National Customs database
Consolidated report incorporating the individual reports by System Architect and Data Engineer; and slides for presentations on all above

Qualifications:

Customs IT Specialist
BSc/BA degree in the field of Computer Science / Software Engineering/ Information Science
Minimum 10 years of working experience relating to topics such as customs administration, customs procedures, ICT and automation, etc.;
Proven experience and track record of working with, or practical knowledge of, National Single Window (NSW) systems; trade repository/portal
Robust understanding and experience of the WTO and WCO instruments such as the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC);
Having English written, oral, and presentation skills;

Reporting:

The specialist will report to Mr. Andy Allan, the Senior Trade Facilitation Expert (andy.allan@vietnamtfp.com); and Customs & Trade Facilitation Expert (tu.pham@vietnamtfp.com)