WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the General Services Administration (GSA) announced today the reauthorization of the Donation Acceptance Authority, allowing the agencies to accept donations of real and personal property (including monetary donations) or nonpersonal services from private-sector or government entities to be used for activities of the Office of Field Operations at Ports of Entry (POE).
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of Fiscal Year 2022 (P.L. 117-81, Section 6410), signed into law on December 27, 2021, expands CBP and GSA’s public-private partnership authority under Section 482 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended by Section 2 of the Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-279) by:
- Authorizing CBP and GSA to accept proposals of real property donations from private-sector or government entities through December 31, 2026;
- Permitting personal property donations at leased Land Ports of Entry (LPOE); and
- Permitting donations of real and personal property at a new Federal Government-owned LPOE if, the fair market value of donations with respect to the LPOE total $75 million or less over the preceding five years.
Under CBP’s Donations Acceptance Program (DAP), the agency is broadly able to accept donations for port of entry construction, alterations, maintenance and operations (e.g., new lanes/booths, system upgrades, tools for intellectual property rights enforcement, furniture, equipment and technologies, etc.).
“This public-private partnership mechanism has allowed CBP to explore and implement tangible solutions to trade and travel facilitation and enforcement challenges,” said Pete Flores, Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Field Operations. “Many infrastructures and technological improvements at Ports of Entry are made possible by this means.”
Since inception, the DAP has entered into 43 partnerships, totaling approximately $216 million in planned and realized investments in U.S. POE and important CBP initiatives. Twenty-three of the projects have been fully executed, including recent projects with NIKE, Inc., and at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, while 20 of the projects are in the planning, design, or execution stage. The majority of proposals approved entail infrastructure and related technology investments in U.S. land ports of entry along the southern border.
“One of the greatest benefits of the DAP is the way it includes an unprecedented level of partnership between the various people and organizations with an interest in improving trade, security, and public health.” said Charlie Hart, GSA’s Southern Border Executive. “We’ve never worked as closely with CBP, with the communities, and with our other Federal and State partners as we have during the development of the donations projects over the past few years.”
Public-private partnerships are a key component of CBP’s Resource Optimization Strategy and allow CBP to provide new or expanded services and infrastructure at domestic ports of entry. For more information, visit www.cbp.gov/DAP.