New reimbursable services agreements help secure and facilitate lawful trade and travel.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced 11 tentative selections for new reimbursable services agreements today that will enhance security, promote cross-border trade, and facilitate essential travel to the United States.
These public-private partnerships will allow approved private sector and state and local government entities to reimburse CBP for expanded services for incoming commercial and cargo traffic and international traveler arrivals in California, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Washington.
“Reimbursable services agreements are a fundamental component of CBP’s resource optimization strategy,” said William A. Ferrara, Executive Assistant Commissioner of the CBP Office of Field Operations. “These innovative agreements enable CBP to work with public and private sector partners to process additional travelers and cargo, thereby improving our border security and enhancing America’s economic competitiveness.”
Since the Reimbursable Services Program began in 2013, CBP has expanded it to include 238 stakeholders. The program has provided more than 892,000 additional processing hours at the request of CBP’s partners—accounting for the processing of more than 14.4 million travelers and more than 1.9 million personal and commercial vehicles.
Authorized by Section 481 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, reimbursable services agreements increase CBP’s ability to provide new or enhanced services on a reimbursable basis by creating partnerships with private sector and government entities. Reimbursable services under this authority include customs, agricultural processing, border security services, immigration inspections and support services at ports of entry.
The statute includes several limitations at CBP-serviced airports. Reimbursable services are limited to overtime costs and support services for airports with 100,000 or more arriving international passengers annually. Airports with fewer than 100,000 arriving international passengers annually may offset CBP for the salaries and expenses of not more than five full-time equivalent CBP officers. Reimbursable services agreements will not replace existing services.
The entities tentatively selected for new reimbursable services agreements in the air environment were:
- Alaska Air Group (Seattle–Tacoma International Airport)
- Alticor Inc. (Gerald R. Ford International Airport)
- Avflight Corporation (Gerald R. Ford International Airport)
- Cambridge Flight Support, LLC (Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and St. Paul Downtown Airport)
- Cargill (Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and St. Paul Downtown Airport)
- City of Monroe (Charlotte–Monroe Executive Airport)
- Medtronic (Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport; and St. Paul Downtown Airport)
- Midwest Aero Club LLC dba Best Jets International (Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and St. Paul Downtown Airport)
- Target Corporation (Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and St. Paul Downtown Airport)
- UnitedHealth Group (Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and St. Paul Downtown Airport)
The entity selected for a new reimbursable services agreement in the land environment was:
- Plantronics, Inc. (Otay Mesa, CA)
CBP used a rigorous, multi-layered process to evaluate selectees’ proposals and to ensure compatibility with CBP’s mission priorities.
The reimbursable services authority is a key component of CBP’s Resource Optimization Strategy and will allow CBP to provide new or expanded services at domestic ports of entry reimbursed by the partner entity.