The EU’s customs policy demands cohesive collaboration among Member States to ensure uniform border protection, combat fraud, and prevent trade diversion, relying heavily on electronic systems for efficient information exchange. Under the CUST-DEV3 contract, Vivansa has been instrumental in aligning customs systems with the Union Customs Code (UCC), focusing on analysis, modeling, and system enhancements. A core aspect of Vivansa’s role is Business Process Modeling (BPM), which bridges legislation with technical design by mapping and refining customs workflows. Vivansa has also contributed to specifying new automated customs systems (and updating existing ones) like AES and AIS. Their efforts align EU systems with international data standards, enabling future interoperability with third-country systems.
Context and Challenges
The European Union’s single market and customs policy require the national administrations of Member States to work cohesively, applying regulations consistently to ensure uniform border protection, prevent and combat fraud, and avoid trade diversion. Computerised processing and electronic communication systems are essential to achieving these objectives. Consequently, the development and maintenance of electronic information exchange systems between national administrations are crucial for enabling a seamless transition to a paperless customs environment.
The core services and deliverables under the CUST-DEV3 contract involve specifying, developing, maintaining, and supporting customs IT systems that facilitate the operation of the Customs Union. This includes both central customs systems hosted by DG TAXUD and pan-European customs systems deployed across Member State administrations, such as VIES and NCTS.
Vivansa Mission
Contracted since September 2013 by the European Commission (DG TAXUD) under the CUST-DEV3 multi-annual Framework Contract, Vivansa experts have been responsible for a range of activities, including analysis, modeling, and implementation, to align current customs systems with the new EU requirements and regulations outlined in the Multi-Annual Strategy Plan (MASP) for the Union Customs Code (UCC).
The services delivered include designing the Enterprise Architecture for future Automated Customs Systems, analyzing legislation, aligning customs procedures through the development of Business Process Models (BPM), preparing functional and technical specifications, and maintaining and updating specifications for existing systems such as SPEED2, NCTS, ECS, ICS, Customs Decisions, REX, CLASS, Tariff Classification, TATAF, and others.
In this project, Vivansa is an official member of the IASis consortium and was selected for its extensive expertise in the digitalisation of customs systems in Europe. Vivansa was previously involved in the CUST-DEV2 project (the predecessor of CUST-DEV3, conducted from 2009 to 2013), making it one of the key suppliers regularly contracted by DG TAXUD over the past decade.”
CUST-DEV3 – Modelling and design of EU Customs systems at DG TAXUD (Ref. 28190).
Client: DG TAXUD
Date started: September, 2013
Date completed: September, 2022
Contract value: €99m
Type of services activated:
See our portfolio of services.
Resources allocated:
150+ people including approx. 15 people from the ranks of Vivansa and having essentially the profiles of analyst, architect, modeller, and business expert.
Outcomes
Through this project, Vivansa has played a pivotal role in aligning customs procedures with the new customs legislation established by the Union Customs Code (UCC). The company has actively contributed to designing and implementing the next generation of automated customs systems in Europe, while also enhancing existing application systems, such as AES and AIS, to comply with the new requirements.
A key component of Vivansa’s work has been its focus on Business Process Modeling (BPM), which serves as the foundation for aligning customs operations with legislative and procedural reforms. By analyzing existing customs workflows, Vivansa developed detailed process models that encapsulate the end-to-end customs lifecycle, ensuring consistency with UCC mandates. These BPM activities have facilitated the seamless integration of regulatory requirements into system specifications and provided a clear blueprint for the implementation, testing, and deployment of IT solutions.
Furthermore, EU electronic customs systems have been developed in alignment with international standards for data models and message formats, ensuring compatibility and enabling future interaction with customs systems of third countries. Vivansa’s expertise in BPM has been instrumental in streamlining this alignment, bridging the gap between legislative requirements and technical system design.
DG TAXUD is the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union of the European Commission. Its primary responsibilities include developing and implementing EU tax and customs policies, ensuring a level playing field in the internal market, and facilitating the free movement of goods across EU borders. DG TAXUD works to modernise and simplify tax and customs systems, combat tax evasion, and support businesses operating within the EU’s single market. It plays a crucial role in shaping the EU’s economic and financial agenda.