Guyana has drafted legislation to support the Single Window Automated Processing System (SWAPS), which could halve processing times for trade transactions once in place.
Instead of going to about five or six different agencies to process import or export documentation, an exporter or importer could visit the single window and lodge documentation – both online and on a physical form – and their transaction will be processed in a shorter time. However, actual implementation of this automated system may be at least a year away and will require significant coordination and buy in to work.
At a design presentation held at the Regency Suites, in Hadfield Street, yesterday, stakeholders were given an opportunity to understand what the new system was all about and how it will affect their transactions when implemented.
Speaking to Stabroek News, Team Leader for the SWAPS project Dr Coby Frimpong said the implementation team’s terms of reference allows them to engage in diagnostics of the trade and logistics environment of Guyana and based on that to determine what would be required to have single windows.
He said that this would require a check with all the related agencies and an examination of the business-related processes in existence.
“We also have to look at the legal framework that is required for single windows. So we spent time talking to about 17 agencies and did a review of all of their business processes and when that was done came up with recommendations of what they need to do in order to become single windows-ready,” he said.
Frimpong said that the proposed law has been drafted and it is currently engaging the attention of the Attorney General.
“We have also made recommendations as to the kinds of organisational structures that would be required to get this going,” he said.
Frimpong explained that yesterday’s session dealt with the kind of model that is being decided on for Guyana. He said that three options were discussed with the steering committee and the committee recommended the most useful one for Guyana.
“The next stage would be to put all of this together in a tender, so that the government could tender for [the software and hardware],” he explained.
As to when the system would be fully implemented, he noted that this depends on how quickly the government goes to tender and on whether resources are available to go ahead with the implementation.
Frimpong said the SWAPS project comes under the Competitiveness Strategy Unit which is situated in the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and he said that acting Minister Irfaan Ali has been very instrumental in the project.
Eric Okimoto, Senior Technology Consultant at Crown Agents – the consultants carrying out the country assessment for the project – in a presentation at the workshop said that while it is possible to start the process of the single window prior to the passage of the legislation, the task will be a difficult one. “We would recommend that you pass the legislation first,” he said.
“The technology side of it is not that difficult,” he noted. “What is always difficult with single windows is getting all these different stakeholders on certain standards of doing business. It is often hard enough to get different ministries to agree to different standards let alone numerous ministries and the [Guyana Revenue Authority] agreeing to certain standards.”
“That is why we have emphasised the importance of passing the SWAPS Bill to provide the ministries with that executive decision that you would want,” he further explained.
In terms of how long the process might take to implement the system, Okimoto said the initial phase could be up and providing services to the public within three months. However this is unlikely since the legislation is in a draft form at present. “I would say in general that it takes about a year… the most complex windows could take two years, if not longer,” he said.
Warning about the dangers of being overly ambitious in going for SWAPS, Okimoto said some countries find themselves still in the design and develop phase after four or five years.
“That is why we have always recommended that countries keep it simple initially… get something online that works for you and then add additional services once you have the core regulatory departments in place,” he added.
According to Okimoto, on Friday there was an executive steering committee meeting where they agreed to implement the middle option. “They are not going with the SWAPS ‘lite’ but they are not going with the overly complex option… they are going with something that meets all their requirements in terms of the UN’s definition of a single window. It will provide core services online that persons need to conduct trade transactions but it does not try to get too ambitious,” he explained.
He said that because it will be more difficult to get stakeholder alignment without the legislation passed, it is recommended that this be the first step. In general, what makes the time lime long is not the technology but getting the stakeholders to adapt and change the new ways of doing business, he further said.
Okimoto noted that in the Philippines, the implementation of SWAPS worked faster than expected. He said that government agencies began to use the system since everything became transparent and measurable.
“Government employees started working faster to get their work done. There were tangible benefits in terms of having everything online,” he said.
