Bureau of Plant Industry gears up for NSW onboarding
Representatives from the Bureau of Plant Industry, led by the National Plant Quarantine Services Division, and implementing agencies – Department of Finance, Anti-Red Tape Authority, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and system developer TradeX Network, Inc. participated in a meeting to prepare for BPI’s onboarding into the National Single Window system. Photo from BPI
  • The Bureau of Plant Industry is preparing for its onboarding to the government’s new national single window
  • BPI, led by the National Plant Quarantine Services Division, recently held an onboarding meeting to align its processes and preparations for its integration to the NSW-Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform
  • More than 70 TRGAs will be onboarded into the NSW-ITFP in phases, based on trade volume, criticality, and technical preparedness of the agency

The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) is preparing for its onboarding to the government’s new national single window (NSW).

BPI, led by the National Plant Quarantine Services Division, recently held an onboarding meeting to align its processes and preparations for its integration to the NSW-Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP).

The meeting was attended by representatives from implementing agencies, the Department of Finance (DOF), Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the system developer TradeX Network, Inc.

During the meeting, participants discussed key steps, processes, and necessary preparations for the seamless integration of BPI into the NSW-ITFP. There was also an exchange of views on operational and technical matters to ensure the system’s smooth implementation and the readiness of the participating agencies.

The NSW-ITFP is a unified platform that will serve as a one-stop-shop for the submission and processing of trade-related documents and permits across various government agencies. It began pilot live operations last month, with the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as the first two trade regulatory government agencies (TRGAs) onboarded to the platform.

READ: DICT holds pilot live run of National Single Window

The go-live operation marks the transition of the NSW-ITFP from development and testing to pilot operational use, where government transactions may now be processed on the system in real time.

DICT said the NSW-ITFP enables a more connected and interoperable government, allowing agencies to share data and streamline processes in real time securely. Through the platform, traders and businesses will no longer need to submit the same requirements to multiple agencies, significantly reducing processing time and compliance costs, it added.

READ: BIR completes onboarding to National Single Window

The onboarding of NTA and BIR is ahead of the earlier announced schedule of onboarding for TRGAs.

At a stakeholders’ consultation on the new platform last May 21, Finance assistant secretary Angelica Sarmiento said more than 70 TRGAs will be onboarded into the NSW-ITFP in phases starting in August based on trade volume, criticality, and technical preparedness of the agency.

For the first phase, TRGAs mostly focused on the agricultural sector will be the first batch to onboard in August. The move is in alignment with requirements under Republic Act No. 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act, Sarmiento noted.

The second phase will also start in 2026 and run until 2027 involving 17 TRGAs critical industrial and public safety agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and Strategic Trade Management Office. With the completion of phase two, “the vast majority of day-to-day high volume consumer imports will be fully digitalized,” Sarmiento said.

Phase three is scheduled for mid-2027 and will include 22 TRGAs, such the Bureau of Import Services, Dangerous Drugs Board, and airport and transport authorities, among others.

The fourth phase from 2027 to 2028 involves 12 TRGAs that are mostly investment promotions agencies.

Once operational, the DICT earlier said the NSW-ITFP is envisioned to streamline import, export, and transit documentation through a unified submission system, replacing fragmented manual processes.

The NSW-ITFP will replace TradeNet, which currently serves as the country’s NSW. The NSW is the platform required to connect to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Single Window (ASW), a regional initiative to speed up cargo clearance and promote regional economic integration by enabling the electronic exchange of border documents among the ASEAN member states. CargoInsurance

The joint venture of JAMC Holdings Corp. and Ascent Solutions Philippines Inc. submitted in February 2024 an unsolicited proposal for the NSW-ITFP and was awarded the contract for the project on November 21, 2025 after no comparative proposals were received until the November 13, 2025 deadline.

In December 2025, DICT and the joint venture, now called TradeX Network, signed the contract for the development and operation of NSW-ITFP.

Based on the contract, the project will run for 12 years, including the construction period, with an investment cost of P393.8 million.

 

 

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