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The Department of Information and Communications Technology and TradeX Network, Inc. formally signed the contract for the development and operation of a new National Single Window platform
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The joint venture of JAMC Holdings Corp. and Ascent Solutions Philippines Inc., now TradeX, was awarded the contract for the NSW through an Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform Project after no comparative proposals were received
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The NSW-ITFP aims to facilitate trade by streamlining and digitalizing processes for import, export, and international trade-related regulatory requirements
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The NSW-ITFP aims to connect traders to 77 government agencies, and replaces the government’s current NSW called TradeNet
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and TradeX Network, Inc. have formally signed the contract for the development and operation of a new National Single Window (NSW) platform.
DICT secretary Henry Aguda and TradeX president Jason Cheng on December 19 signed the contract for the NSW through an Integrated Trade Facilitation Platform (NSW-ITFP) Project, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines said in a statement.
The PPP project costs P393.816 million, based on the joint venture’s final proposal.
The NSW-ITFP is an unsolicited project under a build-operate-transfer scheme, submitted under Republic Act No.11966 or the PPP Code of the Philippines.
The PPP Center said the project marks the first time a national implementing agency fully processed a project under the PPP Code.
The joint venture of JAMC Holdings Corp. and Ascent Solutions Philippines Inc., now TradeX, submitted in February 2024 the NSW-ITFP unsolicited proposal and was awarded the contract on November 21, 2025 after no comparative proposals were received until the November 13, 2025 deadline.
DICT in February 2025 opened its invite for challengers to apply for eligibility and submit a comparative proposal for the project. After moving the deadline for submission of comparative proposals several times, DICT no longer extended the deadline after November 13.
The NSW-ITFP aims to facilitate trade by streamlining and digitalizing processes for import, export, and international trade-related regulatory requirements.
By enabling end-users and stakeholders to submit standardized information and documents through a single-entry point, the project seeks to enhance efficiency, transparency, and compliance across the international trade ecosystem.
The NSW-ITFP aims to connect traders to 77 government agencies.
Phase 1 of the project will initially onboard 11 attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture to help traders and farmers digitally and safely conduct trade transactions.
The proposed new NSW platform 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 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.
READ: Faster cargo clearance, MSME opportunities in 2 upgraded ASEAN trade pacts
Aguda stressed the importance of the project in making the country an attractive and competitive location for investment, aligning itself with the global standard of trusted and speedy trading transactions anchored on innovative systems and platforms.
“It opens the door for our traders. The mountain of paperwork becomes a single online form. Weeks of waiting become hours, or even minutes. Grit is now rewarded with speed, not frustration,” Aguda said.
Cheng, for his part, said the project will help traders, especially farmers with perishable goods, trade their products with minimal or zero delays. It also promotes transparency through its data submission features to multiple trade-relevant government agencies, facilitating easier tracking and processing of documents.
According to the project information memorandum, the concession period for the project is 12 years, which will consist of a four-month installation period, and 11 years and eight months of operations and maintenance.
By implementing the IITFP under the NSW policy, the Philippines stands to gain at least three immediate impacts: reduction in time consumed in getting permits and facilitating trade, reduction in trade-related costs, and improvement in trade documentation. — Roumina Pablo
