New reform initiative to optimize investigative and data analytic capabilities and Customs management structure 

The Customs Management Optimization project will commence Monday January 20, 2020 with the assistance of international Customs consultants TTEK Inc.  During the eight-month consultancy, TTEK will work with senior management at the Customs Department and the Ministry of Finance to reduce revenue leakages and secure further reform and revenue enhancement within the tax collection agency.

 “The Government has been consistent in its efforts to reform and modernize the country’s revenue collection framework.  In my budget communication last year, I emphasized this work would be ongoing, as we are looking for every opportunity possible to improve the administration of revenue collection.  This engagement is another step forward,” said the Honourable K. Peter Turnquest, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

 “It will ensure that we are using modern data analytic capabilities to the fullest extent, so as to highlight and address revenue collection anomalies, and to close any significant holes in our collection of Customs Duties.  It will provide an operational roadmap to optimize the management structure at Customs and harness the wealth of expertise within the Department to meet the needs of a modern Bahamas”, said Minister Turnquest.

The engagement will provide for an initial five week assessment of the Customs Department to identify opportunities to address revenue leakage, using advanced data analytic tools  to undertake a ‘deep-dive’  of several years of Customs import data.  During the follow up stage, five international Customs experts will work directly alongside the Customs team to introduce and embed the agreed reform elements which flow from the initial phases.

 “What we are particularly keen on is the fact that we will have seasoned Customs experts from around the world working directly alongside our Customs management team for about seven months to help guide the implementation of the reform efforts and provide ongoing support to enhance the use of investigative and data analytic techniques”, said Minister Turnquest.

“TTEK was selected as the winning bidder in part because its core expertise is Customs and Border management.  Its resume includes a diverse range of countries, including work in the Caribbean region with countries that share many of the same challenges and opportunities.  Because the team on the ground will be comprised in large part by former Customs officers and managers, we feel that they will have the real life experience to add tremendous value to the government’s reform efforts,” said Minister Turnquest.

TTEK Inc specializes in delivering customs and border management consultancies and technical solutions around the world.  It draws from a bench of more than 200 international experts who have worked in diverse Customs and Border management public entities.  TTEK, its executives, and its team of experts have provided services for jurisdictions such as the Australia, the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh, Ghana, , Philippines,  Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, among many others. 

The value of the contract with TTEK Global Inc. is $1,379,640. TTEK has committed in the contract to identifying no less than $15 million in uncollected revenue by virtue of its diagnostic exercises.