Description
The University of Washington is seeking a strategic partner to provide comprehensive customs brokerage, trade‑compliance advisory, and logistics support for its research, instructional, and administrative shipments. The work includes import and export customs entry, duty and tax advancement, handling of hazardous, temperature‑controlled, lithium‑battery, and live‑animal shipments, ATA Carnet administration, Canadian CARM support, and ongoing advisory services. The contract will be a 2‑year term (with possible extensions) and may be awarded to one or more firms.
• Provide end‑to‑end customs brokerage for both inbound and outbound shipments, including classification, duty/tax advancement, and POA management.
• Deliver trade‑compliance consulting for specialized shipments (hazardous materials, biological samples, high‑value equipment, ATA Carnet, etc.) and support regulatory interactions (CBP, FDA, USDA, CARM, etc.).
• Meet performance service levels (response ≤ 4 business hours routine, ≤ 2 hours for time‑sensitive holds) and supply regular reporting dashboards on shipment status, spend, and compliance metrics.
• Maintain required licensing (U.S. Customs Broker) and professional liability insurance, and demonstrate capacity to finance duty/tax advances.