Time Release Study at Key Custom Houses: Strengthening Evidence-Based Customs Modernization in Bangladesh (SD-13)
Project Overview
TRACE Consulting is undertaking an important assignment under Package SD-13: Time Release Study (TRS) for key customs houses of Bangladesh, under the Customs Modernization and Infrastructure Development (CMID) Project of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), financed by The World Bank Group under ACCESS – Bangladesh Phase 1.
The assignment will measure and analyze cargo clearance times across six major customs locations and identify practical opportunities to improve the efficiency and predictability of border clearance. Mr. Md. Masud Sadiq, Senior Trade Facilitation, Customs & Trade Policy Lead at TRACE Consulting and former Member of NBR (Grade-1), will serve as the Team Leader.
Over 21 months, the project will undertake baseline, midline, and end-line TRS cycles at Chattogram Seaport, Dhaka Airport, Benapole, Bhomra, and Burimari Land Ports, and ICD Kamalapur. Using the World Customs Organization (WCO) TRS methodology, the study will measure actual release times, analyze each stage of the clearance process, assess progress against the 2022 TRS, and identify bottlenecks and redundant procedures affecting trade.
The assignment supports Bangladesh’s implementation of Article 7.6 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, which encourages Members to periodically measure and publish average release times.
Project Scopes
- Measure overall and stage-wise cargo release times for selected imports and exports, covering the period from arrival or declaration through physical release.
- Conduct TRS activities at Chattogram Seaport, Dhaka Airport, Benapole, Bhomra, and Burimari Land Ports, and ICD Kamalapur.
- Assess clearance performance for imports of food items, pharmaceutical raw materials, garment raw materials, and capital machinery, and exports of green vegetables, apparel, leather goods, and pharmaceuticals.
- Develop and pre-test WCO-aligned survey instruments, apply Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling, and use system-generated data including ASYCUDA World timestamps alongside field-level data collection.
- Map end-to-end clearance processes, identify delays, redundant steps, and non-value-adding activities, and analyze their contribution to overall release time.
- Assess implementation of recommendations from the 2022 TRS and measure changes in clearance performance since the previous study.
- Engage customs, port authorities, regulatory agencies, importers, exporters, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and other stakeholders, while providing training for enumerators and data providers.
- Develop actionable recommendations, service improvements, and an online mechanism for tracking implementation of TRS recommendations, responsible agencies, timelines, and progress.
- Conduct validation and dissemination workshops across baseline, midline, and end-line cycles and prepare reports, policy briefs, presentations, and communication materials.
Expected Outcomes
- Reliable measurement of release times and process-stage performance across six major customs locations.
- Evidence on delays and redundant procedures across customs, regulatory agencies, ports, and other border actors.
- Comparison of performance against the 2022 TRS and across baseline, midline, and end-line cycles.
- Practical recommendations to reduce release times, improve predictability, and strengthen border-management efficiency.
- Improved capability of NBR and relevant stakeholders to conduct, interpret, and use TRS findings for continuous performance improvement.
- Systems and tools to support ongoing tracking of TRS recommendations and future release-time measurement.
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