Development of a Time Release Study Methodology for Agricultural Goods | USDA FAS 10960 0700 10 20 0022

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this USDA grant opportunity about?

This discretionary grant opportunity from USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) focuses on developing a standardized "time release study" methodology specifically for agricultural goods. The goal is to measure how long agricultural products take to clear international borders and to identify exactly where delays occur during the clearance process.

Why is USDA FAS focusing on border clearance time for agricultural goods?

Agricultural shipments often face more complex and time-sensitive clearance requirements than many other goods because multiple agencies may be involved (for example, customs, plant health, food safety, veterinary authorities, and port operators). Delays are especially costly for perishable products, where added time can lead to spoilage, rejected loads, higher cold-chain costs, and lost sales.

What problem is the project intended to solve?

FAS is trying to address the lack of a consistent, agriculture-specific way to measure clearance timelines across countries and programs. Without standardized metrics and a repeatable approach, individual studies may not be comparable, and results cannot be aggregated to evaluate bottlenecks or assess whether trade facilitation efforts improve speed and predictability.

What is a "time release study" in this context?

In this context, a time release study is a structured approach to measuring the actual time required for the release and clearance of goods at a border. It tracks timing across the clearance chain so analysts can see both total duration and time spent at individual steps.

Is the methodology expected to follow an existing international framework?

Yes. The methodology is expected to build on the World Customs Organization (WCO) Time Release Study (TRS), which is a widely recognized framework for measuring the time required for release and clearance of goods.

Why does FAS want an agriculture-specific version of the WCO TRS?

FAS notes that while the WCO TRS is an established international tool, it is not tailored to agriculture and does not sufficiently capture the additional steps and specialized requirements agricultural goods often face, such as sanitary and phytosanitary documentation, permits, certificates, inspections, sampling, laboratory testing, or quarantine-related actions.

What kinds of agricultural clearance steps must the methodology capture?

The methodology must reflect real agricultural clearance pathways, including additional documentation, inspections, and compliance checks that may occur before arrival, at the border, or after entry. Examples mentioned include conditional release, testing, quarantine-related actions, and other behind-the-border procedures.

What does "behind-the-border procedures" mean in this grant description?

Behind-the-border procedures refer to steps that may occur after arrival or even after entry, such as conditional release processes, testing, quarantine-related actions, or other post-entry compliance steps that can still delay full clearance or distribution.

What are the key technical objectives of the proposed methodology?

Key technical objectives include defining standardized start and end points for measurement, separating customs-controlled steps from steps driven by other regulatory agencies, capturing behind-the-border procedures, and covering agriculture-specific requirements like sanitary and phytosanitary documentation and commodity-specific inspections.

How should the methodology define when the "clock" starts?

The grant calls for clearly defining where measurement should start in a way that fits agricultural supply chains. Examples of possible standardized start events include arrival, document submission, manifest filing, unloading, or another clearly defined event.

How should the methodology define when the "clock" stops?

The methodology must define a clear endpoint for measurement. Examples of possible stop events include final release, out-gate, or authorization to distribute.

Why is it important to separate customs steps from other agency steps?

Agricultural clearance frequently depends on multiple decision-makers and parallel processes. The methodology must distinguish actions under customs authority from those driven by other regulatory agencies so bottlenecks can be attributed to the correct part of the process.

Does the methodology need to measure only total clearance time, or also time at each step?

It needs to measure time spent at each individual step, not just the total end-to-end duration. This allows analysts to identify where time is being added, such as waiting for an inspector, queueing for scanning, delays in document processing, time for sampling and lab results, or holds due to discrepancies.

What shipping modes and logistics contexts must be covered?

The methodology must work across different shipping modalities and logistics contexts, including air shipments, containerized cargo, bulk commodities, and movements that rely on cold storage or temperature-controlled handling.

Does the methodology need to work across different national border clearance regimes?

Yes. The design must be flexible enough to adapt to varying national clearance regimes, since procedures, agency roles, and data availability can differ widely from country to country.

What deliverables beyond the methodology are expected from the awardee?

Beyond designing the methodology, the awardee is expected to produce practical guidance for FAS staff, including a guidance document that explains the framework, definitions, data collection steps, suggested data sources, and how to interpret and present results consistently. A training component is also required to help ensure uniform application by FAS staff.

What is included in the guidance and training component?

The opportunity calls for (1) a clear guidance document describing the measurement framework, definitions, data collection steps, suggested sources of data, and guidance on interpreting and presenting results consistently, and (2) training aimed at enabling FAS staff to apply the methodology correctly and uniformly across projects and partner countries.

Is real-world testing or validation required?

Yes. The opportunity requires validation of the proposed methodology using a real-world dataset to demonstrate it is workable in realistic conditions, including imperfect data, multiple stakeholders, and real clearance sequences, and that it can produce actionable findings.

Who selects the country and dataset for validation?

USDA planned to work with the awardee to set the parameters for the validation test, including selecting the country context and determining what dataset would be used.

How many awards were anticipated and what was the maximum funding amount?

The posting indicated an anticipated single award with a funding ceiling of $160,000.

What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA listing?

The opportunity was listed as "Development of a Time Release Study Methodology for Agricultural Goods" under funding opportunity number USDA FAS 10960 0700 10 20 0022, within CFDA 10.960 (Technical Agricultural Assistance).

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants were public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was created on June 22, 2020, with an original closing date of August 7, 2020.

What kind of results is FAS ultimately trying to get from this methodology?

FAS intends to use the methodology to (1) pinpoint the specific steps in the border clearance chain that create the biggest bottlenecks so it can work with trading partners to streamline procedures and reduce unnecessary hold times, and (2) provide a reliable tool for evaluating whether trade facilitation projects improve clearance speed and predictability.

Is this grant focused on producing one-off studies in specific countries?

No. The emphasis is on developing common metrics and a repeatable approach that can produce comparable results across different locations and interventions, rather than isolated studies that cannot be aggregated.

What types of delays does FAS want the methodology to help identify?

The methodology should help isolate delays at specific steps, such as waiting for an inspector, queueing for scanning, document processing delays, time required for sampling and laboratory results, and holds triggered by discrepancies. It should also capture delays linked to agricultural-specific compliance and behind-the-border requirements.