Donations Acceptance Program - Announcements

September 15, 2020

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the General Services Administration (GSA) and the City of Pharr announced a formal partnership today that will further enhance commercial agriculture processing at the Pharr Land Port of Entry (LPOE).

Under CBP’s Donations Acceptance Program (DAP), the City of Pharr will help fund the construction of 24 new secondary inspection bays, enhancing CBP’s ability to process future increases in commercial truck traffic at the Pharr LPOE. Thirteen of these bays will include cold storage unit equipment to ensure that produce examinations will not be compromised by the outside elements.

“With the continued increase of imports from Mexico, especially produce-related commodities, that require an inspection from our agriculture specialists, having these additional dock spaces will have a significant positive impact on our ability to expedite the processing time and get shipments on their way into U.S. commerce,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “The additional cold storage bays will also serve proactively in maintaining the integrity of certain products while they are inspected in climate-controlled areas, rather than exposing them to the South Texas heat.”

The project will also include the construction of a new 10,000 square foot agriculture inspection and training facility and provide the equipment and tools necessary to outfit the facility. The upgraded facility will enhance the ability of CBP agriculture specialists to perform on-site inspections and testing, further facilitating trade through the Pharr LPOE.

“GSA welcomes the opportunity to partner with CBP and the City of Pharr on this important project that contributes to the efficiency of commercial operations at the LPOE as well as trade with our neighbors to the south,” said GSA Acting Regional Administrator Giancarlo Brizzi. “Through donation programs like these, GSA is able expand and enhance port operations in ways previously unavailable to the federal government.”

CBP personnel at the Pharr LPOE play a critical role in ensuring the nation’s food supply. As a leading port in Texas for agricultural importation, the Pharr LPOE processed nearly 1,800 commercial trucks transporting more than $13 million worth of agricultural products on a given day in Fiscal Year 2019. These products constituted nearly 15 percent of all fresh produce imported into the United States.

“The City of Pharr remains committed to working with our federal partners to identify and implement innovative methods to expedite traffic and trade at our international port of entry, making border crossings and inspections function more effectively while helping our trade partners process and cross their goods more efficiently,” said Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. “We are proud to partner with CBP on this and other Donations Acceptance Program projects that provide creative solutions to meet and address specific federal needs at the local level, and keep international trade and commerce flowing swiftly and smoothly.”

The City of Pharr submitted a formal proposal under the CBP Donations Acceptance Program in December 2015 to improve the Pharr LPOE. The Donation Acceptance Agreement (DAA) announced today formalizes a project which has been years in the making and allows the parties to begin construction of the new facilities.

June 23, 2020

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has partnered with the City of Laredo and General Services Administration (GSA) on a small scale infrastructure improvement project through the Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) at World Trade Bridge (WTB) Land Port of Entry (LPOE).

CBP and GSA entered into an agreement with the City of Laredo in December of 2019 to donate and construct an additional roadway to assist in alleviating any potential traffic congestion caused by anticipated future construction at the WTB LPOE.

The project provides a path for commercial vehicles to travel from the bridge through a newly installed non-intrusive technology (NII) Z-Portal and around any future construction. NII Z-Portal technology assists in increasing the LPOEs ability to examine cargo effectively without impeding the flow of processing trade through the port.

“I am excited to witness the ongoing progress being made on this game-changing measure to facilitate World Trade Bridge’s ever-growing commercial traffic volumes, which have far exceeded the limits at our present facility,” said Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry. “With an increase of approximately three to five percent yearly in northbound cargo growth, this Donation Acceptance Program-funded project will allow CBP the opportunity to process approximately 28 percent of the commercial traffic outside of the import lot at World Trade Bridge. This greatly enhances our throughput potential for the entire facility.”

As a small scale project, CBP, GSA, and the City of Laredo completed this project in under a year. DAP’s small scale projects are identified by a minimal size, scope, and complexity, costing $5 million or less. These projects are approved, designed, and constructed in a shorter timeframe than that of large scale projects with moderate to significant size, scope, and complexity, costing over $5 million.

June 8, 2020

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has partnered with the City of Pharr to implement Unified Cargo Processing (UCP) at the Pharr Land Port of Entry (LPOE). The partnership was managed by CBP’s Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) in coordination with the General Services Administration (GSA).

The City of Pharr donated infrastructure modifications to establish two dry dock bays at the Pharr LPOE. The dry dock bays will be used by CBP Officers as additional secondary inspection bays for non-agricultural imports.

CBP Officers at the Pharr LPOE can now work alongside Mexican Customs Officers to concurrently perform secondary inspections on imports as part of the UCP program. This joint processing will expedite the inspection process, reducing wait times and increasing throughput at the Pharr LPOE.

“The Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry would like to express its gratitude to the City of Pharr for the donation of this expansion project, which was possible through CBP’s Donation Acceptance Program,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “The implementation of Unified Cargo Processing (UCP) fosters the working collaboration between CBP and Mexican Customs Officials to expedite the inspection process and reduce wait times for the efficient flow of commercial traffic.”

“This is an excellent opportunity to promote bi-national camaraderie and simultaneously the work smarter concept,” Port Director Rodriguez continued. “Conducting a single inspection with dual components, in this case CBP officers working alongside our Mexican counterparts, will streamline the inspection process which can ultimately only expedite the flow of international commerce.”

This DAP project highlights CBP and GSA’s ability to enter into small-scale partnerships that impose minimal cost and effort on local community stakeholders while enhancing local operations and reducing wait times.

“In Pharr, we are constantly seeking creative opportunities to collaborate with our partners, working to maximize resources and improve efficiencies with the ultimate goal of better facilitating trade and commerce at the Pharr International Bridge,” said Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. “Making an investment in infrastructure modifications under the Donations Acceptance Program was a worthwhile decision, and along with our trade partners, we look forward to benefiting from expedited inspections, reduced wait times, and more efficient international commerce as a result of this program,” Hernandez added.

The full CBP news release can be viewed here.

August 2019

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today a new formal partnership with the New Mexico Border Authority (NMBA). Under its partnership arrangement, NMBA will provide CBP a 2019 Polaris Ranger 570 – courtesy of Union Ganadera. The all-terrain vehicle (ATV) will assist CBP personnel in carrying out their duties with faster ease while maximizing their movement around the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

“CBP is pleased to announce this partnership with the NMBA. The ATV will assist our CBP personnel in the area port of Santa Teresa to maneuvering the area of operations in a more expeditious manner and while carrying out their duties,” said Christopher J. Sullivan, Director Alternative Funding, Office of Field Operations. “These aids are important in helping CBP achieve its mission of safeguarding America’s borders and ensuring a prompt processing of our trade commodities through the port.” 

“We are grateful to the NMBA for this donation to the Port of Santa Teresa. The ATV will allow my officers to maneuver the terrain of Santa Teresa and the dunes a lot easily. They will be able get to-and-from their inspection sites faster, thus, maximizing their area of inspections and numbers of inspections,” said Fernando Thome, Acting Port Director, Area Port of Santa Teresa. 

July 15, 2019

Construction for a temporary roadway was completed at the World Trade Bridge (WTB) at the Laredo Port of Entry (LPOE). The City of Laredo entered into a small scale donation agreement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) and the General Services Administration (GSA).  The donation of the roadway will alleviate congestion caused by an increase in traffic flow through the WTB. CBP has consistently seen an increase in northbound cargo goods by 3%-5% yearly. This temporary roadway donation will assist in the processing of northbound FAST empty trucks and decrease wait times at the cargo facility.  Approximately 500 empty trailers are processed daily and the hours of operation for this temporary roadway will be Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 “We are excited to see these much needed improvements to the World Trade Bridge and the facilitation measures to the newly implemented empty FAST lane,” said Director of Field Operations David P. Higgerson, Laredo Field Office.  “The ever-growing traffic volumes have far exceeded the limits of the present facilities and we will work hand in glove with our stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels to assist with improvements that will facilitate traffic at the busiest cargo facility in the southwest border.”

“The upkeep and constant development of our bridges will ensure that Port Laredo remains competitive and continues as the Port of choice for the trade industry.  These improvements serve as vital assets to not only Laredo, but the entire U.S. economy,” said Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz. “We are proud to see this new roadway completed and grateful of the partnerships that lead to its completion.  Indeed, partnerships do create border infrastructure which facilitate trade mobilization and connectivity.”

The full CBP news release can be viewed here.

June 21, 2019

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Cisco Systems partnered on an operation resulting in the seizure of counterfeit electronics entering the United States March 12.

The operation was part of continued collaboration efforts with Cisco that began in 2018. The partnership developed and deployed eight barcode scanners to four ports and provided secured access to specialized tools which CBP officers and import specialists used to identify counterfeit Cisco products.

Officers from CBP’s New York Field Office, import specialists from the Electronics Center of Excellence and Expertise (ECEE), and representatives of CBP’s Donations Acceptance Program conducted the operation, which targeted shipments specific to Cisco entering through the John F. Kennedy Port of Entry. The donated tools helped CBP personnel to accurately validate the authenticity of 49 of the 56 shipments yielding a Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $626,880. 

Counterfeit and pirated goods pose a threat to the health and safety of U.S. consumers. Counterfeit electronic goods also pose a high security risk for U.S. consumers and companies. Cisco provides secure networking technology and related components for use in a wide variety of sectors, including large enterprises such as the financial sector, service providers, and U.S. military and government entities.

CBP is authorized by law to accept donations of technology that can be used for IPR enforcement.

Suspected IPR violations, fraud or illegal trade activity can be reported by contacting CBP through the e-Allegations Online Trade Violation Reporting System or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT. Violations can also be reported to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center at https://www.iprcenter.gov/referral/ or by telephone at 1-866-IPR-2060.

May 13, 2019

Construction was completed at the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry turning a recently donated parcel of land into a parking lot. The donation occurred through a partnership with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Donations Acceptance Program (DAP), the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and the city of Douglas, Arizona.

CBP officers did not have a designated parking area for their personally owned vehicles while they worked their shift at the port. As a result, the officers were forced to park in the port of entry, taking up vital space needed to process entering vehicles. To help alleviate this issue and assist in ensuring CBP operations could function at full capacity, the city of Douglas determined nearby existing land would be useful for conversion into a parking lot.

In September of 2017, CBP entered into the agreement to receive the donated land in “as-is” condition knowing CBP would be required to further evaluate the scope, funding, and implementation of certain security requirements before it could function as a parking lot. CBP and GSA then worked with the City to implement full reconstruction of the land in less than 70 days. ​​Acting Area Port Director Michael Quinonez said, “This stunning parking lot is the end result of the collaboration between the City of Douglas, GSA and CBP.  Our sincere appreciation to the City of Douglas for their generous donation and to all the parties involved for making this happen.”

“The City of Douglas is honored to partner with CBP in finding ways to make our border crossing experience smoother and safer by offering a better work environment for the men and women that operate the port of entry,” stated the Honorable Robert Uribe, Mayor of the City of Douglas. “This is a win-win situation for the community, for trade and for CBP.  We remain focused on the long-term solutions to modernize the existing Port and realizing construction of a new commercial port to the west, but this donation makes the situation better today, and that was essential,” added Mayor Uribe.

Not only does the parking lot provide extra security for the personally owned vehicles of officers, but it is expected to reduce port congestion and provide added commercial vehicle staging in support of Unified Cargo Processing (UCP) efforts. Specifically identified placement of personal vehicles removes them from areas surrounding the port, adding more space, increasing throughput, and decreasing wait times. The latter addition of UCP will allow Mexican Customs officers to work jointly with CBP officers in the U.S. to inspect and process vehicles to decrease wait times by eliminating the separation of inspections.

“GSA is proud to have played a part in using our gift acceptance authority to turn this generous land donation from the City of Douglas into a functional parking lot for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers that serve this community,” said Anthony Kleppe, Land Ports of Entry Program Manager for GSA Region 9. “Additionally, this further underscores GSA’s valued relationship and continuing partnership with the City of Douglas and CBP.”

The full CBP news release can be viewed here.

April 9, 2019

Construction was completed on the Brownsville Veterans International Bridge Land Port of Entry adding pavement expansion improvements for commercial vehicles. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) partnered with the General Services Administration (GSA) and Cameron County, TX to quickly execute this $500,000 project which will increase traffic flow at the port of entry and decrease wait times for commercial vehicles. The project became a catalyst for streamlining the CBP and GSA approval processes for similar future partnerships. Beginning in January of 2018, and completed in March of 2019, the project went from idea to realization in fifteen months.

“Our mission is to facilitate legitimate trade and travel while maintaining an enforcement posture to keep our borders and our country secure.  This project is a collaborative effort which allows both objectives to be accomplished more efficiently,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry. “I thank our partners for their vision and for working so expeditiously to see this project come to fruition.”

The new inbound lanes will allow commercial vehicles to easily maneuver to navigate soon to be installed Multi-Energy Portals (MEPs) as part of the “Model Port” initiative. MEPs are a drive-through Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) imaging system that will scan commercial vehicles pre-primary inspection, a preemptive step in the inspection process increasing border security and trade facilitation while decreasing driver waiting times at border crossing ports of entry. The ability to add on more lanes and scan vehicles before they reach primary inspection improves the overall wait commercial travelers.

The “Model Port” initiative looks to launch NII technology at select ports of entry to further enhance CBP’s mission to protect the public while fostering the Nation’s global economic competitiveness by enabling legitimate trade and travel.

Section 482 of the Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016, Pub. L. No. 114-279, 130 Stat. 1413 (codified at 6 U.S.C. § 301a), authorizes CBP and GSA to accept donations of real property, personal property (including monetary donations) and non-personal services from public and private sector entities.

“On behalf of Cameron County, I am pleased to see the completion of the commercial FAST lane expansion project. As the main source for international commercial traffic in Cameron County, it is vital that the Veterans International Bridge operates at full capacity. We are very grateful for such an opportunity to work with our counterparts to improve our ports of entry. As the DAP is a federal program authorized by Congress, I would also like to extend a thank you to our delegation, including Congressman Vela and Senator Cornyn, for their approval and support on such programs which enhance the overall safety and effectiveness of our communities and ports,” said  Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr.

September 1, 2018

Garrett Wright, Branch Chief of the Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) and Kevin McPherson, Director of Brand Protection for Otter Products, sat down with the International Trademark Association (INTA) to be interviewed for the INTA Bulletin.  The interview covered the DAP's scope and success and what benefits private industry can expect from partnering with CBP through the DAP.  

June 27, 2018

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today a new formal partnership arrangement with Otter Products, LLC, maker of OtterBox and LifeProof brand phone cases, as part of the Donations Acceptance Program. Under its partnership with CBP, Otter Products will donate authentication devices for CBP officers and import specialists to use to quickly and accurately detect counterfeit Otter Products merchandise entering the United States.

“Building off the success of localized enforcement efforts, CBP is now working hand-in-hand with Otter Products to target and deploy authentication devices on a nation-wide scale,” said Todd C. Owen, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations. “CBP’s formal partnership with Otter Products will help us broadly deliver these highly effective tools to the front line officers and trade specialists who need them most.”

As part of its rigorous and ongoing brand protection efforts, Otter Products intends to partner with CBP for the long term by resupplying and, if necessary, upgrading authentication devices as CBP’s detection needs evolve.

“CBP’s formal partnership with Otter Products extends well beyond the initial deployment of authentication devices,” said Brenda B. Smith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade. “Our goal is to provide continuous, organized feedback to Otter Products pertaining to the ongoing use of these devices, their effectiveness, and opportunities to improve upon them so that we may jointly outpace those who seek to profit off counterfeit goods.”

The Donations Acceptance Program broadly enables CBP to accept donations of real property, personal property (including monetary donations) and non-personal services from public and private sector entities in support of CBP operations. Accepted donations may be used for port of entry construction, alterations, operations, and maintenance activities.

Public-private partnerships are a key component of CBP’s Resource Optimization Strategy and allow CBP to provide new or expanded services and infrastructure at domestic ports of entry. For more information, visit www.CBP.gov/DAP.

May, 2018

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a new formal partnership arrangement with Southwest Airlines Co. as part of the Donations Acceptance Program. Under its partnership arrangement, Southwest Airlines will provide CBP with available discarded luggage at airports of entry where both partners operate. CBP will in turn use this luggage to train canines to search for and detect narcotics, weapons, and other illegal contraband entering and leaving the United States. 

“CBP is pleased to announce its first corporate partnership with a major airline for the provision of canine training aids,” said Todd C. Owen, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations. “These training aids are important in helping CBP achieve its mission of safeguarding America’s borders and protecting the public from dangerous people and materials.”  

The full CBP news release can be viewed here.

February 22, 2018

The Donations Acceptance Program held a webinar on Wednesday, February 21^st from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST for interested public and private sector representatives to provide general program and partnership information for engaging with CBP for donations to enforce Intellectual Property Rights.

The webinar was recorded and can be viewed here in its entirety. If you are interested in additional information, a copy of our Quick Reference Guide or any other programmatic information, please contact us at DAP@cbp.dhs.gov.

February 15, 2018

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today a new formal partnership arrangement with Procter & Gamble (P&G), as part of the Donations Acceptance Program, to prevent counterfeit P&G products from entering the United States. As part of the partnership, P&G will donate testing devices to verify the authenticity of various P&G products. The devices will help CBP officers and trade specialists quickly determine the legitimacy of the product, reducing the possibility of counterfeit goods from entering the U.S. stream of commerce.

"Intellectual Property Rights enforcement is a CBP priority trade issue, so we are pleased to announce the first formal partnership approved under the Donations Acceptance Program to aid in the fight against counterfeits," said Office of Field Operations Executive Assistant Commissioner Todd C. Owen. "CBP's continued partnership with P&G will help equip our officers with the tools needed to more effectively detect and seize counterfeit P&G products entering the United States."

P&G intends to partner with CBP for the long term by resupplying and if necessary, upgrading donated testing devices as CBP's detection needs evolve.

CBP views its formal partnership with P&G as an important and significant step towards collaborating on mutually beneficial Intellectual Property Rights solutions," said Office of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner Brenda B. Smith. "Our long-term agreement with P&G will help strengthen CBP's immediate and future ability to protect the P&G brand and U.S. consumers."

The Donations Acceptance Program enables CBP to collaboratively explore and implement solutions to trade and travel facilitation and enforcement challenges. This is the first formal partnership arrangement under the Donations Acceptance Program for Intellectual Property Rights enforcement to implement Section 308(d) of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. Section 308(D) required CBP to prescribe regulatory procedures for the donations of technologies, training, or other related services for the purpose of assisting CBP in Intellectual Property Rights enforcement.

The full CBP news release can be viewed here.

September 29, 2017

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced this week that a new proposal from the city of Douglas, Arizona has been selected as part of the Donations Acceptance Program (DAP). The city of Douglas proposed a donation of a parking lot and adjacent parcel of undeveloped land directly north of the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry to better enable CBP to implement parking lot security measures, reduce port congestion and provide added commercial vehicle staging in support of Unified Cargo Processing efforts. The DAP enables CBP and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to explore, foster and facilitate partnerships for port of entry infrastructure and technology improvements.

"We are excited to partner with the city of Douglas in exploring small-scale, high-impact enhancements at the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry," said Todd C. Owen, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations. "The city's proposal will significantly improve CBP's ability to enhance port security, reduce congestion and increase commercial throughput."

Pursuant to 6 U.S.C. § 301a (Section 301a), and more generally, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, 6 U.S.C. § § 112 et seq., as amended, CBP and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) are jointly authorized by to accept real property, personal property, monetary and non-personal services donations from private sector and government entities. Accepted donations may be used for port of entry construction, alterations, operations and maintenance-related purposes.

Have questions regarding this process or the Donations Acceptance Program in general?

Please click on the link below to submit your questions directly to our email inbox.

June 25, 2017

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) is pleased to announce the publishing of our revised program framework outlining our updated procedures and criteria for evaluating, approving and accepting viable donation proposals. This framework incorporates the legislative requirements introduced by our new Section 301a authorities as well as reflects the policy and procedural improvements we've made over the years to render the program more flexible, streamlined and responsive.

Please note that all proposals regardless of dollar value, size, scope or complexity may now be submitted year-round to DAP@cbp.dhs.gov for consideration. As always, we welcome and encourage our prospective partners to connect with us in advance of preparing a formal proposal so that we may provide front-end feedback and guidance regarding proposal viability and the donation acceptance process.

CBP and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) are jointly authorized by 6 U.S.C. § 301a (Section 301a), and more generally, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, 6 U.S.C. § § 112 et seq., as amended, to accept real property, personal property, monetary and non-personal services donations from private sector and government entities. Accepted donations may be used for port of entry construction, alterations, operations and maintenance-related purposes.

April 18, 2017

The Donations Acceptance Program is pleased to announce that four new proposals from the Anzalduas Bridge Board; Cameron County, Texas; the City of Donna, Texas; and the City of Laredo, Texas have been approved for further planning and development. On behalf of CBP and GSA, we congratulate you on your innovative, forward thinking proposals and are excited to work with each of you moving ahead.

The Donations Acceptance Program is also pleased to announce that beginning today, all new proposals, regardless of dollar value, may be submitted to DAP@cbp.dhs.gov on a year-round basis. By expanding its proposal submission window, the Donations Acceptance Program aims to better accommodate and expedite viable proposals that previously could only be submitted once a year.

Proposals will be evaluated based on their individual merit and ability to satisfy the evaluation criteria posted on CBP.gov/DAP. Prospective partners and interested parties may submit questions regarding the Donations Acceptance Program via email at DAP@cbp.dhs.gov

December 12, 2016

Congratulations to Red Hook Terminals! Their donation of a high-capacity perforating machine to the Port of Freeport, TX was recently accepted through the Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) and is currently being used by OFO staff to expedite administrative procedures.

The perforating machine, while a relatively small donation, has already yielded a high impact; reducing the amount of time it takes port staff to process titles and other documents by 96%. As a result, the Port of Freeport anticipates that it will save up to 166 man hours a year that may be better spent on higher operational priorities. This is an example of how small-dollar value, donated improvements can make a big difference, both for CBP stakeholders and in terms of how CBP operates.

The small-scale donation proposal process offers an avenue for stakeholders interested in investing in and expediting small-scale, high impact border infrastructure, technology and other related improvements. Proposals that qualify as small-scale may be submitted year-round and in turn evaluated 60 to 70 percent faster than large-scale proposals.

For additional information or questions, please contact the DAP at DAP@cbp.dhs.gov.

October 17, 2016

Congratulations to the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority, whose proposal to upgrade existing air conditioned dock space at the Nogales West Land Port of Entry to refrigerated dock space was recently approved for further planning and development. You can read more about the Port Authority’s approved proposal here.

This is the first proposal selected under CBP’s small-scale process for proposals valued at $5 million or less. The small-scale donation proposal process is a new offering and avenue for stakeholders interested in investing in and expediting small-scale, high impact border infrastructure, technology and other related improvements.

As a final note, thanks to all those who participated in the live webinar session held on October 11th to provide an overview of the donations acceptance process and answer program-related questions. Please refer to our “Related Content” section for a copy of our webinar presentation. You can also find an audio/video recording of the webinar presentation here.

June 21, 2016

CBP and GSA are pleased to announce that proposals submitted by the City of Donna, Texas, the City of Pharr, Texas, and Red Hook Terminals during the FY 2016 proposal submission period have been approved for further planning and development. 

The City of Donna proposed constructing and implementing new inspection facilities and technologies to facilitate inbound empty commercial vehicle inspections at the Donna-Rio Bravo Land Port of Entry (LPOE). The City of Pharr proposed multiple improvements including constructing a new cold inspection facility, a new agricultural inspection training and development facility, and expanding secondary inspection dock space at the Pharr LPOE. Red Hook Terminals proposed donating a perforating machine in support of operations at the Port of Freeport Sea Port of Entry in Freeport, Texas.

The CBP Donations Acceptance Program congratulates the City of Donna, the City of Pharr, and Red Hook Terminals on their successful proposals. We’re excited to work with each of you moving forward.

June 2, 2016

The Donations Acceptance Program (DAP) is excited to announce that it will be hosting multiple one-day Roadshow events in select locations across the U.S. 

The DAP Roadshow is an opportunity to engage CBP and GSA field/port representatives and program leads in an open dialogue regarding partnerships for port of entry infrastructure, technology, or other related improvements.  

Events are currently scheduled for:

Laredo, TX – June 22^nd
Tucson, AZ – July 19^th

For more information or to request an invitation, please email the DAP at DAP@cbp.dhs.gov.

February 25, 2016

CBP Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske recently spotlighted the growing success and expansion of the Donations Acceptance Program along with the Reimbursable Services Program in his blog post Meeting the Challenge: Alternative Funding Helps CBP Serve Stakeholders.

The Donations Acceptance Program has quickly gained widespread interest and positive feedback as one of few viable mechanisms by which to invest in and expedite port of entry infrastructure and technology improvements. Partnerships entered into under the Donations Acceptance Program are expected to yield substantial operational, economic, and community-related benefits. 

As an update on Phase I activities, CBP in coordination with GSA, continues to evaluate the proposals it received during the recent FY 2016 submission period. CBP looks forward to announcing its FY 2016 proposal selections in the late Spring timeframe in addition to unveiling its tentative plans to accept and review certain small-scale proposal submissions on a year-round basis.

Stay tuned for more information…

Information Sharing Opportunities

On Wednesday, October 21, 2015, the CBP Donations Acceptance Program held a live webinar to review the donations acceptance process and provide useful guidance for submitting a successful donation proposal in FY 2016.  As a follow-up, CBP held a live Q&A session on Tuesday, November 17, 2015.  Questions may still be submitted via e-mail to DAP@cbp.dhs.gov.

Please note that to promote a fair and equitable proposal submission and evaluation process, CBP will respond only to questions relating to the overall Donations Acceptance Program and will not be able to address individual proposal specifics. 

July 24, 2015

FY 2015 Selectees Announced

On July, 24, 2015, CBP announced that proposals submitted during the FY 2015 open season from the following stakeholders had advanced to Phase II: Proposal Planning & Development.