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  1. Home
  2. Trade
  3. Stakeholder Engagement
  4. Small Business Outreach

Small Business Outreach

The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) mandates that CBP educate small and medium businesses on their compliance regarding importing and exporting into the U.S. This requirement is met by CBP’s Office of Trade Relations (OTR), who through various outreach efforts, raises awareness of resources available.

OTR has a national and regional partnership with the Small Business Administration (SBA).  We are responsible for managing CBP's outreach and communications with the international trade community, including the small and medium sized business community. OTR ensures that the trade community and the public understand that trade is an integral part of CBP's mission; making America safer, stronger, more prosperous, and economically competitive. As we continue to focus on economic growth, OTR has partnered with SBA’s Office of the National Ombudsman and other small business entities to educate small and medium business owners on trade facilitation and compliance as it relates to importing, exporting and the global supply chain. 

OTR’s outreach efforts to the small business community come in various forums; webinars, in-person roundtables and Small Business Trade Days.

Topics covered include a variety of information, such as:

  • CBP’s role in Trade imports and exports - Automation and Partnership
  • What small business owners need to know and what they should avoid when importing into the U.S.
  • The role of the Broker in imports and exports, and how they can help
  • Resources available to the small and medium businesses (SBREFA, SBA Programs and DHS/CBP Contract Opportunities)

Upcoming Events:

  • November 29, 2022: The Office of Information and Technology is excited to announce the second Enterprise Small Business (ESB) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Procurement Virtual Industry Day happening Tuesday, November 29, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST.  The objective of this event is to emphasize the ESB BPA solicitation, address industry questions and introduce the Enterprise Application Development (Emerging Technology Data Transformation Development & Maintenance) requirements.  View the flyer for the ESB procurement.

    For small business registration and questions please contact esbss@cbp.dhs.gov

Past Events:

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss an opportunity to collaborate with CBP in our outreach efforts, please contact OTR at (202) 344-1440 or cbpsbrelations@cbp.dhs.gov.

  • Last Modified: January 27, 2023