SITPRO Limited

SITPRO Limited is a UK Non-Departmental Public Body, focused on the removal of barriers to international trade through the simplification and harmonisation of trade procedures. Based in London, SITPRO is dedicated to encouraging and helping business trade more effectively and to simplifying the international trading process.

SITPRO was formerly The Simpler Trade Procedures Board, set up in 1970 as the UK's trade facilitation agency. Reconstituted in April 2001 as a company limited by guarantee, it is a British non-Departmental public body and the responsibility of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (formerly the Department of Trade and Industry), from which it receives funding. The Chairman, currently Norman Rose, is appointed by the Secretary of State. Its other major stakeholder is HM Revenue & Customs.

SITPRO has one member [http://www.sitpro.org.uk/about/management/accounts07.pdf] and serves the UK trading community as a whole. Its mission is to use its unique status to improve the competitive position of UK traders, and its work is guided by its Board and its Advisory Groups. These Advisory Groups bring together experts from government, industry, trade (both exporters and importers), transport, banking and financial services. At any one time, there are about 100 executives and specialists taking part, and its ability to obtain this voluntary support and guidance is essential for both its research & development and its promotional roles.

SITPRO also offers a wide range of services to businesses, including advice, briefings, publications and checklists covering various international trading practices. It manages the UK Aligned System of Export Documents, and licenses the printers and software suppliers who sell the forms and export document software. The series contains nearly 70 standard commercial, transport, banking, insurance and official forms.

SITPRO is involved with a wide variety of trade facilitation activities including:
* Work towards a trade facilitation agreement through the World Trade Organization
* Development of the UNeDocs electronic messaging standards at UN/CEFACT and the UK national implementation UNeDocsUK
* Development of policy on supply chain security
* Development of the UK's International Trade Single Window

References

External links

* [http://www.sitpro.org.uk/ SITPRO website]

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