Sri Lanka’s Trade Transformation: KPMG Leads Validation for the Functional & Technical Requirement Specification for National Single Window System

The Trade National Single Window Project is a flagship initiative of the Government of Sri Lanka, operating under the Trade and Investment Policy Department of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. For Sri Lanka, the National Single Window is not just a technical upgrade; it is a compelling promise of transparency and efficiency that could significantly lower the cost of doing business and enhance the nation's competitiveness in the global market.

Trade National Single Window System (TNSWS), Project Implementation Unit (PIU), convened a Validation Workshop on the Functional & Technical Requirement Specification for the Development of the TNSWS on 16^th December 2025, at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Ruby Hall, Colombo 07. The event brought together representatives from 18 Government Agencies, 05 Private Sector Chambers, Trade Associations and the Ministry of Finance to review and validate findings of the draft final report presented by KPMG Technology Solutions Pvt Ltd, and to receive an update on the legal and regulatory gap analysis by the World Bank.

A Single Digital Gateway for Trade

The representatives of KPMG Technology Solutions Team, present at the location, led by Shirantha Fernando, Senior Manager IT Advisory, together with the NSW Consultant Mr. Aleksei Bondarenko who joined online, navigated through the presentation. They set the stage, comprehensively guiding through the F&T Assessment with TNSW as a "Central Intelligence Hub" to streamline the submission of trade-related information. The presentation denoted the current plight of traders who needs to navigate through multiple government agencies, often facing repetitive manual paperwork. Therefore, TNSW is to serve as a "Single Submission" model, where all trade-related information is submitted once electronically, reaching all relevant Integrated Government Agencies (OGAs) simultaneously. Therefore, the TNSWS acting as the Central Intelligence Hub shall serve as the "heart" of the system that manages data harmonization, risk scoring on predictive risk profiling and multi-agency workflow orchestration between the Private Sector and the Public Sector

Key Innovations and Global Standards to Deliver Benefits to All Stakeholders

The TNSW system is built to align with international standards, specifically UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 33 and the World Customs Organization (WCO) Data Model. This ensures that Sri Lanka’s trade data is interoperable with regional National Single Windows, such as the ASEAN Single Window model.

The F&TRS Assessment workshop ended with a Q&A Session and the individual OGAs clarifying with KPMG representatives on areas where they needed to revert on areas that required final endorsement to conclude the assessment report.