Governance and collaboration in regulatory supervision: A case in the customs domain

This article describes how in regulatory supervision some form of collaboration is necessary between regulator and company in the way evidence about compliance is collected and evaluated. How to arrange such collaboration? In this article, we investigate specific ideas about continuous control monitoring and apply them to regulatory supervision. By means of a design science approach, we propose a particular governance mechanism for continuous monitoring of compliance. We derive objectives based on the literature about regulatory supervision and about auditing. By means of a case study of a new customs supervision mechanism for container terminals in a large port, we identify legal, economic and technical feasibility conditions. In particular, we discuss the role of an intermediary. The case shows that continuous control monitoring is legally and technically feasible in the customs domain, and that a suitable party can be found to play the role of intermediary. However, a good business case for parties to invest in such a system needs to be developed.