UN/CEFACT Standard · CCTS · BRS-CCTS

BRS Catalog System Guide

The Business Requirements Specification (BRS) catalog system is the international standard for structured product data exchange between trading partners, governed by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT).

What is the BRS Catalog System?

The Business Requirements Specification (BRS) for catalog data exchange defines how product information is structured and exchanged between exporters, buyers, and trading platforms. ExportConnect implements the UN/CEFACT BRS-CCTS standard, which is the internationally recognized framework for electronic catalog data exchange.

The BRS catalog system establishes rules for how product data — including classification, pricing, specifications, and certifications — is formatted and transmitted to ensure interoperability between systems across different countries and industries.

UN/CEFACT Recommendation 20 — United Nations recommendation on codes for units of measure used in international trade (1987, revised 2021). Governs how product quantities are expressed in catalog data.
UN/CEFACT TBG1 BRS (Trade, Business Requirement Specification for Catalog) — Defines the mandatory and optional data elements for international product catalogs exchanged between trading partners.

Core Component Technical Specification (CCTS)

The Core Component Technical Specification (CCTS) is the foundational standard that defines the basic building blocks of all UN/CEFACT business documents, including catalog data. CCTS version 3.0 is the current standard.

ABIE
Aggregate Business Information Entity
Top-level container grouping related data elements (e.g., CatalogueItem)
BBIE
Basic Business Information Entity
Individual data fields (e.g., product name, price, quantity)
ASBIE
Association Business Information Entity
Links between ABIEs (e.g., CatalogueItem → Seller information)
ISO/IEC 15000-5:2004 (ebXML Core Components Technical Specification) — Adopted as the international standard for CCTS, forming the basis of UN/CEFACT CCTS 3.0 catalog data structures.

Catalog Provider Requirements

A Catalog Provider (exporter) must meet the following requirements before being authorized to exchange catalog data on ExportConnect:

  1. 1. Legal entity registration with a valid trade registration number (RC)
  2. 2. Verified identity through the KYC (Know Your Customer) process
  3. 3. Active subscription to an ExportConnect billing plan
  4. 4. At least one product catalog meeting UN/CEFACT product classification standards
  5. 5. Acceptance of ExportConnect's Provider Terms and GDPR data processing agreement
Directive 2011/83/EU (EU Consumer Rights Directive, Art. 6) — Requires that product catalog information for B2B electronic commerce include all essential commercial characteristics, prices, and terms clearly stated before any commercial transaction.

Catalog Receiver Requirements

A Catalog Receiver (buyer) subscribes to receive structured product catalog data from one or more providers. Receivers must:

  1. 1. Have a verified company account on ExportConnect with KYC clearance
  2. 2. Subscribe to an active billing plan
  3. 3. Register as a catalog receiver, specifying product categories of interest
  4. 4. Maintain data confidentiality and not redistribute catalog data to third parties
  5. 5. Comply with the UN/CEFACT BRS data usage and audit trail requirements
UN/CEFACT BRS-Cat01 (Catalog Subscription Management Process) — Defines the subscription workflow between catalog providers and receivers including consent, notification, and data refresh protocols.

Catalog Data Structure (UN/CEFACT BRS-CCTS)

Each catalog entry in ExportConnect conforms to the following UN/CEFACT data structure:

Data ElementUN/CEFACT NameTypeMandatoryStandard Reference
Product NameCatalogueItemNameTextTextYesBRS-CCTS §4.2.1
Product DescriptionItemDescriptionTextTextYesBRS-CCTS §4.2.2
HS CodeHarmonisedSystemIDTextCodeYesWCO HS 2022
Unit PricePriceAmountAmountYesCCTS §8.1
CurrencyCurrencyCodeCodeYesISO 4217
MOQMinimumOrderQuantityMeasureQuantityYesRec. 20
Unit of MeasureUnitCodeCodeYesUN/CEFACT Rec. 20
Country of OriginOriginCountryIDIdentifierYesISO 3166-1
CertificationsCertificationDetailsASBIENoBRS-CCTS §6.1
Lead TimeDeliveryLeadTimeMeasureQuantityNoBRS-CCTS §5.3
IncotermTransportTermsConditionCodeCodeNoICC Incoterms® 2020
Technical SheetAttachedDocumentIdentifierIdentifierNoBRS-CCTS §7.4

Legal & Regulatory Framework

UN/CEFACT Recommendation 1 (Facilitation of International Trade)
Establishes principles for electronic data exchange in international trade, requiring standardized formats for catalog and transactional data. Adopted by 193 UN member states.
ISO 9735 (EDIFACT — Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport)
The global standard for B2B electronic data interchange that BRS catalog exchanges must comply with when operating across international borders.
Regulation (EU) 2018/848 (Organic Products Regulation)
For organic product catalogs, requires certification references and batch traceability data to be included in the catalog data record per Article 35.
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Article 2.4
Requires that product specifications in international catalogs be based on relevant international standards to avoid unnecessary technical barriers to trade.
GDPR Article 30 (Records of Processing Activities)
All catalog data containing personal or company information must be registered in the data processor's records. ExportConnect acts as a data processor under this article.
ICC Incoterms® 2020
International Commercial Terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce. Required in catalog entries to define delivery responsibilities and risk transfer points.

Catalog Exchange Process Flow

1
Exporter

Registers as Catalog Provider and publishes product catalog

2
Platform

Validates catalog data against BRS-CCTS schema and HS codes

3
Buyer

Registers as Catalog Receiver and subscribes to product categories

4
Platform

Matches buyer subscription profile to provider catalogs using AI

5
Buyer

Reviews matched catalogs and initiates RFQ for selected products

6
Exporter

Receives RFQ notification and submits quote via the platform

7
Both

Quote acceptance creates a BRS transaction record with full audit trail

Ready to become a Catalog Provider?

Register on ExportConnect, complete KYC verification, and start publishing your catalogs to buyers worldwide.