CBP Reorganizes ACE Planning, Budget Management, Etc. (Update on M1)
On April 8, 2010, U.S. Customs and Border Protection held a webinar that provided an update on Automated Commercial Environment and the International Trade Data System Concept of Operations.
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ACE Business Office Created on April 11, 2010
During the webinar, CBP discussed its reorganization of the ACE project and announced the April 11, 2010 creation of the ACE Business Office within the Office of International Trade.The ACE Business Office will be responsible for business requirements, end user engagement, and program management and communication for the ACE program.
New Office to Handle All ACE Planning and Budget Management, Etc.
As a result, all ACE program planning, budget management, and business requirements management will be transitioned to the ACE Business Office from CBP’s Office of Information Technology. The ACE Business Office will be handling the building of business cases and advocating the need for additional ACE funding after which would then be turned over to CBP’s Office of Information Technology for design and deployment.
CBP hopes to select a new Director for the ACE Business Office within the next few weeks.CBP Hopes to Pilot M1 by End of 2010
According to a CBP source, the top deployment issue on the ACE schedule is e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail (M1), which CBP hopes to pilot by the end of 2010. CBP also noted that it plans to phase-in M1 (which CBP expects to fully deploy by the second quarter of FY 2011).
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 03/24/10 news, (Ref: 10032405), for BP summary of the Administration’s list of planned ACE projects.)See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/10/10 news, (Ref: 10021010), for BP summary of the ACE implementation guidelines for M1.)
CBP Plans to Complete PSC, Imaging, M1, Etc. With the Remaining ACE Funds
CBP states that with the remaining ACE funds it plans to:- Complete Post Summary Corrections (Q4 FY 2010 -- Q1 FY 2011)
- Complete EDI imaging (Q4 FY 2010 -- Q1 FY 2011)
- Complete e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail (M1) (Q1 FY 2011 -- Q2 FY 2011)
- Lay groundwork for cargo release, remaining entry summary types, and e-Manifest: Air (M 2.1)
CBP notes that completion of EDI imaging would bring the trade closer to paperless filing and might allow single transaction bonds to be filed using imaging technology.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 03/24/10 news, (Ref: 10032405), for BP summary of the Administration’s list of planned ACE projects which indicated that CBP planned M1, PSC, imaging, etc. for FY 2010.)PSC Functionality Expected to be Limited to ACE Entries
CBP responded to a question by stating that its current thinking is that post summary correction functionality will be limited to ACE entry summaries. CBP noted that this could be an incentive for ACE filing.Completion of Cargo Release, All Entry Types, Air Manifest Planned for 2012-2013
In FY 2012-2013, CBP plans to complete the cargo release, remaining entry summary types and e-Manifest: Air (M 2.1) functionality within ACE.Steady State for ACE Signals Pause in Development to Build Business Case
According to CBP’s FY 2011 budget documents, in FY 2011 ACE will begin entering into an operation and maintenance steady state and forgo development of enhanced modernization capabilities.
During the webinar, CBP discussed the ACE transition to a “steady state”, operations and management phase. During this time, further ACE development will be deferred while business and technical requirements are clearly defined. The process of business case development will be a collaborative effort between CBP and ACE stakeholders. CBP characterizes this process as pausing the technology to allow development of a business case to catch up.Building the business cases for cargo release, the remaining entry summary types, and e-Manifest: Air (M 2.1) are CBP’s top priorities during this time.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 03/05/10 news, (Ref: 10030505), for BP summary of the Administration’s FY 2011 budget request for ACE which mentioned this steady state.)CBP Sees Role for ACE in Export Promotion
In response to a question as to when export functionality would be added to ACE, a CBP official noted that the Administration’s recent emphasis on promoting exports may provide CBP and ACE an opportunity to play a role in export promotion.CBP Wants to Encourage, Not Mandate, Use of ACE
A CBP official noted that CBP wants to encourage, not mandate, the use of ACE.
See future issue of ITT for details on the ITDS ConOps portion of CBP’s April 8, 2010 webinar.