CBP's July ACEopedia Updates ACE Progress
CBP ACEopedia for July 2012 provides an update to progress in ACE to date. The update on progress was the biggest changes between the new ACEopedia and previous versions.
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New progress in deploying ACE includes:
Simplified Entry (SE) -- streamlines the data required to obtain release of products for cargo, eliminating the current entry (CBP Form 3461) for those transactions in the SE pilot.
- Pilot test of SE capabilities at three ports successfully completed in June 2012.
- SE filings have been received successfully at all three pilot ports.
- CBP is examining the results of the initial pilot, implementing software fixes and adjustments identified during the pilot, and working with the trade pilot participants to establish the plan for the next roll out of SE capabilities.
- Starting the week of June 25, the pilot participants began filing additional Simplified Entries at the three pilot ports.
ACE Rail and Sea: M1
- On March 29, 2012, CBP published a Federal Register Notice (see 77 FR 19030), announcing that after a six-month transition period, effective Sept. 29, 2012, ACE will be the only CBP-approved EDI for transmitting required advance information for ocean and rail cargo to CBP. If the required programming changes, certification testing and transition to ACE e-Manifest: Rail and Sea are not made when this transition takes place, EDI messages for ocean and rail manifest and ABI in-bond transactions will fail.
- CBP successfully completed the Operational Readiness Review (ORR) for ACE e-Manifest: Rail and Sea on April 11.
- ACE e-Manifest: Rail and Sea has been deployed to all CBP ports of entry.
- Ninety-one percent of the carrier community impacted by M1 has either sent rail and sea manifests to ACE, completed testing, or is in the process of testing.
- Efforts to transition remaining carriers to ACE e-Manifest: Rail and Sea are ongoing. CBP is encouraging trade partners who have not begun the onboarding processing to contact their Client Representatives immediately as it can take up to twelve weeks to complete the programming changes and testing necessary to begin using M1.
- CBP and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) successfully completed a joint pilot of M1 functionality in May 2012. The USCG became the first Participating Government Agency to navigate ACE M1 in production during a series of operational trials in May 2012 piloted in Charleston, SC. The trials will result in better targeting capability of high risk cargo, improved communication to the trade community, and greater border security.
(The "ACEopedia" also lists the deployed Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) capabilities and their dates as (1) ACE Secure Data Portal (2003), (2) Periodic Monthly Statement (PMS) (2004) , (3) e-Manifest Truck (2007), (4) ACE Entry Summary (2009), (5) Post Summary Corrections (PSC) (2010), Importer Security Filing (ISF) (2009) with the link to ACE delivered in 2011), (6) e-Manifest Rail and Sea (April 2012), and (7) Simplified Entry (May 2012).)
Ranked ACE Priorities and Work Plan
In the ACEopedia and (here) is CBP's table of ACE Priorities and Work Plan. In its seven categories of work, CBP has completed projects in two categories to date (Manifest and Entry Summary). The only change on the table of priorities from the last ACEopedia is the ACE M1 status was changed to "in progress."
CBP's completed ACE projects are in italicized text below, while Priority projects and their ranking (1 - 5) are in bold. Projects that are remaining for ACE completion are in normal text.
| Category | Functionality |
| Manifest | e-Manifest: Truck |
| Delivery of ACE e-Manifest: Rail and Sea (Rank 1) | |
|---|---|
| Air Manifest | |
| Integration of Multi-Modal Manifest | |
| Vessel Management System | |
| Cargo Release | Simplified Entry Phase 1 (Rank 2A) |
| Document Image System (Rank 2B) | |
| PGA Message Set (Rank 2C) | |
| PGA Interoperability (Rank 2D) | |
| Future phases to build upon delivered functionality for ultimate full delivery of cargo release (Rank 2E) | |
| Entry Summary | ACE Accounts and Reports |
| Periodic Monthly Statement | |
| Entry Summary Filing for Consumption and Informal Entries | |
| Antidumping/Countervailing Duty Entry Filing and Processing | |
| Post Summary Corrections | |
| Entry Summary Edits (Rank 3) | |
| Remaining Entry Summary types and processing | |
| Mail Entry Writing System | |
| Importer Activity Summary Statement/Simplified Summary | |
| Drawback | |
| Reconciliation | |
| Protest | |
| Entry liquidation | |
| Exports | Exports (Rank 5) |
| Financial | Integration of all financial capabilities within ACE |
| Operations/Maintenance | Priority fixes (Problem Reports) (Rank 4) |
| Ongoing fixes and enhancements to deployed functionality | |
| Rehosting efforts for ACS | |
| Rehosting efforts for AES | |
| Reducing cost of O & M | |
| Transition to the target architecture & open standards | |
| SEI assessment & integration planning | |
| Other | System Migration (LIMS, SEACATS, etc.) |
New ACE Development Funded in FY 2012 from Carryover Dollars
The ACEopedia continues to state that in fiscal year (FY) 2012, the ACE program entered into the Operations & Maintenance phase with no funding for additional development. The program is using carry-over dollars (from prior years) for development work on the following initiatives:
- Cargo Release/Simplified Entry (partially funded)
- CBP ITDS Priorities -- Document Image System (DIS), PGA Message Set, and PGA Interoperability
- Requirements efforts for Exports and to begin development of Exports
Unless future funding is available for continuous development of new capabilities, CBP states that development work will cease.
(The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is a multi-year project to modernize Customs’ processes, and will become the “single window” for all trade and government agencies involved in importing and exporting. ACE has been underway for over 10 years.
The April 2012 ACEopedia contains sections titled: Executive Summary, ACE overview and business case, ACE deployed capabilities, ACE program priorities, e-Manifest rail and sea (M1), cargo release, exports, ACE budget/financial status, and three frequently asked questions.)
(See ITT's Archives 12041941 for a summary of CBP's April ACEopedia).