CBP Adds FDA, IRS to ACE Interoperability List
CBP's ACEopedia for September provides an update to progress in ACE to date. The latest version added five new agencies planned for ACE interoperability, aimed at allowing a "single window" process that would ease cargo importation and release.
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PGA Interoperability
CBP named several new agencies in the ACEopedia that will take part in the International Trade Data System. Participating Government Agency (PGA) Interoperability introduces a comprehensive set of technical services that enables CBP to share trade data, documents, and events of interest in an automated manner with PGAs to significantly enhance inter-agency collaboration required during the cargo importation, review and release process. CBP is in the process of bringing several more PGAs into the interoperability environment, including (new agencies added in bold):
- Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS);
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
- Army Corps of Engineers;
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB);
- Department of Transportation (DOT);
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA);
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS);
- National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); and
- U.S. Census Bureau.
Other updates include:
ACE e:Manifest: M1 Rail and Sea
The new document said the agency is on track to decommission legacy rail and sea manifest processing at the end of the calendar year 2012. As of Sept. 29, ACE e-Manifest will be the only Electronic Data Interchange for Rail and Sea.
Exports
An Automated Export Manifest pilot using the Document Image System (DIS) capability began in late March 2012. The new version now says "the pilot allows for emailed submission and automated processing of Export Manifests in the ocean mode of transportation -- a process that has historically been entirely manual and paper-based." CBP "is receiving a near 100 percent success rate for the export manifests submitted as part of this pilot" and "the pilot, initiated at 8 ports, was expanded to all seaports and opened to all ocean carriers in August and September," it said.
(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) Cargo Release/Simplified Entry (May 2012), (8) PGA Interoperability (September 2011.))
Ranked ACE Priorities and Work Plan
In the ACEopedia and (here) are 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). There are some changes on the table of priorities from the last ACEopedia. The ACE M1 and Complete PGA Interoperability status was changed to "deployed." Also, "future phases to build upon delivered functionality for ultimate full delivery of cargo release," is now listed as "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 say 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 September 2012 ACEopedia contains sections titled: Executive Summary, ACE overview and business case, ACE deployed capabilities, ACE program priorities, New ACE Development Strategy, e-Manifest rail and sea (M1), cargo release, exports, ACE budget/financial status, and frequently asked questions.)
(See ITT's Archives 12082729 for a summary of CBP's August ACEopedia).