Refactored AESDirect Issues Caused by High ACE Volumes, Says CBP
Refactored AESDirect users saw some new problems after a third batch of entrants admitted on March 28 to ACE reduced system functionality, said trade associations. Three-month delays for adding new exporters, login obstacles, and discord between ACE and certain web browsers were among the several problems encountered by filers transferring from the Census Bureau’s legacy AESDirect system to the new ACE-embedded filing system, the American Association of Exporters and Importers said in an April 1 letter to CBP.
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A CBP spokeswoman said the issues are now resolved, noting increased import filing rates associated with the first major ACE deadline contributed to problems for AESDirect users (see 1604050034). A Census spokeswoman said it is "currently tracking feedback from the trade community during this transition and are working closely with the [CBP] to resolve any user issues."
Census and CBP have shifted 60 percent of legacy AESDirect filers to ACE, as of March 28, when the latest 20 percent were added. The agencies will transfer the next 20 percent of filers on April 11. The volume of ACE filers is scheduled to rise by another 20 percent on April 25, when all legacy AESDirect filers will have been transferred to the single-window portal. After admissions of the first and second batches of filers to ACE didn’t significantly impact the system, the addition of the March 28 group had “devastated” system capacity, Shipco Transport Corporate General Manager of Compliance Donna Henry said in an email. Shipco on April 4 had completed only three of 18 filings in four hours, she said.
AAEI CEO Marianne Rowden highlighted 13 AESDirect filing issues in her letter to CBP Office of International Trade Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith. For instance, upon logging in, regular filers had run into error messages stating: “This account is disabled,” Rowden said. Functionality also lagged in Google Chrome and Internet Explorer, and some filers experienced error messages when performing routine tasks such as using Template Manager, as well as a “fatal error” if a filer is timed out, she said. Some filers also didn't receive confirmation of ACE acceptance of Electronic Export Information (EEI) filings, despite including International Transaction Numbers (ITNs) in emails, Rowden said. Other complications constituted deviations of descriptions in the “info” buttons from actual regulatory language, sluggishness of toggling between screens, and the limitation of filtering via the “search” function on the shipment manager page to one term, she said.
Retrieving a past filing from legacy AESDirect requires ACEDirect users themselves to set up all data elements of the legacy record to retrieve entrenched information, whereas users in the past could request all the data elements from Census, Rowden said. AESDirect now only lists partial data elements, she said. “Members are looking for a good set of instructions from Census on how to run a report and capture all of the data elements,” she said.
ACE filing problems are “amplified” by the fact that ACE implementation is overseen by two agencies—CBP and Census—Rowden said. “Some companies are not able to access the ACEDirect system because they are not able to access the ACE web portal, and we understand that this is a CBP system issue,” she said. “Others are able to access the ACE portal, but are not able to file an export, this is a Census issue.”
Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of AAEI’s letter to CBP.