CBP Posts its January - March 2007 Report to Congress on ACE

CBP's report provides an update on ACE accomplishments, challenges, fiscal status, and upcoming program milestones. According to CBP, the report demonstrates how ACE is helping CBP achieve Department of Homeland Security strategic objectives, and how ACE is providing CBP personnel in the field with enhanced capabilities to better accomplish the CBP mission of preventing terrorism and facilitating legitimate trade and travel.

This is Part I of a two-part series of summaries on this report and highlights CBP's accomplishments for the January 1 - March 31, 2007 period, and actions taken by CBP in response to certain open Government Accountability Office recommendations. See future issues of ITT for additional summary on CBP's ACE-related accomplishments for the April 1, 2007 - June 30, 2007 period.

CBP Accomplishments for the January 1-March 31, 2007 Period

According to CBP's report, the following are highlights of CBP's ACE-related accomplishments for the January 1, 2007 - March 31, 2007 period (partial list):

70% reduction in data elements in the Standard Data Set. On February 17, 2007, CBP briefed trade community representatives on the final version of the annual International Trade Data System Standard Data Set report. Through ITDS data harmonization efforts, the SDS is now comprised of 300 data elements that are aligned with the World Customs Organization (WCO) data model - a 70% reduction in the number of data elements compared to the previous version of the SDS. (See ITT's Online Archives or 08/23/07 news, 07082305, for BP summary of CBP's updated ACE/ITDS SDS report to the trade, etc.)

Pilot of ACE wireless capabilities launched. On March 19, 2007, CBP began testing ACE wireless capabilities at the port of Baltimore, MD. The mobile touch-screen device will provide officers with immediate access to comprehensive container and shipment information from anywhere within a port compound. The wireless device will provide officers with immediate access to data, including content descriptions and details of shipments, as well as enable them to gather and report information at its source. More details can be immediately input electronically, with less chance for error. Information can be automatically integrated with CBP databases to enhance screening and targeting capabilities.

CBP's Actions on Open GAO Recommendations

According to CBP's report, it has taken the following actions regarding certain open GAO recommendations (partial list):

Use of ACE to support other homeland security applications. GAO has recommended that CBP take appropriate steps to have future ACE expenditure plans specifically address proposals or plans to extend or use ACE infrastructure to support other homeland security applications.

The report notes that CBP has not planned any ACE expenditures that would enable ACE infrastructure (equipment such as hardware environments) to support other homeland security applications.

However, ACE program leadership is actively working to coordinate ACE with other homeland security applications (IT systems that provide tools and information to help front line officers ensure U.S. security).

CBP states that although these coordination efforts have not resulted in the identification of specific cost savings for the ACE program or other related homeland security programs, CBP anticipates that this coordination will directly advance CBP's trade facilitation and homeland security goals. Examples include (partial list):

ACE screening and targeting (S&T) capabilities are being integrated with the Automated Targeting System (ATS).

Entry Summary, Accounts, and Revenue (ESAR) A1 capabilities are being coordinated with Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) to provide CBP and trade representatives the ability to view the status of CBP programs such as C-TPAT.

ACE is being coordinated with the U.S.-Mexico Border Partnership Plan.

Future ACE export capabilities are being coordinated with the Automated Export System (AES).

Minimization of overlap and concurrency in ACE releases. GAO has recommended that CBP minimize the degree of overlap and concurrency across ongoing and future ACE releases. CBP's actions in these areas include:

ACE releases have been divided into smaller groups of capabilities or "drops." A single manager will be appointed as the drop manager with overall responsibility for delivery of the drop. (According to CBP sources, the next ACE drop, ESAR A1, is currently scheduled to be deployed in mid-September 2007.)

Program managers have conducted extensive planning to ensure that development milestones eliminate contention for computer hardware environments needed for development, integration, testing, and training activities.

CBP is centrally managing underlying ACE shared software services to maximize the efficient use of resources, enhance responsiveness to workload peaks, and provide consistent technical management approaches across releases.

CBP's report (as of March 31, 2007) available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/ace/quarterly_reports/ace_rpt_cngrs_0307.ctt/ace_rpt_cngrs_0307.pdf.