CBP Posts its Reports to Congress on ACE for the Third and Fourth Quarter FY 2007 (Part I - Efforts to Address GAO Recommendations)

CBP's reports provide an update on ACE accomplishments, challenges, fiscal status, and upcoming program milestones. According to CBP, these reports demonstrate how ACE is helping CBP achieve Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 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 multi-part series of summaries on CBP's most recent quarterly report (fourth quarter of FY 2007, July 1, 2007 - September 30, 2007) and provides highlights of CBP's efforts to address certain open recommendations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

According to CBP, it has taken the following actions regarding several of GAO's open recommendations.

Extend/Use ACE Infrastructure to Support Other Homeland Security Applications

The 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.

CBP notes that it 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 the security of the U.S.). 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's Office of Information Technology (OIT) anticipates that this coordination will directly advance CBP's trade facilitation and homeland security goals.

Specific examples of this coordination include the following (partial list) :

ESAR A1 capabilities will provide both CBP and trade representatives the ability to view the status of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program participation.

ACE is being coordinated with the U.S.-Mexico Border Partnership Plan which will enable ACE to implement any cargo screening standards that are derived from Partnership Plan agreements.

ACE is being coordinated with the Shared Border Accord Coordinating Committee, which is jointly sponsored by CBP and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). This coordination allows CBP and CBSA to address key issues and review progress under the U.S.-Canada Shared Border Accord, including border security and facilitation.

CBP continues to coordinate with other Federal agencies through International Trade Data System (ITDS).

OIT is taking steps to ensure that CBP systems, including ACE and the Automated Targeting System (ATS), are compliant with the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) developed by OIT and adopted by the DHS Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council. (Compliance with the SOA will facilitate any future efforts to leverage ACE and ATS capabilities across DHS.)

ACE Screening & Targeting (S&T) capabilities are being integrated with ATS. The modernized ATS will provide new S&T capabilities and will enable greater flexibility to incorporate emerging technologies in the future. S&T capabilities have been developed in close collaboration with the National Targeting Center to provide accelerated functional support for its operations.

ACE is leveraging the existing Traveler Enforcement Communications System (TECS) to provide front line officers with commercial truck license plate and driver query capabilities.

Establish ACE Performance Measures

GAO recommended that CBP define measures as well as collect and use associated metrics for determining whether prior and future program management improvements are successful.

CBP states that it has streamlined the ACE Requirements Management process and efficiency has been enhanced through the introduction of the "Great Idea Form" (GIF), which is used to propose new ACE requirements that could previously be proposed only via the formal Change Request (CR). According to CBP, submission of a GIF serves as a preliminary selection process for identifying and pursuing beneficial ACE requirements that warrant further analysis. As a result, the time and cost of the extensive analysis entailed in preparing a formal CR can be avoided for those requirements that do not merit further analysis. CBP states that 240 ideas have been received via the GIF process, 47.1% of which were rejected because the proposed ACE functionality (i) already exists, (ii) is being planned as part of an existing release, or (iii) does not fit within the planned scope of ACE as planned.

Implement Accountability Framework for All ACE Areas

GAO recommended that CBP implement an accountability framework that covers all program commitment areas. ACE program leadership has implemented the use of the ACE accountability framework which provides a comprehensive assessment of ACE capabilities, cost, schedule, program risks, mission values and benefits, business measures and targets, etc. Among other things, GAO specifically recommended that CBP ensure the establishment of reliable data relevant to measuring progress against commitments.

CBP states that OIT has taken several measures to establish reliable data, including (partial list):

combining Problem Tracking Report (PTR) tracking under a development team to improve on system performance; and

using remedy software to track all trouble tickets, notify ACE users via-email when trouble tickets can be resolved only through the resolution of a PTR, and notify ACE users via e-mail when resolution and implementation of a PTR will result in closure of a trouble ticket.

April 1-June 30, 2007 ACE quarterly report available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/ace/quarterly_reports/ace_report_to_congress_062007.ctt/ace_report_to_congress_062007.pdf.

July 1-September 30, 2007 ACE quarterly report available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/ace/quarterly_reports/ace_rpt_to_cngrs_092007.ctt/ace_rpt_to_cngrs_092007.pdf.