CBP Posts its Reports to Congress on ACE for the Third and Fourth Quarter FY 2007 (Part II - ACE-Related Achievements/Milestones)

CBP's reports provide 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 (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 II, the final partof 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 highlights CBP's achievements during the period, as well the ACE milestones that were scheduled for the first quarter of FY 2008.

CBP's Fourth Quarter FY 2007 Accomplishments/Plans for ESAR A1 and A2, Etc.

The following are highlights of CBP's ACE accomplishments and goals during the fourth quarter of FY 2007 (partial list):

CBP deployment of ESAR A1 - On September 9, 2007, CBP deployed Entry Summary, Accounts, and Revenue (ESAR): Master Data and Enhanced Accounts (A1) capabilities. Among other things, A1 expands the number of ACE account types to include virtually every entity doing business with CBP, provides enhanced ACE Secure Data Portal account management features, and lays the foundation for an account-based financial and entry summary processing system in ACE.

New A1 capabilities also provide the basis for further interagency collaboration. An initial group of eight Participating Government Agencies (PGAs)¹ can now use ACE to store blanket licenses, permits, and certificates issues to authorize multiple imports of the same commodity over a period of time. This initial feature is the building block for future ACE capabilities that will automate the process of checking an import against an existing license - resulting in a more automated, paperless process.

A1 capabilities also streamline the approval and activation of Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs) by CBP and the Foreign-Trade Zones Board (FTZB), eliminating the previous paper-based coordination process. These initial capabilities lay the groundwork for future ACE releases that will allow CBP to store and view transactional data, such as information regarding entries into the commerce from the FTZ, within ACE.

CBP plans for future ESAR A2 entry summary validations, delivery schedule. CBP states that it continues to work on the annual update of the ACE program plan and plans for completing future ESAR A2 capabilities.

CBP states that it is "decomposing" Automated Commercial System (ACS) software code to ensure that ACE entry summary capabilities do not overlook key business rules. Based on the pace of current decomposition efforts, CBP projects a delay to the planned October 2008 delivery of A2 capabilities.

CBP also states that as part of its efforts to update the program plan, it is undertaking a comprehensive review of plans to develop modernized entry summary capabilities. This analysis focuses on understanding the entry summary validations that are necessary to ensure data integrity and the admissibility of goods under U.S. law while also upholding the concept of "shared responsibility" (embodied in the Modernization Act), whereby the trade community shares responsibility for accurately filing entry summary data based on clear CBP guidance on classification and filing procedures.

In addition, CBP is evaluating options for delivering A2 (as well as other future ACE capabilities) in smaller groups of related functionality, as well as options for enabling a gradual transition to entry summary capabilities for the trade community. The results of CBP's analysis will be reflected in an updated program plan, which was expected to be completed in October 2007 and will be discussed in the next edition of CBP's report.

(See ITT's Online Archives or 10/05/07 news, 07100505, for BP summary of the TSN Transition Committee's response to CBP's proposal to have minimal edits in ACE, termed "Edit Lite."

See ITT's Online Archives or 08/20/07 news, 07082005, for BP summary on CBP's expectation that it would implement ESAR A2 for ACE accounts on a filer-by-filer basis.)

CBP completed review for Advanced Targeting (S3) - CBP successfully completed the Operational Readiness Review (ORR) for Advanced Targeting (S3) on August 23, 2007, following completion of the S3 Production Readiness Review (PRR) on July 18, 2007.

Advanced Targeting drop capabilities combined the Screening Foundation (S1) and the Automated Targeting System (ATS) targeting capabilities into a single platform that leverages new methods for developing targets while incorporating existing ATS concepts.

ACE Milestones Scheduled for First Quarter of FY 2008

The report identifies the following as ACE milestones that were scheduled for the first quarter of FY 2008 (October 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007):

Secure Cargo Management Capabilities

October 2007:

CBP was scheduled to complete the Critical Design Review (CDR) for M2 (e-Manifest: Air Manifest and Cargo Release) capabilities which would signal that design work has been completed and that construction can begin.

November 2007:

By November 12, 2007, all PGAs identified by the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety were scheduled to have established or refined their implementation plan and set deadlines for developing, reviewing, and finalizing conceptual operating plans, memoranda of understanding for the ACE/International Trade Data System (ITDS) interface, and a set of technical and business requirements for identifying any program and system modifications needed to support the interface.

(See ITT's Online Archives or 09/25/07 news, 07092510, for the final part of BP's multi-part series of summaries on the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety's initial report, with links to previous parts.)

Screening and Targeting (S&T) Capabilities

The key targeting concepts introduced via the S&T drops have modernized and enhanced current ATS operations to facilitate greater risk management. CBP states that the ACE S&T releases continue on schedule with no risk of delay.

October 2007:

CBP was scheduled to complete the fourth quarterly drop (Increment 6.0) for the Targeting Framework, which was planned to provide new user capabilities and enhancements

December 2007:

CBP was scheduled to deliver Advanced Targeting Drop 5, which would provide new functionality and enhancements. Key functionality includes weight set enhancements, workflow management, and additional targeting elements.

(See ITT's Online Archives or 01/28/08 news, 08012820, for Part I of this multi-part series of summaries.

See ITT's Online Archives or 12/13/07 news, 07121350 1, for BP summary of CBP's information on Office of Management and Budget deadlines for ITDS, etc.)

¹CBP states that the deployment of A1 capabilities would enable the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Federal Maritime Commission; Food Safety and Inspection Service; Agriculture Marketing Service; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Office of Foreign Assets Control; and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to store blanket license, permit, and certificate information in ACE.

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.