CBP’s Plans for ACE Funding
Message derived from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Cargo Systems Messaging Service
CBP’s Plans for ACE Funding Suggest Hybrid Solution for Section 321, New IOR Database for Risk Assessment
In February 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deployed the last of the seven major scheduled core Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) deployments, and all phases of cargo processing are now in ACE. Looking ahead, CBP is focused on sustaining all deployed ACE capabilities and ensuring ACE operates as a highly available and reliable system.
In addition to funds for sustaining core ACE, CBP has received $30M in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 appropriation for enabling ACE enhancements. CBP’s strategic goals and priorities are informed by the Customs Commercial Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) and through active dialog with CBP, industry, government agency and congressional stakeholders. The resulting CBP trade mission agenda includes program initiatives for advancing trade facilitation, security and enforcement objectives. There is an ongoing demand for ACE capability enhancements, and CBP follows a governance process to prioritize funding for initiative automation based on evaluation criteria that account for the interests of the trade community, the potential to reduce burden on the trade community, impact to CBP users, the nexus to existing and emerging priorities, and workload efficiency and operational improvement opportunities.
FY 2018 ACE enhancement funding will be used for the following:
• Section 321/Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act enabling automation
• Electronic CBP Form 5106 • Modernizing Foreign Trade Zone (e214) process in ACE
• Creation of Unique Identifiers for Centers of Excellence and Expertise
• Transitioning to Broker National Permit • Modernizing vessel management, via Vessel Agent Account Type
• Streamlining and modernizing truck processing, via a non-intrusive inspection program
• Updating Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
• Manifest update to include shipper phone number
• Electronic vessel manifest confidentiality request
More information is forthcoming on these ACE enhancements, including a development and deployment schedule. CBP will engage the trade community through the Trade Support Network to establish workgroups to refine trade-facing technical requirements and implementation plans.
Please continue to check CBP’s ACE Webpage for the latest information. To receive CBP updates, click here.
