CBP Targeting Top Filers for ACE, Building Metrics to Track Progress, Says TSN Press Release

CBP will target 200 “top filers” in its efforts to promote industry adoption of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline for entry summary and cargo release, according to a press release issued by the Trade Support Network (TSN) following a conference held June 23-25 in Washington.

According to current CBP ACE adoption statistics (here), only about 10 percent of cargo release filers submitted via ACE in May, which is a “bit of a concern,” said Tom Gould, a customs consultant with Sandler Travis and member of the TSN’s Trade Leadership Committee, during a conference call held July 2. Although a major reason for the low adoption rate is that many cargo releases aren’t eligible for ACE because of Partner Government Agency (PGA) requirements, the scope of the challenge faced by CBP is highlighted by the fact that the top 200 filers comprise less than 10 percent of all filers, said TSN’s press release.

During the TSN conference, CBP officials presented on ACE entry summary, cargo release, and portal improvements, and the trade industry was given “some teasers” on ACE capabilities that will come after the Nov. 1 deadline, including protests, drawback and reconciliation, said the press release. Representatives of “almost 14 PGAs” also gave status reports. Publication is imminent for several Federal Register notices soliciting participants for PGA pilots beginning in July, said the release.

About 265 attended the conference, with CBP and PGA officials joining members of the TSN, including importers, customs brokers, self-filers, forwarders, shippers, consultants, trade associations and software service providers. Gould praised the “significant communication” and “transparency” between CBP and the trade community.

One outcome of the conference was a letter from the TSN to CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske urging the agency to make ACE mandatory only for capabilities that have been in production and testing for at least six months (see 1506300016). TSN members expressed concern about “having the time to fully integrate ACE Cargo Release and Entry Summary with all the new PGA data element requirements into their upstream and downstream business processes,” said the press release.

CBP’s recent delay in implementation of several quota entry types in ACE from June 27 to Oct. 31 also came up during the conference, said Gould during the press call. The delay for entry types 02, 06, 07, 12, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 34, and 38 leaves only one day for live filing and testing before the Nov. 1 switchover (see 1506030054). According to Gould, the delay came due to issues stemming from using both ACS and ACE to count quota merchandise, with CBP deciding it would have to wait until all quota filing could take place in a single system.

The “trade was encouraged” in the meantime to “vigorously test in the ACE Certification environment so that the ACE Business Office could continue to build metrics to measure CBP and trade readiness,” said the release. CBP is currently “building metrics” to track progress toward the Nov. 1 deadline by collecting data from importers, brokers and software service providers and establishing milestones, it said.

Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the TSN press release.