CSMS Message: 97-000388

TO : ALL ABI BROKERS.

FROM : MARILYN MALLWITZ

SUBJECT : MIS - ACE REDESIGN NEWSLETTER

DATE : 04/17/97

TRADE COMPLIANCE/ACE REDESIGN
PROJECT NEWSLETTER FOR THE TRADE COMMUNITY

VOLUME I, ISSUE 2, MARCH 26, 1997

NCAP PROTOTYPE

ON MARCH 27, 1997, CUSTOMS ANNOUNCED IN THE FEDERAL
REGISTER ITS PLAN TO PROTOTYPE THE FIRST PHASE OF THE
NATIONAL CUSTOMS AUTOMATION PROGRAM IN DETROIT, PORT
HURON, AND LAREDO. THIS PROTOTYPE, KNOWN AS NCAP/P,
IS THE FIRST OPERATIONAL DEMONSTRATION OF AN ACCOUNT-
BASED DECLARATION THAT WAS DEVELOPED AS PART OF THE
TRADE COMPLIANCE REDESIGN. NCAP/P WILL BE
SUPPORTED BY THE AUTOMATED COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENT
(ACE), AND WILL BEGIN NO EARLIER THAN AUGUST 1997
AND CONTINUE FOR APPROXIMATELY 18 MONTHS. PUBLIC
COMMENTS AND APPLICATIONS TO PARTICIPATE ARE DUE BY
APRIL 25, 1997.

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE,
TITLED 'THE NATIONAL CUSTOMS AUTOMATION PROGRAM TEST
OF ACCOUNT-BASED DECLARATION PROTOTYPE (NCAP/P),' HAS
BEEN POSTED TO THE CUSTOMS ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD
AND THE CUSTOMS WEB PAGE. IT CAN BE FOUND ON THE
WEB PAGE UNDER BOTH FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES AND
TRADE COMPLIANCE /ACE REDESIGN/PROTOTYPE INFORMATION
AND INCLUDES ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, APPLICATION
PROCEDURES, AND OTHER DETAILS OF THE PROTOTYPE.
ELIGIBLE IMPORTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO
PARTICIPATE.

FOR THOSE TRADE MEMBERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN
APPLYING FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROTOTYPE AND ARE
DETERMINED BY CUSTOMS TO BE QUALIFIED FOR
PARTICIPATION, A PACKAGE OF INFORMATION IS BEING
COMPILED THAT CONTAINS MORE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS..

CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAS SYMPOSIUM

EDWARD KWAS, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATION
AND TECHNOLOGY, MODERATED A MULTI-NATIONAL PANEL AT
THE SECOND ANNUAL TRADE SYMPOSIUM OF THE AMERICAS,
WHICH WAS HELD MARCH 3-6, 1997, IN MIAMI, FLORIDA.
DISTINGUISHED PANEL MEMBERS INCLUDED THE DIRECTORS
GENERAL OF CUSTOMS OF BOLIVIA AND VENEZUELA, THE
UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO THE HONDURAS
PROJECT, AND PATRICIA EDFORS, CHAMPION FOR SECURITY
PRIVACY FOR THE GITS WORKING GROUP. THE TOPIC FOR
THE PANEL WAS TRADE AUTOMATION - MOVING TO THE 21ST
CENTURY. PANEL MEMBERS OFFERED THEIR VIEWS ON
BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING, THE NEED FOR
AUTOMATED SUPPORT AND SECURITY ISSUES IN THIS
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT.

TRADE COMPLIANCE REDESIGN/ACE PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS
PROVIDED INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT AND RESPONDED TO
QUESTIONS FROM CUSTOMS AND THE TRADE COMMUNITY AT A
BOOTH IN THE EXHIBIT HALL.

ADDITIONAL TRADE COMMUNITY INTERFACE ACTIVITIES

THE TRADE COMPLIANCE REDESIGN/ACE PROJECT TEAM
PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS IN
THE RECENT PAST. THESE INCLUDE:

- A MEETING WITH THE ABI VENDOR COMMITTEE TO
DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMS TRADE INTERFACE
AUTOMATION, INCLUDING PROGRAMMING EFFORTS FOR
THE YEAR 2000

- A MEETING WITH THE JOINT INDUSTRY GROUP'S
AUTOMATION COMMITTEE IN WHICH COMMISSIONER WEISE
EXPLAINED CUSTOM'S GOALS RELATED TO TRADE
COMPLIANCE AND THE PLANS FOR THE PHASED
INTRODUCTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ACE.

- A BRIEFING ON TRADE COMPLIANCE REDESIGN/ACE TO
THE AIR COURIER ASSOCIATION MEETING AND
DISCUSSION OF SEVERAL CUSTOMS' AUTOMATION
PROJECTS, E.G., ELIMINATION OF PAPERWORK,
AUTOMATED MANIFEST SYSTEM (AMS), REMOTE LOCATION
FILLING, THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE DATA SYSTEM
(ITDS), AND THE AUTOMATED EXPORT SYSTEM (AES).

- REPRESENTATION ON SEVERAL PANELS AT THE
NCBFAA CONFERENCE DURING THE FIRST WEEK IN MARCH
IN TAMPA.

AT THE AIR CARGO CONFERENCE PLANNED FOR MAY 8-9 IN
INDIANAPOLIS, CUSTOMS WILL HAVE A BOOTH THAT WILL
INCLUDE INFORMATION ON THE TRADE COMPLIANCE
REDESIGN/ACE PROJECT. IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING, PLAN
TO STOP BY THE BOOTH AND SEE THE PRESENTATION. A
TEAM MEMBER WILL BE ON HAND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.

PERMANENT ACCOUNT MANAGER POSITIONS

IN FEBRUARY 1996, CUSTOMS LAUNCHED A ONE YEAR EFFORT
TO PROTOTYPE THE USE OF AN 'ACCOUNT MANAGER' TO ACT
AS THE PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT IN DEALINGS WITH
SELECTED IMPORTERS. THE IMPORTERS WERE SELECTED
BASED ON THEIR TOTAL ENTERED VALUE AND THE VALUE OF
IMPORTS OF COMMODITIES IN PRIMARY FOCUS INDUSTRIES.
IN FEBRUARY 1997, THE PROTOTYPE WAS EVALUATED AND
CONSIDERED A SUCCESS BY BOTH CUSTOMS AND THE TRADE.
TO DATE, 41 IMPORTERS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED ACCOUNT
MANAGERS.

AS A RESULT OF THE SUCCESSFUL EVALUATION OF THIS
PROTOTYPE, CUSTOMS HAS ANNOUNCED 25 PERMANENT
POSITIONS FOR ACCOUNT MANAGER. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
CLOSED ON MARCH 4, 1997, AND SELECTEES WILL BE NAMED
IN THE NEAR FUTURE. OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE ACCOUNT
MANAGERS ASSIGNED TO 100 IMPORTERS BY THE END OF THE
YEAR.

TRADE SUPPORT NETWORK MEMBERSHIP

AS A RESULT OF OUR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON THE
INTERNET ADDRESSES FOR TSN MEMBERS IN THE FIRST ISSUE
OF THIS NEWSLETTER, A NUMBER OF COMPANIES EXPRESSED
INTEREST IN BECOMING MEMBERS OF THE TRADE SUPPORT
NETWORK.

THE TRADE SUPPORT NETWORK WAS ESTABISHED AND THE
MEMBERSHIP SELECTED TO REPRESENT A BROAD SEGMENT OF
THE VARIOUS TRADE ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH
WHICH CUSTOMS DOES BUSINESS. MEMBERSHIP IS NOT
EXPECTED TO GROW BEYOND THE PRESENT LIST OF
ORGANIZATIONS. INSTEAD, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT
ORGANIZATIONS NOT CURRENTLY INCLUDED IN THE
MEMBERSHIP VOICE THEIR ISSUES WITH THEIR PARTICULAR
TRADE ASSOCIATIONS, WHICH ARE WELL REPRESENTED IN THE
GROUP. IN ADDITION, THIS NEWSLETTER IS INTENDED TO
PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ALL INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE
TRADE.

USE OF THE ACE-NET INTERNET ADDRESS

THE ACE-NET MAILBOX IS INTENDED TO PERMIT TRADE
PARTICIPANTS TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS RELATED
SPECIFICALLY TO THE TRADE COMPLIANCE REDESIGN/ACE
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. HOWEVER, SOME OF THE INITIAL
QUERIES SENT TO THE ACE-NET MAILBOX RELATED TO ISSUES
BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT AND RELATED TO OTHER
PARTS OF CUSTOMS. WE HAVE FORWARDED THOSE QUESTIONS
TO APPROPRIATE OTHER CUSTOMS OFFICES FOR RESPONSE,
BUT REQUEST THAT YOU SUBMIT THOSE BROADER
ISSUES/QUERIES TO YOUR CLIENT REPRESENTATIVES IN THE
FUTURE.