CSMS Message: 99-000460

** ATTENTION ALL ABI AND AMS PARTICIPANTS **

"CLOSING OF THE OPEN WINDOW FOR THE TRADE Y2K COMPLIANCY TRIALS"

IN MID-JANUARY 1999, CUSTOMS ANNOUNCED TO THE TRADE COMMUNITY ITS
PLANS TO ALLOW AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A YEAR 2000 (Y2K)
TESTING SCENARIO WITH CUSTOMS AUTOMATED SYSTEMS.
THIS TESTING OPPORTUNITY (A.K.A. "OPEN WINDOW") SUPPORTED THE PROCESSING
OF VARIOUS CUSTOMS TRANSACTIONS SENT BY THE TRADE THROUGH THE SPECIAL
Y2K LOGICAL PARTITION (LPAR) OF THE MAINFRAME SYSTEM THAT ALLOWED
US TO ADVANCE THE DATE INTO THE NEXT CENTURY. AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE
MESSAGE (99-0048) PUBLISHED TO THE TRADE ON JANUARY 20, 1999,
STATED, THE PERIOD FOR THIS TESTING OPPORTUNITY WAS TO BEGIN
"NO EARLIER THAN FEBRUARY 1, 1999" AND WAS SCHEDULED TO "RUN
APPROXIMATELY FOUR MONTHS".

TO DATE, CUSTOMS HAS SUCCESSFULLY ALLOWED PARTICIPANTS REPRESENTING
OVER 73 PERCENT OF THE TRADE COMMUNITY THAT PROCESS DATA THROUGH
THE AUTOMATED BROKER INTERFACE (ABI) AN OPPORTUNITY TO VALIDATE
THEIR SYSTEMS FOR Y2K COMPLIANCE. OTHER TRADE PARTICIPANTS, NAMELY,
AUTOMATED OCEAN AND AIR CARRIERS (AMS) AND AUTOMATED EXPORTERS
(AES), ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THIS TESTING OPPORTUNITY.

DUE TO OTHER SCHEDULED WORK AND CUSTOMS RESOURCES ASSIGNED TO THE
Y2K EFFORT, THE CUSTOMS SERVICE HAS DECIDED TO END THIS TESTING
OPPORTUNITY IN JULY 1999, AFTER SUPPORTING ALL THE CLIENTS CURRENTLY
SCHEDULED. IN JULY 1999, IT IS ALSO ANTICIPATED THAT WE WILL INCLUDE
A TEST CYCLE TO SUPPORT THOSE CLIENTS WHO HAVE CONVERTED TO THE MQ SERIES
COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT. PARTICIPATION IN THIS TESTING WILL BE
SOLICITED FROM THOSE RESPECTIVE PARTICIPANTS AT A LATER DATE VIA AN
ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE, ETC.

CUSTOMS WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT CLIENTS WHO HAVE REQUESTED PARTICIPATION
IN THE TESTING DURING OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED WEEKLY CYCLES.
BEYOND THOSE TESTING DATES, CUSTOMS WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO TEST ON
A MUTUALLY CONVENIENT SCHEDULE.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MESSAGE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR
CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE.