ACE: Trade nervous as next major deadline looms

 

A major ACE deadline is just weeks away, and the trade, software vendors, CBP and the PGAs are experiencing angst as they get used to the new system and try to anticipate the unknowns of what is to come.

As of October 1, CBP expects to add ACE functionality for all remaining electronic portions for the cargo process:

• Duty Deferrals
• Drawback
• Reconciliation
• Statements (with associated collections functions)
• Liquidation

 

In addition, 17 PGAs still need to be brought online, with no hard-and-fast published deadline, though some are pushing to make the October 1^st deadline.  This is the subject of much debate on the ACE daily technical calls (open to the public).

TBD 2016

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Remaining APHIS data (APHIS Core) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Enforcement and Compliance Commission (E&C) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Marine Conservation (OMC) Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Tariff Bureau (TTB)

 

Not surprisingly, this is causing shippers great concern (see Journal of Commerce article, “US shippers still grappling with ACE growing pains”)*, especially as CBP is still changing its ACE implementation guide and addressing system glitches from previously launched ACE functionality.

Unfortunately, there is no single, updated repository for the trade to keep current on these issues.  At this point, our recommendation to stay up-to-date with ACE deadlines is to participate in (or listen in on) CBP’s daily ACE technical calls with PGAs.  (1-877-336-1828 call ID 6124214.  1pm CST).

(*JOC site registration may be required)