CBP Leadership Not Worried About Overloading Final ACE Deployment
ATLANTA -- CBP leaders are confident that the final ACE deployments will go smoothly and won't be impeded by the amount scheduled to be added by Feb. 24, 2018, Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said during a Dec. 5 interview at the East Coast Trade Symposium. The decision to delay deployment of statements in ACE (see 1712040061) represents an "opportunity to test more fully," said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner in the CBP Office of International Trade. The agency said on Dec. 4 it would delay the deployment of statements in ACE, from Dec. 9 to Jan. 6, 2018, due to a lack of testing for monthly statements.
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Asked whether there's a concern about deploying too much at the very end, McAleenan said he's not worried about "overloading" the deployment. Much larger and more complicated deployments have already occurred and while the post-entry pieces are important to get in place, "we want to do it when we're ready" and the trade is ready, he said. The agency continues to target Feb. 24, 2018, for its final post-release deployment, he said.
CBP has learned that "big bang doesn't work for us," Smith said. "I think there was a lot of concern about statements" because "they do have such a broad impact," she said. One reason "we have been relatively successful is we have taken small bites of the apple and have thoroughly tested," she said. Shifting the full deployment of ACE statements until January is a "critical piece," Smith said. CBP issued a CSMS message on the delay on Dec. 4. While it's "a lot to do in 60 to 90 days," much of the software for the February deployment has been in testing for over a year, she said.