Customs and Border Protection: Automated Trade Data System Yields Benefits, but Interagency Management Approach Is Needed

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began work on the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) in 1994 to update the agency’s existing electronic trade processing system. In 2006, Congress broadened this effort by mandating creation of a “single portal” International Trade Data System to, among other things, efficiently regulate the flow of commerce and more effectively enforce laws and regulations relating to international trade. Performance problems halted implementation of ACE from 2010 to 2013. In 2014, the President set a deadline of December 31, 2016, for completing the system. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 included a provision for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on issues related to ACE implementation. In this report, GAO examines (1) CBP efforts to complete core ACE capabilities since 2013; (2) agencies’ access to ACE and use of the system to process imports; (3) any cost savings and trade enforcement benefits from using ACE; and (4) the approach that will be used to manage ACE after core capabilities are completed. GAO reviewed information from 22 agencies as well as importers, exporters, and brokers and interviewed agency and trade community representatives. The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure that the Commissioner of CBP, in collaboration with partner agencies, finalizes an interagency approach to managing ACE that includes processes for prioritizing enhancements and sharing system costs. CBP concurred with GAO’s recommendation.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/690666.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/690665.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. Government Accountability Office

  441 G Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20548
• Publication Date: 2018-3-14

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 63p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefits; Cooperation; Implementation; Imports; Information systems; International trade; Recommendations
• Identifier Terms: Automated Commercial Environment; U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Finance; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01666916
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: GAO-18-271
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 24 2018 9:19AM