CBP posted an updated version of its ACE Entry Summary Business Rules and Process document, dated Sept. 1 (here). "The updated version of the document includes a rewritten Liquidation section, a revised and expanded Protest section, and minor edits to the Drawback section (more updates to this section will be coming soon)," CBP said in a CSMS message (here).

CBP posted a new reconciliation handbook for ACE (here) ahead of the Oct. 1 switch from the Automated Commercial System. This guide represents an updated version of the ACS Reconciliation Prototype Guide, often called the reconciliation handbook, it said in a CSS message (here). CBP recently said it expects the coming changes to the reconciliation program to streamline the process (see 1608190031).

CBP released a list of "high level changes for processing liquidations "in ACE (here). An interim final rule on the addition of liquidation capabilities in ACE will be released ahead of the Oct. 1 deployment (see 1608170055), it said. Among the changes are an electronic replacement for paper liquidation bulletins, more frequent liquidation processing and temporary importation under bond extension filing through ACE.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is working on screening and targeting criteria to determine what entries subject to new International Fisheries Trade Permit (IFTP) and ACE filing requirements it will select for manual review, said Christopher Rogers, assistant director of the international fisheries division of the NMFS Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, during a Sept. 1 webinar. Given the large number of entries the agency will have to review once ACE filing becomes mandatory for NMFS data on Sept. 20, the agency will rely on the criteria to decide whether to review entries before or after the shipment is released, he said.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:

CBP posted a list of frequently asked questions about protest filings in ACE (here). As of Aug. 27, protests filed electronically must be filed through ACE (see 1608080015).

CBP received and is considering how to respond to a Trade Support Network leadership council request to allow for a grace period for drawback and reconciliation filing after deployment in ACE (see 1608310049), an agency spokeswoman said. "CBP is continually evaluating the readiness around this transition and is committed to ensuring that the transition does not disrupt the flow of commerce," she said. " A response will be provided to the trade community upon further assessment of these considerations." The TSN asked for a 60-day "grace period" during which filers could use the Automated Commercial System while testing ACE for drawback and reconciliation.

Additional data elements required by the Food and Drug Administration for ACE entries are increasing costs and staffing needs for the trade community, companies and trade associations said in comments on FDA’s proposed rule to codify the new requirements (here). FDA’s ACE requirements “represent an economically significant greater burden on the trade community compared to the data required in the previous Automated Commercial System (ACS),” the Express Association of America said (here). One EAA member calculated an increase of 50% in the time required to process an FDA entry in ACE over the time required in ACS, “from 16 to 24 minutes,” the EAA said. “In order to continue to meet the strict delivery deadlines in the express environment for FDA-regulated products, the increased processing time has resulted in a requirement for a 40% increase in staffing for these shipments,” it said.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:

CBP should give the trade community a grace period of 60 days to file in the legacy Automated Commercial System after it deploys drawback and reconciliation in ACE on Oct. 1, the Trade Support Network leadership council said in a letter to the agency dated Aug. 26. Current plans to deactivate ACS for drawback and reconciliation at the same time CBP launches drawback and reconciliation in ACE do not leave enough time for testing and training, and the agency still hasn’t issued the required policies and regulations, it said.