CUSTOMS SETS ACE CONTRACT AWARD FOR APRIL 25

CUSTOMS SETS ACE CONTRACT AWARD FOR APRIL 25    U.S. Customs plans to award its contract to a “prime contractor” on April 25 to begin building its future computer system, the Automated Commercial Environment.
   The three bidding firms, IBM, Accenture and EDS, submitted their bids to the agency on Feb. 5. They wrapped up their oral presentations of the bid process this week.
   The cost of ACE is expected to range from $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion and take four to five years to build, depending on funding levels from Congress. Customs received $130 million for ACE development in fiscal 2000 and has requested $210 million for fiscal 2001.
   Customs said it would continue to seek advice and recommendations from industry as it rolls out ACE.
   “We've listened to and will continue to listen to you,” Jerry Russomano, executive director of software development at U.S. Customs, told executives at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America's conference in San Francisco.
   Input into ACE will also be received through industry/Customs modernization efforts, such as the Entry Revision Project work and the Trade Support Network meetings.
   The agency also promises to maintain the current system, the Automated Commercial System, during the transition.
   'We'll do our best to keep it going,' Russomano said.
   ACE is expected to be developed in four increments. The first increment, which will be largely based on the existing National Customs Automation Program, will take about nine months to a year to develop, Russomano said.
   For a full outline of the ACE roll-out plan, access the Customs Web site at https://www.customs.gov.