"The role of the SMEs is to take the benefit of all of their hard work, expertise, and knowledge -- that they have gained as Customs officers -- to write the requirements for what ACE will deliver and do for the Customs Service," explains Vicki Hodziewich, Business Modeling Executive, CMO. "What better way to ensure that ACE helps Customs officers do their jobs as efficiently and effectively as possible, than to have Customs experts help define what ACE should do."

Most SME positions are detailed to the CMO and few are direct hires. According to James Gleason, Government Task Coordinator for Task Order 3 (requirements and planning): "We currently have a team of 12 SMEs that may eventually grow to as many as 83 over the next five years. Our Customs experts have come from diverse work backgrounds and locations from all across the country to work on ACE development. Our initial group of experts include Customs officers from Alaska, Florida, and California, as well as from headquarters offices and some of the more immediate locales."

U.S. Customs Today asked some of these SMEs about their role and goals in shaping ACE, and how ACE will benefit Customs employees.

What projects are you working on?
(Roland Suliveras) We've been given different assignments based on our backgrounds. I'm working in the targeting area. I'm preparing a historical road map: What was done in the past? Where are we going in the future?

(Laurie Dempsey) I'm working on the Account Services process. Customs is focusing on account-based processes, as opposed to transaction-by-transaction operations, with an emphasis on the relationship between Customs and accounts in the trade. We want to design a system that integrates all of the different trade compliance processes and data that goes along with them so that we can retrieve and analyze data easily and manage our workload more effectively.

(Allison Suliveras) I am working on the International Trade Data System (ITDS). ITDS is an initiative to implement a secure, integrated, government-wide system for the electronic collection, use, and dissemination of international trade and transportation data required by the federal agencies. ITDS is intended to meet the data needs of all users, reduce the reporting burden on the public through the elimination of duplicative and obsolete data requirements, and enable data providers and users to transmit and obtain all data electronically. An importer, for example, needs to provide certain data elements for various government agencies in order to import goods into the United States. ITDS will provide a single portal for importers to provide information to satisfy government requirements (FDA, Customs, etc.) for any particular product they are importing.

(Bruce Raine) I'm working on the enforcement and analysis processes. I am providing the contractor [e-Customs Partnership] with background information concerning how these processes currently work under Automated Commercial System (ACS) and with recommendations for improvements. Historically, Customs looked at enforcement primarily on a shipment-by-shipment basis. Now, Customs wants to look at the entire scope of the problem from a multi-discipline viewpoint. In the end, ACE will provide a basis for tracking and researching enforcement actions Customs-wide.

How do you see ACE benefiting the Customs employee?
(Sherri Hurt-Braxton) ACE will increase revenue recovery through the reduction of under collection, create a more efficient quota management system, and stabilize the operating environment by reducing downtime and system outages.

(Elizabeth Sullivan) ACE will ease the burden and improve the quality of work life of our inspectors, import specialists, and entry specialists. ACE will allow these employees to focus on enforcement efforts and risk management.

(Laroy Eskelson) Import specialists will be able to develop a history of a company's import habits, analyze those and other trends, manage these accounts, and identify areas of non-compliance.

(Don Yando) Lack of flexibility will not be an issue for ACE. For example, the current ACS system counts 10 business days from the date of release in order to calculate a "due date" for the entry summary. ACS fails to take into account holidays, "snow" days, and other events that should not be counted. Even though ACS may show an entry summary as being late, the Fines, Penalties and Forfeitures Branch (FP&F) must do a manual count to confirm the 10-day filing period. If a manual count is not done, then FP&F would issue late file liquidated damage cases for entry summaries that weren't really late. This won't happen under the new ACE system.

Most of you are detailed to the CMO for a limited time. What is your goal while at the CMO?
(Marie Cosme-Rittenberg) My goal is to work on developing a user-friendly system that will balance the needs of Customs inspectors, import specialists, and entry specialists in terms of enforcement issues and ease of use, as well as the needs of the trade community and participating government agencies.

(Don Yando) I hope to share my knowledge from the perspective of someone who has worked in the field and who has experienced first-hand the frustration of dealing with an antiquated system. I've realized through my experience that all of the data that we have been plugging into ACS since its implementation is not as obtainable as it should be. We put the data in, but we have a hard time getting it out! I want to change that.

(Sherri Hurt-Braxton) To be part of a team that develops common-sense programs that eliminates paper and eases the field's workload burden.

Name and title of SMEs interviewed Marie Cosme-Rittenberg, Customs Inspector Laurie Dempsey, Import Specialist Laroy Eskelson, Import Specialist Sherri Hurt-Braxton, Import Specialist Team Lead Bruce Raine, Import Specialist Allison Suliveras, Supervisory Customs Inspector Roland Suliveras, Field Analysis Specialist Elizabeth Sullivan, Program Manager Don Yando, Entry Specialist

Currently, there are several vacancy announcements for SME positions within the Customs Modernization Office. Most of them close March 2002. These vacancies are posted on the Customs Web site under Careers, and on Customs Intranet site at http://customsnet under Human Resources/Careers/Vacancies. You can also obtain vacancy information by calling Pathfinder at 800-944-7725.