[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 28 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 6688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3050]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Customs Service


Conclusion of the National Customs Automation Program Prototype

AGENCY:  U.S. Customs Service, Treasury.

ACTION:  General notice.

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SUMMARY:  This document announces Customs conclusion of the National 
Customs Automation Program Prototype (NCAP/P). Prototype operations 
must be discontinued due to the cessation of funding for the NCAP/P 
automated system. Upon prototype conclusion, NCAP/P participants must 
cease entering goods and transmitting data under NCAP/P procedures. 
This document also provides instructions to participants on procedures 
for processing prototype entries using non-NCAP/P systems.

DATE:  Termination of the NCAP/P will be effective as of March 13, 
2000. No new applications for participation will be accepted as of 
February 10, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Comments and requests regarding NCAP/
P termination may be directed to Keith Fleming, U.S. Customs Service at 
(202) 927-1049, or Virginia Noordewier, U.S. Customs Service at (202) 
927-3296.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The vision of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is to 
establish a Trade Compliance Process that achieves high levels of 
compliance and reduces the cycle time required for imports to clear 
Customs. NCAP/P is the prototype for the first implementation of this 
automated process.
    Customs first announced its intention to implement the NCAP/P in 
the Federal Register on March 27, 1997 (62 FR 14731); the test was 
modified with updated procedures in a notice published in the Federal 
Register on August 21, 1998 (63 FR 44949) which replaced the previous 
notice. Customs also published a notice in the Federal Register on 
October 15, 1998 (63 FR 55426), announcing the proposed expansion of 
the prototype to five additional ports of entry.
    The NCAP/P plan called for a four-stage implementation of new cargo 
processing features over a period of up to three years. The NCAP/P 
commenced on April 27, 1998 with the implementation of the cargo 
release stage. Customs implemented the second stage on October 13, 
1998, which provided for cargo release with examination. At the time of 
this termination, the third and fourth stages--entry summary/periodic 
payment and reconciliation--have not been implemented.

Procedures

    Upon prototype conclusion, participants must immediately revert to 
non-NCAP/P processing for all cargo sAs of the date 30 days from the 
date of publication of this document in the Federal Register, cargo 
release must be obtained through existing non-NCAP/P systems or 
procedures.
    B. Cargo releases previously obtained through NCAP/P must be 
followed up by summary data and payments transmitted through existing 
non-NCAP/P systems, e.g., the Automated Commercial System.

Prototype Evaluation

    Upon the conclusion of the NCAP/P, an evaluation of the entire test 
will be conducted and the results published in the Federal Register and 
the Customs Bulletin.

    Dated: February 4, 2000.
Charles W. Winwood,
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations.
[FR Doc. 00-3050 Filed 2-9-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4820-02-P