[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 86 (Thursday, May 5, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-10800]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 5, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army

 

International Personal Property Rate Program; Proposed Changes

AGENCY: Military Traffic Management Command, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: MTMC is proposing use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) as 
the method for carriers to submit international personal property 
shipment rates. This system is the method by which international 
personal property shipment rates will be submitted for Department of 
Defense (DOD)-sponsored international household goods (HHG) and 
unaccompanied baggage (UB) shipments.

DATES: Comments must be received before July 5, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be mailed to Headquarters, Military Traffic 
Management Command, ATTN: MTOP-T-NI, room 621, 5611 Columbia Pike, 
Falls Church, VA 22041-5050.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Alex Moreno, (703) 756-2383.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MTMC's intention to institute an EDI program 
for acquisition of carrier rates is in furtherance of the following 
policy and directives:
    a. Office of the Secretary of Defense Policy Memorandum directing 
use of American National Standards Institute EDI standards, dated May 
1988.
    b. 41 Code of Federal Regulations, Sec. 101-41.007, permitting use 
of EDI to document and pay transportation bills, April 1989.
    c. Defense Management Review Decision 941 directing use of EDI 
standards, dated November 1993.
    MTMC proposes the use of EDI to receive, return, file, and use 
rates submitted by HHG and UB carriers.
    The meetings listed below were held to discuss use of EDI for 
billing and rate filing purposes. The carrier industry was invited to 
attend these meetings and was briefed on MTMC's desire to convert from 
a magnetic tape media for rate submissions to an EDI process.
    a. DOD/Industry EDI Personal Property Working Group meetings on 
June 14, 1991, and January 29-31, 1992, at Bethesda, Maryland.
    b. DOD/Industry EDI Personal Property Working Group meeting on 
March 23-25, 1992, at Indianapolis, Indiana.
    Under this proposed change, carriers will be able to electronically 
file their rates on a daily basis during filing windows, and will be 
electronically notified by the next business day of the results, i.e., 
total rates received and rates rejected with a rejection error code. 
For the initial filing (I/F) window, carriers will have a 3-week 
period, prior to the I/F deadline, in which they can add, delete, or 
change rates on a daily basis. Upon completion of the I/F window, MTMC 
will notify all interested parties via an electronic bulletin board of 
all rate levels filed by traffic channel, including which carrier 
established the rate. If two or more carriers establish this rate 
level, each carrier will be shown. MTMC will continue to verify all 
carriers filing rates in the I/F window have a letter of intent on file 
at each applicable installation. There will be approximately a 3-week 
period after notification of established low rates and the me-too (M/T) 
window to allow carriers an opportunity to determine their M/T rates. 
Carriers will have a 2-week period, prior to the M/T filing deadline, 
in which they can either add or change M/T rates on a daily basis. 
However, once both I/F and M/T filing deadlines have passed, no further 
modifications to those rates or other rates will be allowed. The 
mistake-in-rate filing (MMIRF) process will be included in the window 
period. The input rates will be edited for suspect rates and returned 
to the carriers so they may make ``MIRF-like'' changes. There will be 
two cancellation periods during each 6-month cycle in which carriers 
will be allowed to cancel rates.
    The purpose of this proposed change is to convert the rate filing 
process from a magnetic tape media to electronic submission. Initially, 
MTMC will accept electronic mail capabilities or in the public standard 
format of ANSI X.12 Transportation Services Tender Transaction Set 602 
using EDI technology. However, MTMC plans to transition over the next 
18 months to ANSI X.12 602 public standard format as the sole method 
for submission of international personal property rates.
    It is anticipated that many automated data processing (ADP) firms 
currently filing magnetic tape on behalf of carriers will continue to 
provide rate filing services under the electronic submission 
requirement. Carriers that elect to use the services of these ADP firms 
will only have to notify MTMC, in writing, of the firm representing 
them.
    For interested parties who wish to file rates using EDI procedures, 
the first step will be to obtain the services of a Value Added Network 
(VAN) for either X.25 protocol for the EDI 602 format or X.400 protocol 
for the electronic mail proprietary format. The VAN will be the conduit 
for exchanging rate submissions with MTMC. The next step will be to 
complete a Trading Partner Agreement and submit to MTMC. A Trading 
Partner Agreement provides the terms and conditions governing the 
exchange of administrative information between carriers and MTMC, and 
legally binds both parties to those terms. The final step will be to 
complete three successful transmissions of rates without a 
communications or technical error.
    All international personal property rates will be filed via 
electronic submission for the International Winter 1995 (IS95) cycle, 
rates effective October 1, 1995. It is anticipated that the I/F window 
will be in May 1995 for a 3-week period. Magnetic tapes will no longer 
be accepted.
    DOD-approved international personal property carriers and current 
ADP rate tape filers will be provided instructions on filing electronic 
rate submissions after comments received as a result of this Federal 
Register notice have been reviewed. Instructions for filing rates 
electronically will also be provided on the AT&T Bulletin Board. The 
instructions for filing electronic international personal property 
rates will include procedures for filing a Trading Partner Agreement, 
and procedures for testing transmission of rates, along with MTMC 
points of contact for these procedures.
Kenneth L. Denton,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 94-10800 Filed 5-4-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M