United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Accounting and Information Management Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-05-13 monographic deposited born digital 15 p. GA 1.13:T-AIMD-99-186 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186 P0b002ee18039ddcf f:ai99186t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186 T-AIMD-99-186 Computer software verification and validation Systems conversions Schedule slippages Internal controls Information resources management Cost effectiveness analysis Systems design Customs administration Customs Service Automated Commercial Environment System Customs Service National Customs Automation Program Testimony AIMD I99186

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the weaknesses of the Customs Service's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) project. GAO noted that: (1) Customs is well over 2 years behind its original National Customs Automation Program prototype schedule; (2) Customs was not building ACE within the context of an enterprise systems architecture, or blueprint of its agencywide future systems environment; (3) Customs developed and published an architecture in July and August 1997; (4) GAO reviewed this architecture and reported in May 1998 that it was not effective because it was neither complete nor enforced; (5) in response, Customs agreed to develop a complete architecture and establish a process to ensure compliance; (6) Customs reports that its architecture will be completed in May 1999; (7) Customs did not identify and evaluate a full range of alternatives to its defined ACE solution before commencing development activities; (8) Customs did not develop a reliable life cycle cost estimate for the approach it selected; (9) Customs is not making investment decisions incrementally as required by the Clinger-Cohen Act and the Office of Management and Budget; (10) although Customs has decided to implement ACE as a series of 21 increments, it is not justifying investing in each increment on the basis of defined costs and benefits and a positive return on investment for each increment; (11) Customs lacks the capability to effectively develop or acquire ACE software; and (12) Customs lacked a software process improvement program to effectively address these and other software process weaknesses. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186/html/GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186.pdf GAO/T-AIMD-99-186 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-AIMD-99-186 Testimony GAO/T-AIMD-99-186; Customs Service Modernization: Actions Initiated to; Computer software verification and validation Systems conversions Schedule slippages Internal controls Information resources management Cost effectiveness analysis Systems design Customs administration Customs Service Automated Commercial Environment System Customs Service National Customs Automation Program Title 19 Section 1411et seq 19 U.S.C. 1411et seq Public Law 103-182 Public Law 104-106