Customs Officers
Association of Australia
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Customs Matters (Still Under Construction)CMR – the new Custom computer cargo management system is fast approaching. The deadline for introduction is the start of July 2005. Yet despite being 3 years over due and 300% over budget there are still serious question about its readiness. When the EXPORTS Phase 1 part of the project was released last year there were about 1000 errors detected in the software. Dozens of errors detected in the current ACS IMPORT Phase 2 software release. Many software developers who have built software based on the code provided by Customs are concerned that late changes in ACS coding cannot be incorporated into their software in time for the release.
CMR Article in The Australian IT More doubt over cargo system Selina Mitchell APRIL 11, 2005 CUSTOM'S long-overdue $184 million cargo management re-engineering project is under threat of further delay, with the companies developing industry software for the complex system warning the July 1 target date is unrealistic. Customs Minister Chris Ellison will meet with industry and developer representatives on Wednesday to further discuss the issue. Legislated deadlines for the re-engineering project have slipped three times. If the system is not functional by the legislated date, Customs must answer to Parliament, but if Customs allows the system to begin operations before industry believes it has been properly tested, the Service runs the risk of imports to Australia grinding to a halt. Through its cargo management re-engineering (CMR) project the Australian Customs Service is introducing a new freight management regime. It involves new business requirements and legal and security processes as well as a complete overhaul of the operating system that runs the Service. All legacy systems are being replaced, at great cost, and the technology involved is innately complex. CMR Imports is the last, but most elaborate, piece of the technology puzzle. As with the vexed exports component of the cargo management system finally released last September, there are two parts to the software problem. Customs must develop the software it will use to control imports, but industry also needs business-specific software at its end that can comply with Customs requirements, and report to the service electronically. The software developers need to see the major components of the Customs software before it can fully develop its own, and Customs hasn't finished yet. "It is clear that the Customs design is not complete, so the software development cannot be complete," head of Hi-tech Freight Solutions Douglas Meuross said. "There is no complete system to test. The first of July is not realistic." Gavin Millman, managing director of Gavin Millman and Associates said he has "serious doubts" that the imports component was going to be ready for release to the public on the anticipated date of July 1. "To understand the changes within it, the industry needs to see the full product and test it before they would feel comfortable to go live," Mr Millman said. “We are governed by the party we are dealing with - if we can't get the messages working, it is not necessarily our fault." EDI chief executive Richard White was slightly more hopeful: "The release is still do-able but there are some risks and it will need a lot of work by industry, software developers and customs to ensure it is commercially reasonable to go live. "If some critical issues aren't resolved quickly, the July 1 deadline might have to slip," he said. "We cannot afford for this software not to meet requirements," Custom Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia spokesman Stephen Morris said. A Customs spokesman said the development of the imports component of CMR "remains on track". "Customs understands that some sections of industry are concerned about this target date," he said. "Customs will continue to work closely with industry to resolve any concerns." Brian Lovell, chief executive of the Federation of International Forwarders said he was trying to remain positive. "A delay will not benefit anyone, but we need to be sure of the robustness of the system. The legacy systems are out of date and we are looking forward to a new platform." The Customs spokesman said the service had stated 1 July 2005 was a suitable target date for implementation. "This date has not been confirmed and our intention is to continue to work with both software developers and industry with this date in mind. Confirmation will occur closer to the date itself." He said Customs had already provided generic overviews of the new imports regime to more than 1,000 attendees to ensure industry clearly understands the new ICS system. "Customs, in cooperation with industry, has delivered extensive training and information sessions in all states to ensure detailed information is provided to industry operatives. "The roundtable on Wednesday will be a further opportunity for industry to continue discussions with the Minister and with Customs about the introduction of the new imports regime." Under the relevant legislation, Customs has until July 20 to implement the Imports release, with a further 40-day transition period. One developer who did not wish to be named said Customs had learned from its past mistakes with the Exports CMR release and that staff were moving as quickly as they could to provide functionality. "Some people won't start working until they have a perfect and complete product from Customs, but that is fatal - they won't make the cut-off dates."
Last Modified October 2005 |
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