1. Filing coverage
List the transactions your zone files and ask the vendor to state, for each, whether the software prepares it, transmits it to CBP directly, or relies on a partner.
| Transaction | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| E-214 admission | Drafting, transmission, and CBP response handling |
| 3461 weekly estimate | Coverage monitoring and supplemental estimates |
| 7501 Type 06 entry summary | Line grouping, duty and fee calculation |
| 7512 in-bond or zone-to-zone transfer | Preparation and transmission |
| Annual reconciliation and FTZ Board annual report | Report generation from the ledger |
Ask whether the vendor is listed for the relevant ABI transaction sets, and for which environments.
2. Data integration
Most FTZ effort goes into getting data in, not into the filing itself.
- Which ERP and WMS sources are supported, and in what form: extracts, files, APIs, or documents?
- Who builds and maintains the mapping: your IT team, a consultant, or the vendor?
- What happens when a required field is missing or two sources disagree?
- Can every value in a filing be traced back to the source record it came from?
3. Inventory control and zone status
- Does the system keep an ICRS that meets 19 CFR 146.21 through 146.26 on its own, or does it depend on another system of record?
- Is zone status held per inventory layer through every movement?
- Which inventory methods are supported, such as FIFO or specific identification?
- Does it support manufacturing, including inverted-tariff treatment under production authority?
- How are corrections recorded: overwrites, or revisions with history?
4. Automation and AI
"AI-powered" means different things. Ask what runs without a person and what waits for one.
- What does the system do on its own each day: intake, matching, checks, reconciliation, drafting?
- What does it flag, and does each flag include the evidence and a proposed fix?
- Which decisions always require an authorized person, such as status elections and filings?
- Are duty and fee amounts computed by deterministic rules, with AI limited to preparing and explaining?