Outage Notification and Disruption Policy
System Configuration Change Notification
Major System Updates
ESG NextGen will provide advanced notification to industry users through the Unified Submission Portal (USP) and AS2 listservs for any upcoming user interface, major configuration, or major system change. This notification period allows for users to prepare, test, and provide feedback.
Minor System Updates
Outages due to ESG NextGen releases for minor new functionality or issue resolution, an email notification will be sent out through the USP and AS2 listservs at least one week in advance.
Planned Maintenance Updates
All planned maintenance updates will be posted here. This list of outages will be updated when changes to the schedule have been confirmed. Email notifications for planned maintenance updates will NOT be sent out. Please check back frequently to stay up to date.
| Maintenance Outage Date | Maintenance Outage Timeframe |
| Friday, January 9, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, January 10, 2026 |
| Friday, January 16, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, January 17, 2026 |
| Saturday, January 24, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, February 6, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, February 7, 2026 |
| Saturday, February 21, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, March 6, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, March 7, 2026 |
| Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, April 3, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, April 4, 2026 |
| Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, May 1, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, May 2, 2026 |
| Saturday, May 16, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, May 29, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, May 30, 2026 |
| Saturday, June 13, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, June 26, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, June 27, 2026 |
| Saturday, July 11, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, July 24, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, July 25, 2026 |
| Saturday, August 8, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, August 21, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, August 22, 2026 |
| Saturday, September 5, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, September 18, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, September 19, 2026 |
| Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, October 16, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, October 17, 2026 |
| Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, November 13, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, November 14, 2026 |
| Saturday, November 28, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
| Friday, December 11, 2026 | 10 PM ET - 12 AM ET, Saturday, December 12, 2026 |
| Saturday, December 26, 2026 | 2 AM ET - 8 AM ET |
Please email ESGNGSupport@fda.hhs.gov✉️ if you would like to receive listserv notifications.
ESG NextGen Contingency Operations Planning
While it is not anticipated, the below policy outlines procedures in the event of extended ESG NextGen outages. All communications will be sent via the USP listservs for USP and API related issues and/or the AS2 listserv for AS2-related issues.
- Outage Resolved in 15 Minutes or Less: ESG NextGen will send an email notification with the outage duration and cause, after resolution.
- Outage Expected to be Resolved Within 4 Hours: An initial email will be sent upon detection, followed by an update within 2 hours, and a closure notification upon resolution.
- Outage Expected to be Resolved Within 24 Hours: ESG NextGen will send an initial notification upon detection, followed by updates every 2-3 hours until resolution, with a closure email upon completion.
- Outage Expected to Last Between 24-48 Hours: ESG NextGen will send an initial notification upon detection, with updates every 3-5 hours until resolution, with a closure email upon completion.
- Outage Exceeding 48 Hours: Users will be instructed to send submissions, including the ESG NextGen notification, on approved physical electronic devices (CDs, DVDs, USB drives) to the respective FDA Center’s mailing address. ESG NextGen will continue to provide updates every 4-6 hours until resolution, with a closure email upon completion.
FDA Center Contact Information for Physical Submissions (Extended Outage Only)
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER):
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER):
Note: In the event of an FDA-wide outage, Centers will be offline and would NOT be able to process submissions sent on physical electronic media until the outage is resolved.
For ESG NextGen related questions or to receive ESG NextGen notifications, please contact, ESGNGSupport@fda.hhs.gov✉️.