The Defense Department's acquisition establishment would go completely electronic in less than three years under a plan being considered by the Pentagon.
Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre has ordered the under secretary for acquisition and technology to create a blueprint "to move to a totally paper-free contract writing, administration, finance, and auditing process" by Jan. 1, 2000. Federal Computer Week reported on Hamre's initiative this week.
A team headed by the Continuous Acquisition and Life-Cycle Support (CALS) office designed a draft blueprint for developing a paper-free contracting process that would include an increased use of purchase cards, electronic catalogs, electronic commerce, electronic data interchange and imaging.
The blueprint assesses where the department is now in terms of electronic capabilities and looks at when DoD components will merge into a standard acquisition system. The CALS office said DoD is "technically capable" of meeting the Jan. 1, 2000 goal, but noted that much would have to be done between now and then.
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