PEO EIS Enterprise Log
Written by PEO EIS
MLF 2010 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 (February)
By Jill Finnie
The Army is in the midst of a major overhaul of its business systems and recently awarded an enterprise contract that will bring it closer to achieving long-sought integration and cost savings goals. The new contract, signed December 31, is a major shift from previous ERP (enterprise resource planning) product procurements in three ways:
- It was procured directly from the vendor, as opposed to our ERP program system integrators.
- Licenses are not restricted to a single ERP program (as in the past) and instead can be used anywhere in the Army enterprise.
- Final price was lower than what has been paid in the past through program system integrators.
The contract, negotiated through the PEO EIS Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS) Program Office, was awarded by the Army Contracting Command’s Information Technology, Electronic Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4) to the winning competitor and authorized SAP reseller, Carahsoft.
Program Executive Officer, Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS) Gary Winkler said the move will leverage the Army’s significant buying power. “In the past, each Army project and product office ordered licenses separately through individual program integrators. Now there is an easier and less expensive way to procure these licenses without restricting their use to a single program,” he commented. PEO EIS oversees the CHESS program as well as the four project offices implementing SAP-based ERP systems:
- Army Enterprise Systems Integration Program, the hub and enterprise enabler
- General Fund Enterprise Business System, Army’s financial system
- Global Combat Support System–Army, the tactical logistics system
- Logistics Modernization Program, the national logistics system
Upon full deployment, it is estimated that these systems combined will have more than 230,000 users.
The move is the latest in a series that is turning the Army’s vast and complicated business environment into an integrated enterprise for soldiers and civilians who operate and manage the Army’s business.
The Army anticipates an investment of approximately $6.5 billion for its business modernization effort going forward, but Winkler noted that “crucial steps taken now will achieve substantial lifecycle cost savings in coming years. We are incrementally consolidating functions of the separate programs now, with an ultimate goal of combining them in the future to encompass the Army’s entire business mission area.”
CHESS, the Army’s one-stop shop for IT purchases, provides continuous vendor competition and consolidates requirements to maximize the Army’s buying power, achieve cost savings and provide best-value. CHESS works diligently with other Army Knowledge Management partners, including the Army CIO-G6, NETCOM/9th Signal Command (A), and the ITEC4 to provide architecturally sound standards and policy compliant IT enterprise solutions to all Army customers around the world.
ARMY MOVES FORWARD WITH PLANS FOR SERVICE-SPECIFIC AUTOMATED PERSONNEL SYSTEM
The Defense Department’s efforts to automate personnel and pay functions moved in a new direction last fall, when a 2009 Acquisition Decision Memorandum directed the Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System (DIMHRS) to transition to the Army, Air Force and Navy for implementation at the service level. This new development allows the Army to design an integrated personnel and pay system specifically for soldiers to ensure the system meets their unique requirements. The new system will yield a near real-time response to personnel and pay activities, along with the capability to monitor actions within the system. Self-service options will allow soldiers to update personal information, submit a personnel action request, select benefits options, enroll in the thrift savings plan, change direct deposit information and perform many other personnel and pay actions. DIMHRS officials are currently conducting functional and technical assessments and are scheduled to submit an Army acquisition strategy this spring for development and fielding of the new system and retirement of legacy systems. Updates on program status can be found on the Army DIMHRS Website, located at http://www.armydimhrs.army.mil.