Aquilent Program Recognized as Progressive by the American Council for Technology
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAUREL, MD, April 13, 2007– Aquilent announces the Department of Labor (DOL) E-Procurement System’s (EPS) selection as a finalist for the American Council for Technology (ACT) 2007 Intergovernmental Solutions Awards (ISA). The 2007 ISA Awards will be presented at the 27th Annual Management of Change Conference on Monday, June 4th.
A committee of government and industry IT professionals reviewed the more than one hundred nominations and identified EPS as an award finalist because it clearly demonstrates the tremendous progress government agencies are accomplishing through collaboration and the innovative use of technology.
DOL’s objective for EPS has been to streamline, standardize and automate disparate procurement systems and processes, and to ensure compliance with legislative requirements mandating the use of e-commerce, e-business, technology, and participation in government-wide initiatives. Additionally, EPS is driven by objectives related to business efficiency and acquisition management.
More than 20 agencies and regional offices of DOL procure approximately $1.7 billion in goods and services each year. Historically, procurements were processed through numerous agency-specific, paper-based legacy systems. In addition, no central repository existed for information about department-wide procurement activities.
Through EPS, DOL collaborates with the Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) and FPDS to:
- Ensure that all vendors that DOL does business with are registered in the Central Contractor Repository (CCR). It performs this function in real-time using the XML web services hosted through www.bpn.gov
- Ensure that all DOL procurements are reported to the FPDS in accordance with mandated requirements. This is also achieved through real-time use of XML web services.
- Provide the first operational experience for the GSA Advantage! “punch out” capabilities where DOL EPS users can browse, search, and order from catalogs hosted at GSA Advantage!. This capability allows for electronic submission of purchase card orders to GSA while tracking and approval is maintained through the DOL EPS system.
EPS also helps transform the business processes of partnering agencies through the following:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Checkbook integration allows BLS to track their operating budget in an automated fashion through a real-time XML interface.
- Employee and Training Administration E-Grants integration allows grant procurement requests to be tracked with non-grant requests and transmitted to the E-Grants system in real-time.
- E-Property Management System integration transmits received goods for management and tracking in the property system.
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer financial system integration transmits obligations of procurement actions as well as reconciliation of purchase card orders with their associated Citibank credit card statements.
More information about the award and all the finalists can be found at ACT/IAC.
About Aquilent
Aquilent is an award-winning company with a history over more than 25 years of providing innovative information technology and web-based services to federal agencies. Aquilent improves the quality and efficiency of service to citizens, employees, and businesses through a suite of solutions and services, including agency web presence, compliance management, enterprise acquisition and finance solutions, and enterprise content management. Additional information about Aquilent is available at www.aquilent.com
Contact
MIke Tock
Aquilent, Inc.
301.939.1114
mike.tock@aquilent.com
