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Information systems facilitate Coast Guard contract management
Leveraging
information technology to make contract administration more efficient
Leroy Hurt
The US Coast Guard is
overseeing the construction of a new fleet of response boats at its
Response Boat – Medium (RB-M) Project Resident Office (PRO) in Kent,
Washington and has implemented an information system to manage contract
administration documents and workflows. The project (www.responseboatproject.net),
a $600 million contract, has just begun the limited production phase,
concluding the design phase with a baseline configuration.
RB-M project members use the
information management system to manage government records and automate
contract administration tasks to ensure the boat building follows the
configuration. After six of these 45-foot boats are built and tested in
2008, the Coast Guard expects to begin full production of up to 30 boats
per year in 2009. The information management system allows the PRO to
leverage technology in managing this complex and long-term undertaking.
The current implementation
uses VisualVault, a web-based document management tool developed by
Auersoft, Inc. and provides a way to organize documents in specific
folders from which users can create workflows. This helps the PRO keep
historical records, maintain control of documents as they change hands,
and achieve consistent processes.
How it works
The system allows users to
upload documents into the appropriate folders in its Document Library. To
keep order in the Document Library, the system administrator grants
permission to selected users for creating folders. This useful feature
allows the PRO to organize the folders according to the subject areas
involved in the contract administration function. Document management
follows established knowledge management functions:
·
Users can download documents without changing the version in
the application. This allows them to get their own copies for reference or
use.
·
Users can change the documents in the system by checking
them out and then checking in the new version after working on it.
However, it preserves the previous versions so the PRO has an audit trail
showing who worked on the documents. It also maintains a document history,
allowing users to retrieve earlier versions.
·
The application allows users to email the document to others
as an attachment.
·
The application allows users to upload different types of
documents, including emails, images, and compressed files.
And when users upload
documents to it, they can also create workflows, a powerful tool for
process management. Workflows are sequences the documents follow as users
work on them, keeping users on track with task completion. Here’s how it
works:
·
A user uploads a document and creates a workflow by
identifying the sequence the document should follow, the other users who
should work on the document, and the deadlines for completing each step in
the sequence.
·
The document management module of the application routes the
document to the selected users sequentially, sending email alerts so they
can log on to check the Task List. After each user completes his or her
part of the workflow, the application routes the document to the next
user.
Because work is done within
the application, users can analyze the processes through its reports
function to manage and improve the processes. Future enhancements will
expand the reporting and business intelligence capabilities.
Takeaway for contract managers
There are a number of other
firms that provide these kinds of applications, so contract managers
should understand their organizations’ particular requirements and
research the products and providers that meet those requirements.
Considerations should include volume of information to be managed, budget
available, ability to support the chosen application, and organizational
willingness to adopt the new technology.
The contract administration
function requires contract managers to give time to overseeing complex
undertakings, so office processes can eat away at that time if they aren’t
efficient. However, information technology isn’t a magic bullet. This
means effective use of information technology requires contract managers
to define and document their processes to support implementation and also
commit to ongoing process improvement.
FIND OUT MORE
Web sites:
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http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Da/g%2Darb/rbm/rbm.htm
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www.responseboatproject.net
Delivery/testing locations and dates
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STA Little Creek (Mar 2008)
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STA Cape Disappointment (Jun 2008)
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STA Key West (Jul 2008)
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STA Milwaukee (Sep 2008)
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STA New York (Nov 2008)
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STA Port Aransas (Dec 2008)
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