FAIRFAX, Va. January 7, 2001 It's hard to believe that the U.S. Department of Defense is involved with anything other than the search for Osama Bin Laden right now, yet their search for fully automated purchasing is still continuing as well.
According to a recent press release, webMethods, Inc., a provider of integration software, announced that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) selected the webMethods integration platform at the end of the Government's recent fiscal year. The integration company has been chosen to integrate the Department's internal marketplace and procurement system, called EMALL, to other applications required for managing a robust electronic procurement system.
The deal with the DoD, however is not a huge surprise. webMethods has a thriving Public Sector Operations organization with customers throughout the Federal Government and across the country in State and Local Governments. DoD customers include the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other DoD Agencies including: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, and Defense Logistics Agency. Civilian Agency customers include the Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency and General Services Administration.
DoD EMALL uses the Internet to give single access to enter and to procure off-the-shelf, finished goods from commercial marketplaces and the government's suppliers, to all of its customers throughout the DoD. webMethods will further deepen the functionality of the DoD EMALL by providing a common integration platform to connect approximately 30,000 new vendors directly to the user's back-end procurement systems, which will enable a paperless purchasing environment. The DoD will also use the webMethods integration platform to integrate DoD EMALL to major marketplaces, exchanges and suppliers, such as the AribaÒ Commerce Services NetworkÔ, Exostar and Aeroxchange.
The webMethods integration platform enriches the functionality of DoD EMALL in a way that was not previously possible, said Don O'Brien, DoD EMALL program manager, Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Department of Defense. The goal of the DoD EMALL is to improve material availability and reduce cost for the entire Department. webMethods will be an integral partner, helping the DoD EMALL fulfill that vision.