IUID/AIDC Federal Legislative Update by Guest Blogger Stan Skocki On May 8 and May 17, members of the UID Supplier Alliance (USA) met with staff from the Senate Armed Services Committee and Congressional offices regarding the DoD's Item Unique Identification policy (IUID) and possible legislative and oversight options to improve compliance. These meetings are part of a larger effort in which USA is educating Congress and the Administration on the importance of IUID/related technologies and advocating for the full implementation of the DoD's IUID policy. The Alliance includes many of the leading providers of IUID and other automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) solutions, including the Danby Group. The USA Committee and The Normandy Group, a DC-based advocacy-lobby firm that represents the USA Committee before Congress and the Administration, have been devising and implementing strategies to improve DoD's compliance with its IUID policy. USA has prepared and submitted legislative language to the House and Senate on IUID/AIDC. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees are scheduled to "mark-up" the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Authorization bill in late May/June. The Defense bill, which is written and adopted by Congress annually, determines funding levels and policies under which the funds can be spent by DoD. The House Defense measure is expected to include strong language on IUID/AIDC. USA and The Normandy Group are working to include similar language in the Senate Defense bill. Numerous Government Accountability Office audits have found that significant improvements are needed in the tracking, management, and accountability for assets deployed across DoD. IUID/AIDC technologies have the potential for realizing significant cost savings and improving management. Moreover, the use of IUID/AIDC can secure supply-item data for logistics and engineering analysis; improve item intelligence for operational warfighter planning; upgrade access to historical item data across life cycles; lower total life cycle cost of items acquired and managed; save taxpayer funding through improved productivity, efficiency, maintenance, and logistical planning; and combat the growing problem of counterfeit parts in the military supply chain. The Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Authorization Bill included a provision expressing the Sense of the Congress on IUID and the importance of its continued implementation. This Sense of the Congress was a result of numerous meetings with stakeholders and Members of Congress and their staff. One particularly impactful event was a briefing held on Capitol Hill, entitled "Budget Cuts, Counterfeiting, and Barcodes - An Issue Discussion: Department of Defense's Item Unique Identification Policy." The briefing focused on how automatic identification can be expanded to reduce costs, improve management, increase readiness, and combat counterfeiting at DoD. The former Secretary of the Air Force, a Deputy Asst. Secretary of Defense, a representative from the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Army, a VP from Lockheed, and AIM NA's Board Chair served on the panel. Five Members of Congress spoke at the event. USA also met with senior DoD officials and discussed IUID implementation. Moving forward, USA, the Danby Group, and The Normandy Group are continuing to advance IUID/AIDC issues in Congress and the Administration. Stan Skocki is a Founding Partner of The Normandy Group, and represents a host of diverse clients on federal funding, legislative, and policy matters. To learn more about the UID Supplier Alliance click on the logo below.
