The DON IT Umbrella Program turns 17! The Umbrella Program fulfills the Navy's duties as ESI executive agent for office automation and resource planning: the Umbrella Program meets the objectives and requirements for the FORCEnet architecture

CHIPS, April-June, 2005

We are just 17, if you know what I mean! That's right; the Department of the Navy Information Technology (DON IT) Umbrella Program celebrates 17 years of bringing substantial cost avoidance savings for DON and Department of Defense (DoD) customers.

It was June 1988 when the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management chartered the establishment of the Umbrella Program. In his chartering letter, he delineated the benefits of using a Department-wide acquisition strategy with "umbrella contracts" to reduce procurement time and costs, achieve substantial discounts and promote cost-effective standardization.

These historic joint service contracts successfully brought desktop computing to Navy users. But since that time the number of Navy IT acquisitions has grown exponentially--and increased in complexity--as the DON systematically continues to improve automated business and operational processes, and build a standardized, flexible architecture for tactical and non-tactical operations.

The Umbrella Program's business strategies are compatible with the FORCEnet Functional Concept. Supporting the warfighter must include the business elements of logistics and shore infrastructure. Agile business operations require robust knowledge management and information. Net-centric operations include forward and home-based support, and that's where the Umbrella Program shines at serving DON and DoD customers. Further, the Umbrella Program meets the objectives and requirements for the FORCEnet architecture by offering standards-compliant tools.

As a key component of the DoD Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI), the Umbrella Program fulfills the Navy's duties as the Executive Agent for Office Automation Tools and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. This includes the entire Microsoft product line, Section 508 tools, Adobe software, Common Access Card (CAC) middleware and ERP software by PeopleSoft and SAP. Oracle ERP software is available on the Army's Oracle Enterprise Software Agreement.

The IT Umbrella Program serves as a storefront for Defense customers through the Information Technology Electronic Commerce Direct (ITEC-Direct) online catalog at http://www.itec-direct.navy.mil/. Purchases can made via the Government Purchase Card. Since 1988, the Umbrella Program has supported all DON technology initiatives in conjunction with DoD initiatives, policies and procedures. These include providing:

* DoD Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) support for enterprisewide licensing of COTS software and ESI COTS System Integration agreements. DoD is using the ESI as a strategy to implement SmartBUY, the federal-wide licensing initiative. The ESI continues to work closely with the SmartBUY Program Management Office to provide best value pricing to customers.

* IT-21 desktops and software to the fleet via program office requirements.

* Consolidation of personal computer (PC) purchases and a common desktop for the fleet.

* Predecessor acquisition efforts to the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) and the outside of the continental U.S. Base Level Information Infrastructure (OCONUS BLII) now ONE-NET.

"Since the inception of the Umbrella Program, we have required and provided hardware and software that is compliant with commercial, open architecture standards and military standards where applicable, for example, the Government Open Systems Interconnection Profile (GOSIP), DoD Common Operating Environment (COE), Joint Technical Architecture (JTA), the IEEE, etc., to meet the interoperability requirements of the Navy and DoD," said Barbara Johnson, DON IT Umbrella Program Manager.

"Our acquisition solutions offer fleet customers who are not NMCIready, a bridge to a myriad of IT products and services until NMCI is there for the fleet," said Johnson.

"We work closely with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration organization, or NII/CIO, working on the Global Information Grid (GIG) architecture, policies and guidance, along with our peer organizations within the Army and Air Force. We strive to incorporate joint visions into our acquisition strategies. In addition, we are working with the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) and the Functional Area Managers (FAMs) within the Navy to provide acquisition strategies for standard software requirements," said Johnson.

Through the years the Umbrella mission has remained the same, but by using best practices guidance, team members are able to buy smarter, ensure a positive return on investment, reduce procurement times and cost, promote standardization and interoperability, and mitigate the risks associated with government acquisition. The team reviews requirements, and seeks to serve the majority of customers by establishing acquisition vehicles that meet enterprise requirements.

But even the smallest programs can reap the cost savings of a volume buy, according to Johnson. With our nation fighting a global war on terror, now more than ever, it is vital to save precious resources to support the Navy's warfighting mission.