Air Force to retire 16-year-old system for foreign military sales
By
Nick Wakeman
After 16 years, the system the Air Force uses to management billions in foreign military sales has reached its end. Here is what they want to replace it with.
The Air Force is retiring the content management system it uses to administer foreign military sales transactions and has kicked off the process to replace it.
In a new sources sought notice, the Air Force's Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate says it wants a new enterprise content management system to replace one that is 16 years old. The systems are used to manage documents such as PDFs, XLS and other common file formats that are used to manage and deliver financial reports, logistics reports and technical order documents.
Foreign military sales of military equipment to U.S. allies have been growing steadily in recent years and jumped by nearly 33 percent in fiscal year 2018 to $55.6 billion, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
At the AUSA conference in October, Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, said that there 14,556 pending sales termed “open cases."
The Air Force had $27 billion in sales to 109 U.S. allies, according to National Defense Magazine. The Air Force has some of the larger ticket sales like those of the F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.
For the new content management system, the Air Force wants improved archiving and records management. Any solution the Air Force buys will have to include software, licensing, and documentation.
The contractor will need to develop a plan to migrate from the old system to the new one.
The Air Force doesn’t use the term “commercial” in the request for information but does use the term “product” throughout, which signals an interest in a commercial solution.
Comments are due May 18.