E-commerce office will blend Defense's online catalogs to create a singlee-mall
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The Defense Department's Joint Electronic Commerce Program Office is moving forward with plans to integrate all the department's electronic catalogs and create a single DOD-wide electronic mall. In the 1999 Defense Authorization Act, Congress directed JECPO to have the integrated system running by June. The Web system will connect disparate electronic catalog systems such as the Defense Logistics Agency's EMall and the Navy Electronic Commerce Online.
The Defense Departments Joint Electronic Commerce Program Office is moving
forward with plans to integrate all the departments electronic catalogs and create a
single DOD-wide electronic mall.
In the 1999 Defense Authorization Act, Congress directed JECPO to have the integrated
system running by June. The Web system will connect disparate electronic catalog systems
such as the Defense Logistics Agencys EMall and the Navy Electronic Commerce Online.
JECPO has an operational EMall, but because it has recently transitioned from the
DLA EMall, the office is still in the process of integrating individual military
service-sponsored stores, said John Christensen, JECPOs EMall program manager.
DLA renamed its electronic mall the DOD EMall in May to build on the success of the DLA
EMall, Christensen said. DOD officially opened JECPO in June to coordinate paper-free
purchasing, logistics and electronic commerce departmentwide.
JECPO, responsible for implementing EC policy among the services and agencies, falls
under the control of both DLA and the Defense Information Systems Agency.
JECPO plans to have a fully functioning EMall, with each service having a
presence, Christensen said. The purpose of the DOD EMall is to provide
one-stop shopping with access to an array of products and services in the
marketplace.
DOD EMall will be the only electronic mall that gives Defense buyers the ability to
find and order more than 3 million items using a powerful search engine, Christensen said.
EMall lists products by item and category.
The DOD EMall will host many more vendor catalogs, Christensen said.
It will offer more choices in terms of product, price and delivery options
than any of the individual program catalogs.
EMall, on the Web at http://www.emall.dla.mil,
offers many ordering options, such as encrypted e-mail and electronic data interchange,
Christensen said.
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