We are using diskettes to exchange program management data with our contractors. Why should we change over to the ASC X12 standards and EDI?
Much will depend on what makes sense for your contract. The federal government is making a fundamental shift in how they exchange all business data with contractors. The data include proposal data, test result data, labor statistics, tax reports, regulatory reports, invoices, payments, ship notices, and more. Program management data are just one part of the big picture. The goal is to move as much information exchange as possible to the ANSI X12 standards and to eliminate contract specific data delivery requirements. The EDI standards provide a standard format for a contractor to exchange data with all their customers. In addition, a formal EDI transport process includes a number of important benefits such as audit trails and back-up capabilities. Audit trails are very important to verify that a contractor did deliver the data on time (i.e., the CDRL requirement was satisfied). In addition, in the event a contractual problem arises, the data exchange process can be re-created to demons
