About the Customer
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a vital component of the U.S. Department of Defense, plays a critical role in supplying the nation’s military forces and supporting their operations. DLA ensures the availability of necessary resources and materials, spanning across a vast range of logistical needs.
Customer Challenge
The DLA faced a significant challenge in its defense procurement operations due to the lack of comprehensive contract writing software. The absence of such a solution led to inefficient contract processes, including awards, solicitations, Requests for Proposals (RFP), and Requests for Quotations (RFQ). Frequent downtime and suboptimal uptime of legacy systems further exacerbated the problem, resulting in operational disruptions, delayed procurement, and potential compliance issues. The burden of legacy debt and the constraints of an on-premises solution hindered the agency’s agility in adapting to evolving procurement demands. Without addressing these challenges, DLA risked prolonged inefficiencies, operational bottlenecks, and a potential compromise in the delivery of critical resources to the armed forces.
Credence Solution
The Army Contract Writing System (ACWS), emerged as a dynamic solution driven by a low-code platform on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Guided by Credence’s expertise, the project seamlessly integrated ACWS CON-IT, a customization of contract writing source code provided by the Air Force, into the DLA Enterprise Service Management Cloud (ESMC) AWS environment, augmenting DLA capabilities.
By architecting a DoD Secure Cloud Computing Architecture (SCCA) compliant landing zone extension, the project ensured a smooth transition of ACWS into the ESMC AWS Cloud. Credence built out the solution leveraging AWS services including Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS, ELB, Amazon Cloudwatch, AWS Lambda, and multiple other AWS building blocks integrated with the Appian COTS product. Appian and other middleware, database, and application configuration components were migrated from the USDA cloud to the DLA ESMC AWS boundary. This culminated in ACWS going live in July 2023. Today, Credence continues to manage, monitor, and enhance ACWS, delivering an end-to-end solution that revolutionizes DLA’s contract writing processes.
In summary, the partnership between the Army, USDA, DLA, Credence, and Amazon Web Services yielded a transformative solution that unifies efficiency and innovation. By deftly navigating deployment challenges and embracing full life-cycle managed services, ACWS ensures DLA’s procurement operations are optimized, bolstering operational agility and reliability in the ESMC AWS Cloud.
Results and Benefits
The successful delivery of ACWS under a stringent timeline stands as a testament to the partnership’s resilience. Leveraging reusable AWS CloudFormation code and Credence’s robust hosting platform, the solution transcended expectations, offering more than just infrastructure provisioning. It encompassed thorough troubleshooting of niche application issues, ensuring a seamless user experience.
ACWS’s impact was far-reaching. The solution empowered Combat personnel and contractors with modernized capabilities to efficiently source, award contracts, and procure essential combat goods and services. This streamlined approach translated into quantifiable benefits, including a roughly 40% reduction in contract processing time, leading to expedited procurement and swift response to mission-critical requirements. Additionally, the utilization of reusable code and Credence’s hosting platform led to a remarkable reduction in IT operational costs, maintainability, and reuse value, further amplifying the solution’s value proposition.
About Credence
Credence Management Solutions LLC is a prominent leader in the technology and consulting landscape, renowned for its transformative prowess across a multitude of domains. Specializing in business process analysis, the company employs data-driven insights to orchestrate efficient and optimized workflows. Credence’s versatile offerings extend to Business Intelligence (BI), encompassing powerful data visualization and analysis capabilities that empower informed decision-making.
With a strong foothold in Data Engineering, Credence leverages cutting-edge technologies to curate, transform, and deliver structured and unstructured data, unlocking actionable insights. As a trailblazer in innovation, the company offers bespoke Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions that catalyze automation and predictive capabilities.
Credence further distinguishes itself in the realm of IT operations through AI Ops, GitOps, and DevOps. Its proficiency in microservices architecture and DevSecOps principles assures the development and deployment of scalable, secure, and agile applications. Credence’s mastery of cloud infrastructure optimization further showcases its comprehensive capabilities.
Evidenced by the prompt and successful delivery of ACWS within a demanding timeline, Credence’s industry best practices shine through. As an esteemed AWS Managed Service Provider, the company’s commitment to optimizing IT landscapes is unparalleled, and its standing in the AWS Partner Network (APN), as a Consulting Partner, reaffirms its excellence. Credence’s holistic approach, spanning business analysis, data engineering, AI, BI, and operations, establishes it as a trusted partner in driving organizations toward innovation and success in the digital era.