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Defense Information Systems Agency

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) equips the U.S. Armed Forces under the credo of “information superiority in defense of our nation.”

Business Problem

DISA needed to improve efficiency and drive automation in its procurement processes. The Agency wanted increased collaboration through a single web-based system for customers, contractors, and administrators to manage all pre-award, award and post-award activities. DISA’s previous approach to procurement was hampered by separate manual checklists outside of the system, separate log-ins to all sub-systems, and contract documents that were manually edited by contracting staff.

Appian Solution

Using Appian, DISA created the cloud-based and mobile-enabled Integrated Defense Enterprise Acquisition System (IDEAS) – the largest and most comprehensive BPM-based acquisition management solution in the United States Federal Government. IDEAS connects procurement operations, systems, and DISA personnel (including over 300 Contracting resources) in a single end-to-end procurement solution that manages all aspects of procurement work from pre-award to award and post-award activities. Appian has allowed DISA to drive improvements in productivity and work quality by automating complex agency processes and providing real-time access to critical government information and applications.

Since go live, IDEAS has processed more than $1.7 Billion in contracts, covering more than 36,000 procurements requirements and producing more than 38,000 contract actions. IDEAS has replaced 12 separate legacy systems, streamlining the work and the work experience for procurement professionals and contractors, while also greatly reducing the agency’s IT Operations & Maintenance budget.