The current schedule for implementation will affect first those companies providing goods--in every category and with every agency. By the end of 1997, at least 75 percent of the commodity purchases made by the Department of Defense are intended for electronic commerce. By the end of 1999, all other federal agencies expect their electronic procurement to reach that level. Most service procurements will not appear until 1997.
Already, some firms have received a notice from long-term government customers announcing that their procurements will be handled via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). EDI requires a fairly standard computer, plus a modem to communicate over telephone lines, special software, and a special type of on-line service called a Value Added Network. It is not easy to make the decisions about whether and when to implement EDI, let alone how to do it. This book is designed to help.
Directed at small business owners and their marketing and sales personnel, Doing Business with the Government Using EDI explains the who, what, why, where, when, and how of EDI. Deliberately non-technical, it focuses on business issues and concerns, not on bits and bytes. It offers step-by-step directions for making EDI-related decisions and walks the reader through the entire electronic procurement process.
Chapter 1 From Paper to Electronic Purchasing: The Changing
Government Means Changes for you
Chapter 2 Is Electronic Commerce for You?
Chapter 3 Trading Partner Profile Registration
Chapter 4 From RFQ to EFT: The Story of a Bid
Chapter 5 Overcomong Tecno-chaos: Selecting Hardware, Software, and VANs
Chapter 6 Marketing Strategies in the Streamlined Enviorment
Chapter 7 Pricing for Profit: Making Money at the Electronic
Bazaar
Chapter 8 Keep on Winning with Electronic Commerce