THE 'ARMYZON' EQUATION


NODES IN THE NETWORK The author, second from right in the front row, visited an Amazon fulfillment center with her group of Training with Industry fellows, all from Army acquisition. After a year spent working at Amazon, the author suggests that an online marketplace, with thousands of vendors and multiple delivery options, seems a more efficient way to make recurring purchases of basic items that acquisition staff currently have to spend time contracting for. (Photo courtesy of the author)


Within the portal, the purchaser can see whether it is beneficial to purchase goods in bulk and can negotiate with vendors for discounted products.


Items requested through Amazon’s e-commerce portal could be delivered within two days in the continental United States. Tis would provide users a better way to manage their funds by using just-in-time supplies. Amazon’s world-class logistics network also provides choices for how and when orders are delivered, so commands could consolidate deliveries. Of course, Amazon’s logistics model would have to expand to manage the enormous increase in orders if the United States government started doing much of its purchasing through Amazon.


In addition, the same items can be shipped to locations around the world. Amazon uses local companies to cover the last mile, and has “lockers” for pickup in locations where address infor- mation isn’t reliable or package theft is common. Authorizing commanders to shop on e-commerce portals would increase


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efficiency and decrease waste by having them receive goods as they are needed, thereby reducing inventory. Tese processes would prevent units from stockpiling items “just in case we need it.” Many governmental units or offices maintain cabinets full of paper, toner, cleaning supplies, etc. Tis abundance of inventory is because of the lack of transparency, slow delivery and lack of faith in the acquisition system.


Sourcing requirements could be satisfied with multiple sellers’ offers on a single page. Te portal could save data showing three prices from three vendors; operational needs statements could be typed directly into the portal or uploaded; additional notes from the purchaser or approver could also be added; and all of the information could be tracked for auditability. Te screenshot on Page 40 shows Amazon Business portal prices from four ven- dors and a recommendation of a vendor; eventually, it’s possible the same screen could display why Amazon recommended the vendor it did.


Army AL&T Magazine


April-June 2018


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