ASI Government Deploys Intelligent Business Automation for Acquisition Modernization

ARLINGTON, Va., April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ASI Government, LLC (ASI) announced today that it has expanded its offerings to include Intelligent Business Automation for federal acquisition modernization.  ASI in partnership with Abeyon worked to develop solutions for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)'s Pilot IRS Program to automate manual acquisition processes at IRS. 

Through the IRS's innovative Pilot IRS program, ASI first supported the IRS in September 2019 to create the first-ever automated internal Data Quality system to review, assess, and correct data discrepancies in real time ahead of procurement audits. The solution retrieves original contracts of interest to verify actual contract data aligned with official public procurement data (FPDS-NG) to ensure compliance with DATA ACT requirements.  IRS tested ASI's solution through an incremental phased approach and ASI's solution remains in operation today. 

In August 2020, IRS's Office of the Chief Procurement Office (OCPO) faced the challenge of meeting the legislative federal requirement to meet a rapidly approaching deadline to include telecommunications security language in certain federal contracts to assure the integrity of its information technology.  The IRS estimated it would take two hours to complete this modification for a single contract, including the steps of manually creating one modification, inputting data into FPDS-NG, and uploading the modification into the contract file repository. To complete the modifications for all 1,466 active contracts meeting specific criteria, the IRS estimated they would require a whopping 2,860 hours of manual processing time, the equivalent of 1.5 work-years. Faced with a surge in procurement demands in the 4^th quarter of the fiscal year, IRS did not have the time or people power to complete this mandate timely.

Taking a risk on a disruptive technology, Shanna Webbers, the IRS Chief Procurement Officer, asked her team to engage ASI to develop a prototype for how to automate this modification. Integrating techniques and algorithms from Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), ASI's solution resulted in a total automation time of an incredible 72 hours to complete 1,466 contract modifications instead of the expected 1.5 work-years of manual effort! Per transaction, the automated processing time took on average a mere 3 minutes to complete--creating the modification in one second, inputting data in FPDS-NG in less than one second and uploading the modification into the contract file repository in three minutes.  The automation also emailed the modification to each vendor, maintained a record for audit purposes, and eliminated data errors, reducing the administrative burden on the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer Representative (COR). 

Ms. Webbers said, "This is also a great example of how driving innovation and managing risk can make processes more efficient and get the job done." (Working to Change IRS Acquisition Culture from Risk Avoidance to Innovation, Speed and Agility. About IRS, A Closer Look)

ASI's CEO, Tim Cooke, said, "The ASI Team is proud of our contribution to the IRS and enthusiastic about our advancing capability to create automations capable of a wide range of labor-saving efficiencies for federal CPOs, from data quality initiatives to contract modifications and more. ASI continues to pioneer innovations including the latest 'power tools' of technology combined with consulting solutions that shorten cycle times and improve outcomes."

About ASI Government LLC

For more than 25 years, federal civilian, defense, homeland security and intelligence community program and procurement organizations have relied on ASI Government LLC as a pioneer and gold-standard partner in cost-effectively delivering successful approaches and enabling services for complex, high-value, high-risk acquisitions that increase government's capability, performance and service to the American people. For more information, please contact: Mark Attwa, EVP/CFO at [email protected] or 703-253-6355.

SOURCE ASI Government