House Pushes Army Contractor App for Navy and Air Force

Way back in 2001, the Army hatched its Contractor Reporting Application to track in great detail exactly what contractors do to earn their federal bucks.

The app collects data by funding source, contracting vehicle, organization supported, mission and function performed, and labor hours and costs for contracted efforts.

In an era in which the Defense Department still struggles mightily to determine how many contractors it has -- let alone what it pays them -- this seems like a real handy tool for outfits besides the Army.

The House Appropriations Committee thinks so, and directs the Air Force and Navy to spend $2 million each to adapt the Army Contractor Reporting Application to their needs in language buried on page 110 of the 359-page fiscal 2011 continuing resolution slated for a floor vote this week.

According to a 2001 GovExec story that I dug out from our digital closet, the Army app provides "unprecedented information on how Army contractors do their business."