Navair, SAP deal covers enterprise

DOD's Enterprise Software Initiative

The Naval Air Systems Command signed an agreement Wednesday with SAP Public Services that will give nearly every Navair employee access to the command's enterprise systems.

The agreement will enable 33,000 users at Navair to use the company's mySAP systems for financial management, supply chain management, procurement and customer relationship management.

The agreement, which was conducted under a Defense Department blanket purchase agreement using the General Services Administration's schedule contracts, will reduce software licensing costs by enabling Navair to negotiate as a whole command rather than as individual units.

Kathy Steele, Navair's deputy chief information officer, said that such enterprise software initiatives enable DOD to combine buying power, thereby reducing costs.

"The enterprise license will cover every employee that works for the Navair," Steele said.

The command will begin replacing its legacy systems with SAP products, said Dennis Distler, Navair's program director for enterprise solutions.