U.S. DoD Reaffirms Its Commitment to Item Unique Identification

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently updated its instructions regarding Item Unique Identification (IUID) standards for tangible personal property. With this publication, the DoD renews its efforts to identify and manage millions of its critical assets. While there were no major changes, there were some significant revisions that Camcode wanted to highlight.

Here are the noteworthy changes according to Camcode’s IUID expert, Rob Leibrandt.

The new revision directs the military services and defense agencies to apply IUID to items with a “unique item-level traceability requirement at any time in their life cycle”. This focus on item-level traceability versus a limited set of criteria signals a maturing of the IUID vision. The result is a more thoughtful approach than the previous version published in 2008 during the early days of implementation when easily measureable progress was required. This means that organizations should now focus on finding value in item-level traceability versus simply complying with IUID requirements.

In addition, the item, system or platform owner (the Program Manager or Item Manager) now has the responsibility to determine when an item should be IUID compliant using Figure 1. “Unique Item Level Traceability Requirement Determination”. If the item is already set to be reviewed and any DoD acquisition professional has determined IUID applies, it will have a mandated Federal Logistics Information System (FLIS) IUID indicator signaling IUID Is required for all acquisitions.

The list of criteria for IUID requirements has increased from 4 general statements in the 2008 edition to 11 more specific requirements in this edition.  One notable omission is the blanket $5,000 acquisition cost or above. While the $5,000 criteria for IUID compliance was removed from DoDI 8320.04 as a general requirement, it is still a property accountability requirement in DODI 5000.64, which is referenced. For all property subject to DODI 5000.64, the requirement of $5,000 for property accountability is an item level traceability requirement and therefore IUID still applies.  From DoDI 5000.64:

“a. Accountable property records shall be established in an Accountable Property System of Record (APSR) for all Government property purchased, or otherwise obtained, having a unit acquisition cost of $5,000 or more; property of any value that is controlled or managed at the item level; leased items (capital leases) of any value; and assets that are sensitive or classified (see Table 61 of Volume 10 of DoD 4100.39-M (Reference (m)).”

Items not subject to DODI 5000.64 though would no longer be required to be IUID compliant solely for the sake of the $5,000 requirement.

Through the use of item-level labels and automatic identification and data capture, Camcode has helped organizations not only comply with the IUID standard, but also use MIL-STD-130 and other national or international marking standards to enable clients to manage property, schedule preventive maintenance, reduce operational costs, manage warranty information, provide logistics support, perform reliability analyses, and much more.

We’ll continue to update you regarding any IUID related changes. If you have questions regarding this or other changes, ask our UID expert, or contact us.