Process Automation
$29.3M in Annual Savings Through Intelligent Automation
Determination of Responsibility Assistant (DORA) outcomes include 250,000+ annual actions across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, with checks reduced from 2 hours to 5 minutes.
U.S. Army
- U.S. Army
- Process Automation
- $29.3M
Outcomes of the DORA program, validated by Army acquisition leadership.
250,000+ Annual Program Actions
The DORA program handled 250,000+ annual actions involving vendor responsibility determinations across multiple federal systems including SAM (System for Award Management) and FAPIIS (Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System).
The documented processing-time reduction was 2 hours to 5 minutes; contracting officers previously queried multiple systems and maintained audit trails for contract files.
The automation reduced repetitive data retrieval and documentation, allowing contracting professionals to focus on strategic acquisition work.
Determination of Responsibility Assistant (DORA): Email-Triggered Intelligent Automation
Digital Charter designed the AWS GovCloud infrastructure for DORA's 2019 pilot, helped develop the automation, and continues to maintain the infrastructure today.
DORA was originally built on Automation Anywhere and later migrated to UiPath.
- 01
How DORA Works
- Email-triggered workflow: Contracting officer emails vendor DUNS number in subject line
- Automated system queries: Bot logs into SAM and FAPIIS, retrieves vendor status
- Data validation: Validates data completeness and compliance requirements
- Auto-generated documentation: Creates DoD-compliant policy memo with system screenshots
- Email response: Returns a completed package, with checks reduced from 2 hours to 5 minutes
- 02
Technical Architecture
- AWS GovCloud infrastructure with multi-zone architecture
- AWS WorkMail & SES integration for email-driven orchestration
- originally built on Automation Anywhere and later migrated to UiPath.
- Terraform infrastructure-as-code for repeatable deployment
- Serverless, event-driven execution reducing infrastructure overhead
- 03
Scalability & Customization
- Modular design supporting agency-specific workflows and letterhead templates
- Domain-based access controls for multi-agency deployment
- Extensible architecture for additional policy triggers and custom validation rules
- Cross-agency deployment via formal MOAs (Memorandums of Agreement)
- 04
Security & Compliance
- Encrypted data transmission
- Access controls
- Complete audit logging and traceability
Program Outcomes
- 01
Financial Impact
- $29.3M annual program savings
- 8,000+ users across Army, Navy, and Air Force
- 250,000+ annual actions
- 2 hours to 5 minutes per check
- Outcomes of the DORA program, validated by Army acquisition leadership.
- 02
Mission Impact
- Freed contracting professionals to focus on strategic decision-making
- Reduced compliance risk through automated processes
- Improved audit readiness with standardized documentation
- Accelerated contract execution enabling mission velocity
“We are empowering contracting officers to make better decisions. DORA pre-populates FAR 9.104 compliance data, but ultimate responsibility for vendor determinations remains with the human operator.”
Timeline
- 01
November 2019
Pilot deployment - 02
January 2020
Army-wide deployment - 03
October 2020
Navy and Air Force adoption
Technologies Used
- AWS GovCloud · AWS WorkMail · AWS SES · Terraform
- Automation Anywhere · UiPath
- Access Controls · Audit Logging
- SAM API · FAPIIS API
More case studies
Discuss a similar mission
Ready to Achieve Similar Results?
Let's discuss how we can help your organization achieve the same kind of measurable impact.