Summary of Review of the Army's Division Level Data Entry Device Acquisition

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's Division Level Data Entry Device (DLDED) acquisition program to determine: (1) the scope and viability of the program; (2) whether competitive sources were available to fulfill the Army's requirements; (3) whether a sole-source procurement was justified; and (4) whether the contractual agreements were proper, valid, and in the best interests of the government. The Army developed the DLDED program to acquire a system of small computers after automated data entry was shown to be more efficient than manual methods in tests conducted using commercial, off-the-shelf equipment. In 1978, Congress directed the Army to delay its DLDED program until a similar Marine Corps program could be tested and proven cost effective. Subsequent to the Marine Corps procurement, the Army made numerous additions to the specifications established by the Marine Corps, increasing the price by $85,000 per unit, and procured 688 DLDED units on a sole-source basis.