Unique Identification or UID Compliance is a standard process mandated by the Department of Defense (DoD) which necessitates all the deliverables, contracts, and government property in possession of contractors to be marked with a unique identification number. UID compliance can be achieved by following some standard procedures and steps laid down by the Department of Defense (DoD). A UID is basically a 2-D data matrix symbol which consists of data scanned and interpreted into 3 major parts such as Part Number, Serial Number, and CAGE Code. In a combination, these three essential parts make a unique serialized identification number for all the items that the DoD use for managing the lifecycle of all the items at its disposal.
Benefits of Being UID Compliant:
Suppliers who deliver to their items to the DoD must be UID compliant. UID relates to all the government properties that are in the possession of the contractors and to be delivered to the Department of Defense. UID mandate is indispensable for all the items and properties either owned by or in the contract with the DoD to be identified with a unique serialized identification number. Usually, this identification number is very essential for meeting the MIL-STD-130 standards.
Steps To Be UID Compliant?
The first and foremost step of the UID compliance process is printing and marking. This essentially means that all the contracts, deliverables and government properties possessed by the contractors need to be marked with a 2-D data matrix code. It can done either by laser mark, dot peen, durable polyester, chemical etch or ink jet. The next step after conforming to the set standards with regard to printing and marking, is syntax and formatting. This stage is critical as the items must be scanned and tracked for checking accuracy before they ready to be received. Then, for reporting, the UID meeting requirements are tracked to the item-specific location. As the last step of UID compliance, the UID data is submitted to the WAWF (Wide Area Work Flow) and UID Registry.
