From the Army AIT, the Determination of Responsibility Assistant email bots that quickly determine whether a vendor should receive a contract, reducing the time from an hour to five minutes.

undersatbot@outlook.com – use for Determination of Responsibilities under the SAT.

oversatbot@outlook.com – use for Determination of Responsibilities over the SAT.

Instructions for New Users: Using the DORA Bot

1. Ensure you have a .mil email address: To use the DORA bot, make sure you have a valid .mil email address, as the bot is designed to receive emails only from .mil addresses.
2. Gather the required information: You will need the vendor’s nine-digit DUNS number, a unique identifier for all federal vendors. This number will be used by the DORA bot to search for the contractor’s responsibility status.
3. Determine the value of the contract action: Check whether the contract action is above or below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT). This will determine which email address you should send your request to.
4. Compose an email: Using your .mil email address, create a new email with the following details:a. Subject: Include the vendor’s DUNS number in the subject line. b. Recipient: Depending on the contract value, send the email to one of the following addresses: i. For actions under the SAT, use “UnderSATbot@[domain].mil” ii. For actions over the SAT, use “OverSATbot@[domain].mil”
5. Send the email: Once you have included the necessary information, send the email to the appropriate address.
6. Wait for the DORA bot’s response: The bot will complete searches in FAPIIS and SAM using the specified contractor’s data and summarize their responsibility status. Within 2-4 minutes, you will receive an email attachment with a summary document as a Microsoft Word document (OverSAT bot) or PDF document (UnderSAT bot).
7. Review the summary document: Carefully review the information provided by the DORA bot. This includes the contractor’s responsibility status, registration in relevant systems, and any active exclusions or concerns.
8. Apply critical thinking: Use the information provided by the DORA bot to make informed decisions regarding the contractor’s responsibility. Remember, the bot is a tool to streamline the process, but the final determination is still the contracting officer’s responsibility.
9. Proceed with the acquisition process: Continue with the remaining steps in the acquisition process, keeping in mind the information provided by the DORA bot and your own judgment.
10. Stay updated on improvements and expansions: As the DORA bot is continuously being developed and expanded, stay informed about any changes or updates to the system to make the most of the tool in your acquisition processes.

The Army has set up a team called the Acquisition Innovation through Technology (AIT) Reform to look into using new technologies to make the procurement process better, creating tools like these email bots. Each bot searches two public websites, the System for Award Management (SAM) and the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and populates a policy memo that goes through the Federal Acquisition Regulation Section 9.104.

The bot saves 13 days of procurement administrative lead time per contracting professional and avoids costs of $29.3 million per year. It streamlines and shifts the focus from compliance-driven work to more critical-thinking and contract administration. The contracting officers are still