Electronic Catalog (ECAT)
DLA Troop Support's Medical Supply Chain developed ECAT to streamline its business practices and expand its range of procurement options. ECAT is an internet solution that uses the latest technology for ordering, distribution, and payment, providing Department of Defense and other Federal agencies access to multiple manufacturers’ and distributors’ commercial catalogs at discounted prices. The program is a complementary acquisition strategy allowing customers to browse, compare, and order a wide range of laboratory supplies and equipment, dental supplies and equipment, optical supplies, orthopedic implants, cardiovascular products, medical/surgical supplies, and medical equipment. ECAT also allows deploying units to rapidly acquire the full spectrum of products necessary to satisfy their requirements from a multitude of commercial sources.
ECAT automates the entire customer procurement cycle - from searching for products, to creating reorder lists, submitting an order, approving an order, and receiving and paying for an order. ECAT provides status of vendor acceptance within 24 hours. Delivery often can be within 72 hours from receipt of the order within the United States, and within 7-10 days for overseas orders. ECAT accepts Military Standard Billing System (MILSBILLS) as a payment method. These features give Medical customers the best of both worlds: the convenience of purchasing from local vendors while still benefiting from the volume discount prices associated with central procurement systems. In addition, ECAT interfaces with the Services' Material Management Systems, allowing customers to procure materiel in a business-to-business procurement model. ECAT provides products from both manufacturers and distributors to maximize the breadth and depth of its product offerings and promote competition among vendors. Vendors are not charged any fees to participate in the ECAT program. DLA Troop Support Medical Supply Chain contracting specialists negotiate discounted pricing off the vendors' commercial catalog price. This discounted price is presented to ECAT customers as the “Total Delivered Price” of the product. This price includes all transportation/distribution and administrative costs.
Supplier Information
Interested in having your products available via ECAT to military ordering facilities around the world? Go to SAM.gov and search for contracting opportunities. The DLA Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS) is where you can find open solicitations for interested contracting opportunities. Follow the instructions outlined in the solicitations for submission of proposal.
Suppliers have the option of transacting business with ECAT utilizing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or ECAT’s Supplier Order Management (SOM) interface. ECAT offers the SOM interface as an alternative to EDI. The SOM interface allows ECAT vendors to acknowledge orders and submit invoices securely over the Internet without the need for any special software. The only requirement is an internet connection (DSL or broadband recommended) and a web browser.
General Information
To access ECAT, go to Medical's secure applications page (DMMOnline) and select ECAT from the Medical Supply Chain Logistics Applications drop-down menu at the top left of the page.
If you need assistance with ECAT issues please contact the ECAT Help Desk via email: dscpecathelp@dla.mil or phone: 800-290-8201 (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
In an Emergency, if you need assistance with ECAT issues after duty hours, you can contact the Customer Interaction Center (CIC) at 1-877-352-2255. You should indicate to the CIC that your issue is "Urgent." The CIC staff will contact the DLA Troop Support Staff Duty Officer (SDO). The SDO will contact the DLA Troop Support Medical Supply Chain representative that is On-Call to address your issue. It could take some time for the DLA Troop Support On-Call representative to respond back to you, so please be patient. Calls to the CIC should only be made in true emergency situations.