DCMA

The Mechanization of Contract Administration Services (MOCAS) system has long been a part of government contracting.  Created over 50 years ago, MOCAS has a long and varied history.  A system used by DCMA and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) to administer and pay contracts issued to defense contractors, it’s very doubtful that MOCAS’ originators ever envisioned that their work would still be in operational use more than half a century later.

MOCAS has been declared interim, moribund, and even dead and buried on a number of occasions during its existence.  It was last definitively scheduled for retirement in 2002, but surprisingly MOCAS has not only survived but thrived in recent years. 

As MOCAS celebrates its 50th birthday, the drastic reversal of MOCAS’ fortunes has resulted in MOCAS no longer being thought of as interim or something to be replaced soon, but as a Target Environment System.  In other words, MOCAS will not only be a part of contracting’s past and present, but also a large part of its  future.  By being included in the Target Environment, MOCAS is assured of being in service for very probably another 20 to 30 years.  Future contract writing systems will have to plan on having MOCAS as a trading partner.

MOCAS now has the highest on-time payment rate, the lowest interest penalty rate, the highest use of electronic invoicing, the most types of electronic invoices, the highest rate of electronic contracts, and the largest number of partners for electronic contracts (systems and buying offices) of any government contracting system.  Not a bad place to be after a half century!