| New Systems Make Military Moves More Efficient By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (NNS) — With the busiest season for permanent-change-of-station (PCS) moves underway, officials at U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) are encouraging service members to take advantage of new systems designed to make the process more convenient and efficient. TRANSCOM launched the new Personally Procured Move (PPM) system to better compensate service members who personally move their household goods on military orders, said Dolly Davidson, a change management outreach specialist at TRANSCOM. PPM replaced the old “Do It Yourself” (DITY) move system. Under PPM, service members can receive up to 95 percent of what it would cost the government to move their goods using a commercial carrier. They can hire a commercial mover if they choose, move some or all of their goods themselves and pocket any savings they receive. While converting to PPM, TRANSCOM also introduced a new system, the Defense Personal Property System (DPS), to process and manage household moves. DPS is a computerized management system for moving the household goods of military members and Defense Department civilians, said Davidson. It automates many steps involved in military moves: pre-move counseling, scheduling, tracking, invoicing and claims-filing for household goods shipments. This eliminates the need for service members to schedule appointments at their base to arrange their household goods moves face-to-face, allowing them to make arrangements anywhere, anytime, said Davidson. “In DPS, you can go in 24/7, you can counsel yourself, you can put in your shipment and move arrangements, and everything else is done automatically,” said Davidson. “You can do it from your laptop, from your work station, even your living room couch. And you can also track your shipments online, too.” And unlike the legacy paper-based system it replaces, DPS is equipped to process moves service members make themselves – which constitute the vast majority of moves. Aside from convenience, DPS is a big money-saver for the government, not only reducing PCS processing costs, but also generating lower cost estimates from many moving companies, said Roland Amos, chief of the DPS functional and requirements branch at TRANSCOM. That’s a big factor for the military, which spends about $2 billion a year for more than 550,000 household moves, reported TRANSCOM. With all these factors in DPS’ favor, TRANSCOM officials are encouraged by the dramatic increase in its use since the PPM rollout. “The services and the service members have definitely embraced it,” said Davidson. “[Usage] went up to about 50 percent right from the get-go.” Now, with the legacy system expected to remain operational until December 2010 along with DPS, Davidson’s mission is to encourage service members to choose DPS to process their moves. With more than half of annual moves occurring between May and August, Davidson is particularly interested in getting that word out now. “We really want them to understand the advantages, and why it’s best for them,” she said. TRANSCOM officials also encourage service members to register their household-move experiences through a new online customer service survey found at http://www.move.mil/. The results will be used to help the command select the best-performing moving companies for future military moves, said Davidson. MilitaryConnection.com realizes that those who serve move frequently. Your hard work serving our country does not go unnoticed. We know that moving goes with the territory and many of you could probably write a book about the stresses and confusion of moving. In order to make your life easier, MilitaryConnection.com is now providing valuable information on moving services. There is constantly new information available about moving resources. New companies are forming and information is being created every day. As such, it is our goal to provide as much relevant and up-to-date information on moving services and moving resources as possible. You will find helpful moving links on MilitaryConnection.com as well as various government resources on moving, military moving benefits and general articles on military moving. We hope these moving resources are inspiring and supportive, but mostly helpful. We encourage you to click here for a free moving quote without any obligation – /moving-quote. Visit MilitaryConnection.com for all the information you need on military moving, military loans, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, scholarships, employment opportunities and more! When the next tour is back home, it’s on MilitaryConnection.com. |