Need new computer equipment? Here’s the right way to get it Published June 22, 2007 By Paul Cutright 1st SOCS HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- With the widespread proliferation of information technology assets in today's military, just about everyone has been involved with the purchase of computer assets. A key problem is many individuals aren't familiar with the necessary steps. Most even miss the very first mandatory step in the procurement process - the establishment and validation of a requirement through the 1st Special Operations Communications Squadron. Air Force Instruction 33-103 details the requirements process in depth. In short, individuals are required to submit a requirement via the project, workload, requirements and resource manager. This online application replaces the old, hard copy Air Form form 3215 process. The application is administered through the plans and implementation flight of the 1st SOCS. Since customer service is our primary goal, we're more than pleased to introduce base personnel to this portion of the ITA procurement process. With a requirement established, locating the item is the next step. The Air Force chief information officer has mandated AFWay to be the sole source for the purchase of desktops and laptops. While all other ITA requirements can be procured outside AFWay, there are considerable reasons to look to AFWay first for these purchases as well - chief among these is the extensive warranty replacement protection. There's a user's manual and computer-based training available on the AFWay home page to assist you. However, should you run into difficulties, there's also a "Contact Us" tab on the home page. Keep in mind AFWay is an Air Force generated and maintained Web site, and vendors cannot possibly list all the equipment they manufacture or are capable of making available to you, the customer. A quick telephone call to the vendor might get you the results you desire while still adhering to the AFCIO's mandate. If you're unable to find the ITA necessary to fulfill your requirement within AFWay, there is a waiver process available to obtain ITA from other venues. The waiver can be obtained from the major command equipment control officer at 884-7367. As you make your online ITA purchase, ensure the vendor has the proper "marked for:" information for your order so the equipment is delivered to the ITA management portion of the 1st Special Operations Logistics Readiness warehouse. The correct "marked for:" squadron information is: Your equipment custodian's name and your unit's ITA account 125 Bennett Ave. Hurlburt Field, FL 32544 Ensuring the vendor includes this information will expedite delivery of your order to you once the equipment has arrived on Hurlburt. If you don't know your unit's EC and ITA account name, contact us and we'll be happy to let you know. For more information, e-mail 1sow.ita@hurlburt.af.mil or call 884-6471.