Frequently asked questions about EDI

Q. What does EDI mean?
A. EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange and is a computer-to-computer way of conducting business. Information is translated into a machine readable language according to specific conventions and sent via modem or over the internet to a trading partner. It is one way of participating in electronic commerce and complying with the government's attempt to migrate to a paperless way of doing business.

Q. How can Lamlinks help me?
A. Lamlinks Corp wants to keep you moving with the government and can support whatever means you wish to use to go paperless. We are a VAN (Value Added Network) with the DLA as well as a DoD certified VAN. We can register your Trading Partner Profiles for you and transmit all of your EDI transactions to the federal government.  For customers of our LAMLINKS Bid Matching Service, we supply translation software so that there is a single interface for all data.  This allows both EDI quotations and quotations for upload to DLA bulletin boards or the DIBBS website to be generated in the same way- with the push of a button.

Q. How do I get started on EDI?
A. A Trading Partner Profile ("TPP") must be filed with each of the sites with which you want to conduct EDI.  Lamlinks will do this for you. The Trading Partner Profile provides the necessary identifying information to allow you to send and received EDI traffic.

Q. What is the status of EDI with the Defense Logistics Agency?
A. At present, the DLA does not yet send public requests for quotation in EDI format. However, they do require EDI for their long term contracts, such as POPS, SPEDE, EPPI, SAMMS and other DVD contracts.   Lamlinks supports all transactions required for these contracts, including Quotations (843), Notice of Shipment (856) and Electronic Invoicing (810).   Lamlinks also supports the 840 (Request for Quotation), 850 (Award), the 836 (Contract award notice to unsuccessful bidders) and the 997 (Acknowledgement). Although technically not a DLA transaction, Lamlinks also supports the 820 (Remittance Notice) from DFAS so that Lamlinks's customers can more easily match up their government receipts with their invoices.

Q. Can I use Lamlinks Corp as a VAN for GSA or other non DLA transmissions?
A. Yes. As a certified VAN, Lamlinks Corp receives all EDI transmissions from the Electronic Gateway. These include solicitations from the Department of Defense as well as other agencies.   Customers can use Lamlinks Corp as a VAN to receive solicitation information and can select whether they want to see all public solicitations or certain selected ones.  Lamlinks can send the information either in raw EDI format or translate them into text and send them via e-mail.

Q. Is EDI required to do business with the federal government?
A. No. Although the federal government has stated its commitment to electronic (paperless) commerce, EDI is only one way of accomplishing this goal. Use of the Internet to access websites and bulletin boards for uploading quotations are other ways of becoming paperless.