Cadence • Issue 8 • Winter • 2002
Internet shopping
a hit!
Story by Capt Chris DeMerchant and photos by 2Lt Chris Collins
Internet shopping may be taking a while to catch on with the general public, but in the cadet movement, everyone seems to be doing it. Clothing for cadets — and officers — is now being ordered on line. he on-line ordering of cadet clothing is in fact a resounding success story. Electronic ordering is now the preferred method for 92.5 per cent of all cadet corps and squadrons.
T All officers currently listed in the Canadian Forces database for Regular and Reserve Force personnel can now replace or purchase their nonoperational clothing through the on-line system. 28
What began as a project to save money has blossomed to become the pride of the Department of National Defence materiel management community.
Direct delivery It all began in 1997, with the initiation of a pilot project to allow direct delivery of cadet clothing to 1,120 cadet units across the country. The idea was to eliminate the ‘middleman’ role of supply depots and reduce the storage space requirements at cadet corps/squadrons. The pilot allowed cadet unit commanding officers to place demands for clothing directly with a contractor. By 1999, 89 per cent of commanding officers were satisfied with the new delivery process and, along
with detachment and regional cadet support staff, were requesting continued improvements.
Electronic ordering for cadets In October of that year, an electronic ordering system was introduced and a trial began to coincide with the provision of computers and Internet access to all cadet units. The trial was a huge success. Today, Internet ordering is conducted on-line via the contractor’s web site. The site is accessible using a password specific to the unit, which commanding officers receive annually by mail. Cadet corps and squadrons that have not yet ordered from the Internet automatically receive paper order forms from the contractor. The web site contains all of the tools necessary to interact with the contractor. It’s easy to use, provides an up-to-date accounting of the unit’s clothing budget (what’s been spent and what remains) and also gives the shipping status of orders already placed. Real-time order transmission makes it the fastest way to place and receive orders. The web site also allows cadet corps and squadrons to see the size calculated (based on the cadet’s measurements) before the order is confirmed and sent. Cadet Anthony Apolloni is fitted with a new uniform by the squadron’s supply officer, France Hurley. The on-line ordering of cadet clothing is a resounding success story.