ERG Automates Government Property Management

Eastern Research Group (ERG) is a nationally recognized research and consulting firm that provides support to federal, state and commercial clients. As a federal contractor, ERG manages several government contracts mandating them to manage and report government property to comply with FAR 52.245-1.  Read the full ERG Case Study to learn how ERG automates Government Property Management.

The Challenge with growing government property

ERG has seen explosive growth in recent years. The company has been awarded an increasing number of contracts from a broad range of clients including DoD, EPA, CDC and others. As new programs were added, each Program Manager was responsible for tracking assets independently. With every new contract, asset tracking became more fragmented and difficult to manage.

Historically, ERG relied on spreadsheets and manual inventory counts – some of which took days or even weeks to complete. To compound the management issues further, assets were frequently moving locations and changing their status, making it even harder to maintain accurate records.

In 2023 ERG leadership recognized the complexity of the situation and hired Leroy Hill as a Government Property Administrator to develop internal procedures to track assets through the property lifecycle – from acquisition to disposal. 

Leroy quickly recognized that ERG needed a modern solution that could support IUID and barcode tracking to digitize their assets and automate their inventory processes in order to handle the more than 2,500 government-furnished assets. Furthermore, Leroy knew he needed a cloud-based system to centralize data across programs and make it accessible to key stakeholders organization-wide.

The Solution

In 2024, ERG implemented UC! Web, A2B Tracking’s secure, cloud-based Government Property Management solution, to serve as their centralized system of record. This move allowed ERG to take advantage of IUID and advanced barcode technology to automate their inventory management process providing significant efficiencies and reducing manual errors.

Once UC! Web was fully deployed, Leroy visited each ERG location to label assets and conduct full inventories using Zebra TC26 handheld scanners.

As asset data was entered into UC! Web, the platform automatically captured lifecycle events, creating a robust audit trail for each item. It also served as a single source of truth for asset details, pedigree information, contract data and other additional key data, ensuring compliance to FAR 52.245-1.

A key benefit for ERG was UC! Web’s established integration and partnership with Deltek Costpoint. Since ERG’s accounting department already used Costpoint for time and expenses tracking, Leroy saw an opportunity to streamline operations even further by connecting UC! Web to Costpoint’s Fixed Asset module. This integration, using a modern API, is planned for the next phase of their project.

“The A2B Tracking platform has absolutely improved our contract compliance”.

– Leroy Hill

The Benefits

ERG can now efficiently leverage Barcode technology, resulting in a substantial improvement in the visibility and the accountability of their assets – both GFP and CAP.

Establishing a centralized Government Property Management platform as the system of record has significantly improved ERG’s audit readiness. UC! Web enables the Property Management team to confidently meet FAR and DFARS requirements and positions ERG for success during DCMA audits.

ERG also benefits from automated reporting to government systems. UC! Web’s secure GEX exchange into the PIEE system eliminates slow, error-prone data entry and instead automates the reporting process to not only mitigate risk but also streamline the process, saving hundreds of hours annually.

Looking Ahead

Leroy and the ERG team plan to continue building on the success of their property management transformation. They are currently working to apply barcode labels to 100% of existing assets and will label new equipment as it arrives. ERG is also exploring the use of RFID technology to further streamline inventory counts.

Due to ERG’s explosive growth, the leadership team is in the process of expanding and developing their Procurement department. This new team will leverage Deltek Costpoint’s Procurement and Fixed Assets module to automate their workflows. To further this automation, ERG will implement the UC! Web–Costpoint integration to enable a seamless data exchange between the Costpoint ERP system and A2B. This modern API integration will keep both systems in sync and provide even more efficiency to their property management and accounting workflows.

Customer Success Story

Take a look at this ERG Case Study to learn more about how A2B Tracking can support government contractors by providing advanced barcode and automated reporting to help achieve contract compliance and pass property audits.