Origin
The Universal Interface was created to address the lack of standardization in the area of enterprise-wide integration technology (IT). This need for end-to-end (E2E) IT standardization manifested itself into many tangential problems, including:

· Costly point to point interfaces
· Need for E2E integration utilizing industry best practices.
· Need for centrally managed integration toolset.
· Need to allow capability to provide data to financial and contract systems.
· Support vision of seamless E2E Procurement Process and Enterprise visibility.

Current Capabilities
The commercially procured integration broker, webMethods, enables the current functionality of the UI. This provides an easy to use, enterprise integration tool to replace point-to-point interfaces. The UI affords a level of abstraction to the interfacing systems, preventing changes to one system from affecting the other systems it interfaces with. Additionally, the UI provides interfaces to other procurement, financial, and contract data systems; including, an enterprise view of interface status and metrics.

Future Impact
The Navy has reaped multiple benefits leveraged through continual progression and development of the UI, to include:

· Realized well-developed example of end to end vision:
· Universal Interface enables end to end integration for USMC (PR Builder/SPS/SABRS/DFAS)
· Universal Interface enables improved integration of a variety of electronic systems. e.g. WAWF, NAFI.

The goal is for the Universal Interface to enable realization of the vision of End-to-End Procurement, by providing the enabling technology to integrate all systems in the end-to-end process.