Currently, the use of UID (unique identification) and RFID (radio frequency identification) is just emerging within the government acquisition arena. This information would be included in Section D of the solicitation, if applicable, and possibly Section A, as well. The use of special product IDs dates back to the Vietnam War era, when containerized shipments were not well identified as to content. Moreover, because of the tremendous number of shipments coming in, this method of inventory tracking often made it quicker to reorder, instead of wasting time going through the containers for the supply item. There are many cost-saving reasons to use UID and RFID.
For more information, see these topics: