DEA awards e-commerce contract

The Drug Enforcement Administration announced Nov. 26 that it has awarded a $6 million, two-year contract to PEC Solutions Inc. for follow-on phases in the development and deployment of electronic commerce projects for the DEA's Office of Diversion Control. PEC will provide systems engineering, policy development and management consulting services to build a pubic-key infrastructure solution for two DEA e-commerce initiatives — the Controlled Substances Ordering System and Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances — according to the Fairfax, Va.-based company. This will allow the DEA to replace paper-based processes with secure electronic communications for pharmaceutical companies and prescription-drug providers. The systems will allow for business-to-business transactions of controlled substances; an estimated 800,000 transactions per year are made among distributors, manufacturers, wholesalers and pharmacies. It also will enable government-registered practitioners to transmit electronic prescriptions directly to participating pharmacies.