Item Unique Identification (IUID)

Item Unique Identification (IUID)

Item Unique Identification (IUID) is a critical component of NATO military asset management, offering a standardized approach for tracking and managing items and equipment. This comprehensive guide will provide an in-depth understanding of IUID, its importance, and its role in asset management.

What Is Item Unique Identification (IUID)?

Item Unique Identification (IUID) is a system belonging to the family of Automatic Identification Technologies (AIT). With an IUID, human readable text and machine scannable codes can be used to identify material items of supply without any ambiguity. It is a permanent marking method for equipment and is part of a mandated compliance process upheld by the United States Department of Defense. Generally, most NATO countries require Item Unique Identification for all new item acquisitions where the line item acquisition cost is $5,000 or more, the item is serially managed by NATO, the item is controlled or mission essential, or when the government requires permanent identification for another reason.

IUID Registry

In order for an item to receive a unique identifier under the IUID system, an issuing agency, either the government or a contractor, will assign a globally unique and permanent Unique Item Identifier (UII) as the first step. Then, the UII will become part of the IUID Registry upon its acceptance by the Government. From here, the UII will become a part of their contracting system, and this acceptance is a part of the Material Inspection and Receiving Process.

The Item Unique Identification Registry is very important as it is a central repository for information concerning IUID details. With this registry, one can identify what an item is, how and when it was acquired, the initial value of the item, its current custodial agency, and how it is marked.