Wide Area Workflow-Receipt & Acceptance (WAWF-RA) is a secure web-based system for electronically processing invoices, receipts & acceptance documents being deployed by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). WAWF is a secure Web-based system that creates a virtual folder to combine the (3) three documents required to pay a Vendor – the (1) Contract, (2) Invoice, and (3) Receiving Report. Wide Area Workflow is the only acceptable electronic system for submitting requests for payment under DoD contracts.

Webpage: Wide Area Workflow – Home Page

Presentation: DFAS Wide Area Workflow Overview Presentation

Wide Area Workflow Steps

The eleven (11) general steps that a vendor must accomplish and follow to use the WAWF (website):

1. Register with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)
2. Establish an Electronic Business (EB) Point of Contact (POC) in CCR
3. Register for Electronic Document Access (EDA) (not required)
4. Ensure CAGE Code is added to WAWF Group Structure
5. Establish an Organizational Email Address
6. Designate a Group Administrator Manager (GAM)
7. Determine if batch feeds for data input is necessary
8. Set up PCs to Access WAWF
9. Self-Register GAM
10. Have all users for the CAGE Code(s) self-register on the WAWF website for one of the available vendor roles
11. Practice using WAWF

Required Wide Area Workflow Documents

In the traditional DoD business method, three documents are required to make a payment – the contract, the receiving report and the invoice. Each of these may arrive at the payment office separately – if they are paper. They are processed individually as they arrive. Information is then manually keyed in to the payment system. Using WAWF, electronic documents are shared, eliminating paper and redundant data entry. Data accuracy is increased and the risk of losing a document is greatly reduced. [1]

The contract is available through a seamless interface with an application called Electronic Document Access (EDA). Contractors have electronic options for submitting invoices and receiving documents. They can submit documents on the Web, through FTP, or through EDI. [1]

Wide Area Workflow Benefits

WAWF supports DoD’s efforts to reduce unmatched disbursements in the DoD receipt, acceptance, entitlement and payment process through data sharing and electronic processing. The benefits to DoD are global accessibility of documents, reduced need for re-keying, improved data accuracy, real-time processing, and secure transactions with audit capability. For vendors, benefits include the capability to electronically submit invoices, reduction of lost or misplaced documents, and online access to contract payment records. [1]

Wide Area Workflow Customer

Specific DoD components and other government offices using DoD WAWF include:

• Air Force (USAF)
• Army (USA)
• Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)
• Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
• Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
• Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)
• Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
• Marine Corps (USMC)
• Navy (USN)
• DoD Vendors
• Other Defense Agencies (ODAs)

Wide Area Workflow Legislation

WAWF is in line with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2001 (DFARS 252.232-7003/252.232.7003 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests – January 2004), which says that claims for payment under a Department of Defense contract must be sent in electronic form.

As of March 3, 2008, DoD issued a final rule that changed the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation supplement, or DFARS, to make the Wide Area Workflow the only acceptable electronic system for submitting requests for payment (invoices and receiving reports) under DoD contracts.

AcqLinks and References:

• Presentation: DFAS Wide Area Workflow Overview Presentation – Oct 2019
• Website: Wide Area Workflow

Updated: 2/9/2023

Rank: G9