Unless he's got TOP SECRET rated data, which would probably have him in trouble for starting this thread, the AIX utility will may work just fine.
If the contract calls for the disk to be CLEARED, then running just one bit pattern will meet DoD 5220.22-M specifications.
I know the third pattern option was random, and I'm pretty sure the first two were complements of each other. I'd be suprised if they weren't, as IBM certainly has a few customers with government contracts, not to mention a few government contracts of their own.
If the contract calls for them to be SANITIZED, using all three passes (if they are as I recall) will meet DoD 5220.22-M specifications. Certainly worth checking before laying out any cash.
My personal favorite sanitizing method is the three way wipe followed by good old physical destruction.
To be truly secure, you must grind it into a fine powder, toss it to the wind, and hope that entropy takes care of the rest. While cathartic, this is usually cost prohibitive.
Rod Knowlton
IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert pSeries and AIX 5L
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA Security+