Government Procurement Methods
Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA)
A simplified acquisition method that government agencies use to fill anticipated repetitive needs for supplies or services. Essentially, BPAs are like “charge accounts” set up with trusted suppliers.
Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA)
A GSA Schedule Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) is an arrangement between two or more GSA Schedule contractors to work together to meet agency requirements. The CTA document is a written agreement between team members detailing the responsibilities of each team member.
The CTA allows the contractor to meet the government agency needs by providing a total solution that combines the supplies and/or services from the team members’ separate GSA Schedule contracts. It permits contractors to complement each other’s capabilities to compete for orders for which they may not independently qualify. A customer benefits from a CTA by buying a solution rather than making separate buys from various contractors.
Multi-Agency Contracts (MACs)
Task Order or Delivery Order contracts established by one Agency for use by Government Agencies to obtain a variety of supplies and services.
Federal Supply Schedules (FSS)
Customers contract with pre-approved vendors and benefit from “most-favored customer” pricing with GSA Schedules (also referred to as Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) and Federal Supply Schedules (FSS).
Multiple Award Schedules (MAS)
Most Federal Supply Schedules are Multiple Award Schedules (MAS). Under MAS contracts, GSA awards contracts to multiple companies supplying comparable services and products at varying prices. The FSS operates over 100 different schedules covering most product and service categories.
Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC)
A pre-competed, multiple-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ)contract that agencies can use to buy total IT solutions, including both products and services.
Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)
This is a type of contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services during a fixed period of time.
Request for Quotation (RFQ)
A document that an organization submits to one or more potential suppliers eliciting quotations for a product or service. Typically, an RFQ seeks an itemized list of prices for something that is well-defined and quantifiable, such as hardware.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
A document that solicits proposal, often made through a bidding process, by an agency or company interested in procurement of a commodity, service, or valuable asset, to potential suppliers to submit business proposals.
Request for Information (RFI)
A standard business process whose purpose is to collect written information about the capabilities of various suppliers. Normally it follows a format that can be used for comparative purposes.
Micro Purchases
An acquisition of supplies or services using simplified acquisition procedures, the aggregate amount of which does not exceed the micro-purchase threshold. The micro-purchase threshold is $2,500.00.