FROM: GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
GSA Releases RFQs for Janitorial and Maintenance Supplies
Deadline for Submission is November 12
October 9, 2013
WASHINGTON -- The General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) released a Request for Quotations (RFQ) for two new strategic sourcing solutions designed to help federal agencies purchase products at discounted prices. The RFQs include are for Janitorial and Sanitation (JanSan) supplies and Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) equipment and supplies. These two solicitations feature multiple new blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) and are now available for viewing and download through GSA Interact. The JanSan and MRO solutions support the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI) program and the Obama Administration's goal of cutting $40 billion a year from procurement spending.
The federal government spends approximately $1.7 billion annually on JanSan and MRO products. In the first year alone, based on an estimated savings of 10 to 20 percent, GSA can help to save the government $24 million and in future years, based on increased usage, the savings can rise to $50 million.
"GSA's role as America's Buyer is to help federal agencies acquire commonly purchased items at prices that are representative of the high volume of products purchased across the federal government," said FAS Commissioner Tom Sharpe, Jr. "The consolidation of purchasing under programs such as these will help save taxpayer dollars and drive necessary spending on these type of products to our small business partners, making a real positive impact for government agency budgets and improving the bottom line for selected small businesses and suppliers."
The JanSan and MRO procurements, which were created based on requirements of agency customers, leverage feedback GSA received from the supplier community, including small businesses. "We performed extensive market research and made changes in the acquisition strategy to include reserving the overwhelming majority of awards for small business or service disabled veteran owned small business," said FAS Commissioner Tom Sharpe. "We also obtained a Waiver to the Non-Manufacturing rule from the Small Business Administration, which allows for both increased participation of small businesses in the JanSan and MRO programs and for greater utilization by federal agencies." As specified under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, GSA also performed an economic impact analysis of the draft contract requirements to understand the effects of the JanSan and MRO solutions on small business.
GSA is currently facilitating the development and launch of 10 new strategic sourcing solutions for completion by FY 2014. The Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI) began in 2005 under the direction of the Office of Management and Budget. Today, GSA's strategic sourcing program includes more than 20 agencies (military and civilian) that have collaborated to develop common procurement vehicles that offer greater discounts, provide improved management, and represent best practices.
