Smart Bulletin No. 011

Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiatives (FSSI) Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs)

UPDATE:

Effective Date

This Smart Bulletin becomes effective upon issuance and shall remain in force until modified or rescinded.

Business Line(s) Affected

Purchase, and Integrated (Purchase)

Introduction

The benefits of using the GSA SmartPay® purchase and integrated cards when acquiring products and services through FSSI Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) and other arrangements include increased refunds for agencies along with product/service price savings, improved management visibility into purchasing activity, and adoption of industry and government agency best practices. As noted below, many of these FSSI offerings incorporate Point of Sale (POS) discounts for purchase and integrated card users, whereby the discounted FSSI price is to be automatically provided regardless of whether the purchase is made in-store, on-line, or by phone. These automatic discounts are provided by the merchant at the POS. The merchant is required to recognize the account numbers unique to standard GSA SmartPay purchase and integrated cards. The information below briefly discusses relevant FSSI procurement vehicles and provides links to their websites for more information and points of contact.

Summary

FSSI OS4 - The Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative for Office Supplies Fourth Generation (FSSI OS4) is GSA’s latest FSSI solution for office supplies. GSA’s new and improved MAS 75 features two new and Enhanced Special Item Numbers (SINs) known as OS4. They are purchasing channel solutions that help federal customers achieve significant savings on their office supply purchases. The awards are the result of a collaborative team effort among customer agencies across the federal government. The new MAS 75 Enhanced SINs include all of the improvements that made FSSI OS3 a Best In Class solution. By combining the two current solutions (Legacy MAS 75 and FSSI OS4), this new solution will provide an opportunity to achieve significant savings and meet sustainable acquisition and other socioeconomic goals. A major objective of the new solution is to increase opportunities for small business participation by at least five percent (5%).

Resources

Please visit the website below for additional information on Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiatives. FSSI OS4

Action

Agency/Organization Program Coordinators (A/OPCs) are encouraged to provide this bulletin with resource links to purchase and integrated cardholders. Agencies are encouraged to use their purchase or integrated charge cards in conjunction with FSSI offerings to save money and better use taxpayer funds. Some agencies have committed to use specific FSSI vehicles for certain purchases; A/OPCs shall ensure such policies are addressed in the training and other communications to their cardholders, as appropriate. In addition, A/OPCs may direct their cardholders to the FSSI portion of the GSA SmartPay website.