Military Equipment Procurement
Effective and efficient military equipment procurement can be difficult to navigate. Let us help you get what you need quickly and hassle-free.
Existing Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts can be used to order supplies or services from existing contracts. These contracts allow the government to order from a pool of pre-approved vendors, enabling them to meet evolving needs efficiently.
The Tailored Logistics Support Programs (TLSP) managed by Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) enables the purchaser to procure turnkey solutions that best meet mission needs. The TLSP includes Fire and Emergency Services and Equipment (FESE), Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and Special Operations Equipment (SOE) in addition to Ability One Base Supply Centers (ABOBSC).
IDIQ contracts can help simplify the procurement process for the government that do not require a unit’s financial point of contact (FOPOC) to use local contracting. This ensures the purchasing unit will get the exact item requested at the best value to the government.
Control of the acquisition process is in the hands of the end user or their FOPOC to complete the acquisition. The TLSP SOE contract can be completed around 15 business days from order request until funds get obligated.
The DLA TLS contracts available allow units to use Military Interdepartmental Purchase Requests (MIPR) or Military Standard Requisitioning and Issue Procedures (MILSTRIP) for acquisition. This prevents your funding from getting tied to the transaction until the final price is agreed upon so your order can be submitted without an obligation to spend. The funds are transferred directly to DLA and not to a vendor.
There is a cutoff date prior to the end of the fiscal year to use the DLA TLS SOE program.
National Stock Number systems (NSNs) are a 13-digit code that tracks the supply of standardized materials like weapons and equipment. It consists of the four-digit Federal Supply Classification (FSC) and the nine-digit National Item Identification Number (NIIN). The NIIN consists of a two-digit National Codification Bureau (NCB) number followed by a seven-digit item number.
An NSN is the official label applied to an item of supply that is repeatedly procured, stocked, stored, issued, and used throughout the NATO supply system. When a NSN is assigned to an item of supply, data is assembled to describe the item, including the item name, manufacturer’s reference number, unit price, and physical and performance characteristics.
With 50 current National Stock Numbers, Combat Weapon Storage offers various weapon rack heights and widths to outfit armories with small arms racks available through standard DLA Supply channels. These racks ordered through the supply system do not go through local contracting squadrons, streamlining acquisition for units.
The advantage to ordering NSNs is that you get exactly what you see. The disadvantage to ordering NSNs is that the kitted rack configuration can not be modified in the order process and no professional services or ancillary items can be added on.
This is where utilizing the TLSP contract vehicle allows units to specify a turnkey solution with materials and assembly plus any additional storage requirements like Mobile Weapon Storage Systems, Workbenches, Shelving, Radio Charging Cabinets, Weapon Tracking Software or any other project requirements the end user would like to include in one purchase.
Before awarding a GSA Schedule contract, GSA contracting officers (COs) determine that the prices of supplies, fixed-price services, and rates for services offered at hourly rates are fair and reasonable. In addition to the pricing factors considered above, we compare the prices or discounts that a company offers the government with the best prices or discounts that the company offers to its own commercial customers – commonly known as “most favored customer” pricing.
Since GSA has already determined that prices under GSA Schedule contracts are fair and reasonable ordering activities do not need to make a separate determination of fair and reasonable pricing, except for DOD and NASA (see agency deviations to FAR 8.404(d)). Additionally, according to FAR 8.405-2(d), the ordering contracting officer must conduct an overall price reasonableness determination when buying services under Schedules. This determination ensures the level of effort and mix of labor are appropriate to accomplish the task.
Thus buyers do not need to obtain “cost or pricing data” or “information other than cost or pricing data” to place an order or establish a GSA Schedule BPA. The Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) sets forth the policy that discourages agencies from obtaining cost or pricing data when a commercial item is being acquired.
Schedule policy and procedures are guided by two major governing regulatory documents:
- Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) – Pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 152(3), FAR Part 38 prescribes policies and procedures that GSA must follow in managing the Schedules program. FAR Subpart 8.4 prescribes ordering procedures for federal agencies when placing orders for supplies and services under Schedules.
- General Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM) – GSAM covers GSA acquisition policies and practices.
To determine fair and reasonable pricing, the GSA contracting officer may consider many factors, including pricing on competitor contracts, historical pricing, and currently available pricing from other sources, corporate benchmarks, etc.
As part of the pricing review, the offeror must submit:
- Complete Price Proposal Template
- Written justification for offered pricing
- Mechanism for future potential pricing adjustments
- Proof that the price is fair and reasonable (The GSA contracting officer will negotiate and make the final determination on fair & reasonable pricing)
As a woman-owned small business, Combat Weapon Storage is eligible for set-asides and sole source awards under the Women-Owned Small Business Program. FAR Clauses 52.219-29 & 52.219-30 explicitly allow contracting officers to award contracts with limited competition.
