Ordering guide for public health emergency preparedness

Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government ordering guide for PHEP and response, including medical support services

Rev: 10/01/24

Contents

• Acronym list
• Background
• Market research
• Requirements for state and local use
• Sample procurement process
• Additional resources

Acronyms and definitions

BOA — Basic ordering agreement
CLIN — Contract line item
CSD — Customer Service Director
FSS — Federal Supply Schedule
GSA — General Services Administration
HSS — Hospital support services
MAS — Multiple Award Schedule
OLM — Order level material
PHE — Public health emergency
PHEP — Public health emergency preparedness
POC — Point of contact
PSHC — Professional services and human capital
RFQ — Request for a quote
SLTT — State, local, tribal, territorial
SPOC — State point of contact
T&M — Time & Material
VA — Veterans Administration
WAS — Wrap around services

BOA purpose statement

We have entered into an agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assist in the rapid procurement and delivery of supplies and services in anticipation of, response to and recovery efforts from public health emergencies. The term “emergency” used within this agreement means events which meet the definition found in FAR 2.101 OR any situation which, if not corrected immediately, will result in unnecessary expenditure of funds, property damage, personal injury, or interruption of agency functions. This means a residential declaration, a federal agency determination, or determination by authorized state, local, tribal, and territorial governments that an emergency event has occurred, is imminent, or exists that is sufficient for utilization of this Basic Ordering Agreement.

To that end, we, on behalf of the CDC, have established a BOA with qualified vendors to:

• Provide authorized federal agencies, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments with an ordering vehicle that minimizes the administrative burden in locating and soliciting quality products from qualified vendors
• Provide vendors offering emergency supplies, services, and managed solutions with an enhanced opportunity to compete for emergency acquisitions and support emergency response efforts
• Ensure the rapid delivery of procured materials, equipment, and services during periods of uncertainty by pre-positioning delivery and other terms and conditions.

1. Market research

We performed initial market research across Multiple Award Schedule holders and VA Schedule Holders in the functional areas aligning with these requirements. At the completion of this market research, four BOAs were established. A list of established BOA holders can be viewed:

2. Who is eligible to place an order

• Visit Eligibility determinations for information regarding eligibility to use our sources of supply and services.
• We have outlined available purchasing resources and support for state and local governments [PDF - 436 KB] [PDF - 436 KB] eligible to directly access GSA Schedules. State and local governments should always coordinate purchases in accordance with guidance issued by us (or other applicable agency) and follow the regulations and requirements outlined by funding agencies prior to purchasing from any source.
• During the extent of any declared emergency, state and local government entities, including instrumentalities, may make self-determinations of eligibility and should send written confirmation to gsaeligibilitydetermination@gsa.gov. See 40 U.S.C. 502(c) and (d).

3. Requirements for SLTT use

1. SLTT buyers must:
   1. Follow the procurement laws and regulations, including competition rules, geographic requirements, and socioeconomic requirements dictated by their state and local procurement regulations and policies. If you are utilizing federal grant funding for your purchase, you must follow the guidelines and requirements set forth by the granting agency.
   2. Include the MAS and VA contract number on all orders placed through MAS. This confirms that the pricing, terms, and conditions are applicable on the order.
   3. Include applicable mandatory ordering language for orders placed under the SLTT Programs. Choose 1, 2, or 3.
      1. Disaster purchasing program mandatory order language
         “This order is placed under GSA Schedule number “insert number here” under the authority of the GSA Disaster Purchasing program. The products and services purchased will be used in preparation or response to disasters or recovery from major disaster declared by the President, or recovery from terrorism or nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attack.”
      2. Public health emergency program mandatory order language
         “This order is placed under Federal Supply Schedule number -Insert Number Here- according to GSA policy that authorizes state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, 1800 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20405-0002 ww.gsa.gov U.S. General Services Administration as authorized users for purchasing goods and services, when expending Federal grant funds in response to Public Health Emergencies (PHEs) declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, under section 319 of the Public Health Services Act.”
      3. 1122 Program
         “This order is placed pursuant to the 1122 Program, in support of counter-drug, homeland security, or emergency response activities, under the authority of (insert the SPOC Name), the State Point of Contact (SPOC) for the State of (insert the state).”
2. In general, when orders are placed by an SLTT, all terms and conditions of the contractor’s schedule flow down to the order level, except the following:
   • Disputes Clause;
   • Patent Indemnity Clause;
   • Prompt Payment Clause and
   • Certain Commercial Item Contract Terms and Conditions. Portions of the commercial item contract terms and conditions that specify compliance with laws unique to federal government contracts are not applicable to cooperative purchasing orders.
3. Buyers may add additional terms and conditions to schedule terms and conditions as long as they do not conflict with the base level schedule terms and conditions.
4. All services procured under the BOAs shall fall under the awarded scope:
   1. Medical personnel:
      • Physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other medical staff
      • Respiratory therapists
      • Pharmacists
      • Epidemiologists
      • Laboratorians/Lab technicians vaccinators (in addition to medical staff listed above; depending on the jurisdiction, this could potentially include nurses with various certifications, phlebotomists, pharmacists, etc.)
      • Behavioral & mental health providers
   2. Equipment (e.g., large tents, generators, beds, supplies, etc.)
   3. Staff wrap around services  - to include laundry, housing, transportation, nutrition, etc.
   4. Patient wrap around services  - to include laundry, showering, nutrition, etc.
   5. Contact tracing/tracers (Disease Intervention Specialists)
   6. Logistical support (warehousing, transportation, and logistics for supplies)
   7. Nonmedical personnel (to support vaccine administration) administrative staff, data entry staff, safety and security staff, IT support staff facilities support, logistics support staff

   8. Environmental health services (assessments, consultation, medical grade cleaning and disinfecting, remediation) medical supplies, medical personnel, patient/staff WAS and management of these services.

      *Out of scope services should be procured separately. For questions on scope, contact POCs noted below*

4. Sample procurement process and recommendations

1. Notify BOA Holders early
   1. We strongly advise you to contact the BOA holders via the email addresses listed in the aforementioned chart as soon as a need is determined and when further information becomes available, even before the RFQ is published. This will enable BOA holders to start preparing for the requirement before the release of the RFQ.
2. Prepare the procurement package
   1. During declared disasters, SLTTs, as well as tribal governments and educational institutions, as defined by 40 U.S.C. § 502(c), can use our schedules pursuant to 40 U.S.C. § 502(d). Additional information can be found on GSA’s State and Local Disaster Purchasing webpage.
   2. Consider the following when possible:
      1. Minimize state licensure requirements - State licensure requirements severely limit the candidate pools from which the BOA holders have to pull from. Consider allowing licenses from any state when possible.
      2. Consider flexibility in contract structure
         1. Breaking up periods of performance into shorter base/optional periods
         2. MAS allows various contract types to provide greater flexibility
         3. To procure supporting materials or to address unidentified needs, include the Order Level Material contract line item number  or ancillary supplies CLIN.
         4. Allow multiple schedule labor categories to fulfill requirements.
3. Submit your RFQ to all BOA Holder industry partners via the email addresses listed in the aforementioned chart
4. Follow your procurement processes/requirements
   1. SLTTs should always follow the regulations and requirements outlined by funding agencies prior to purchasing from any source.
   2. Our Schedule contract prices have been determined to be fair and reasonable (see FAR 8.404(d)). Pricing at the order level should be evaluated to ensure that the quoted price does not exceed the awarded price on the schedule contract and to determine if discounts have been offered.
   3. Schedule contract prices can be found on eLibrary.
5. Post-award contract management
   1. SLTTs should follow regulations and policies outlined by funding agencies to ensure proper contract administration.
6. BOA order closeouts
   1. Alert Region 10 of BOA order closeout at email address: aasr10pmo@gsa.gov

5. Additional resources

1. Customers assistance:
   1. National Customer Service Center is able to assist in answering questions or directing customers to the correct office within GSA. They can be reached at 800-488-3111 or NCSCcustomer.service@gsa.gov
   2. Our customer service directors are local representatives who are knowledgeable on all of our products and services and can provide training and/or answer questions. 
   3. Our Assisted Acquisition Services Region 10 established the BOAs and is responsible for its contracting components at the federal level. All questions should be submitted to the following email address: aasr10pmo@gsa.gov
2. Purchasing resources:
   1. Purchasing resources and support for state and local governments [PDF - 436 KB]
   2. GSA’s state and local disaster purchasing webpage
   3. GSA Multiple Award Schedule ordering guide [PDF - 5 MB]
3. Industry Assistance:
   1. Interested and capable current MAS industry partners who wish to learn more about the BOA, should reach out via email to: aasr10pmo@gsa.gov.
   2. For interested industry partners who wish to attain a MAS contract with us, please visit the Vendor Support Center; call 877-495-4849, or email vendor.support@gsa.gov.