GSA Boosts Small Office Supply Vendors GSA has awarded blanket purchase agreements to 11 small office supply dealers in its latest strategic sourcing initiative. One large company, Office Depot, also received a BPA. The BPAs will be open to all federal agencies, and GSA said several agencies have already agreed to use them. GSA officials project savings of nearly $200 million over the four-year life of the agreements. “The pricing structure in the new agreements more fully leverages the government’s buying power,” GSA said. In its RFP, the agency took the unusual step of listing “prices to beat” on a variety of office products and commodities. Steven Kempf, acting commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, said, ”The expertise and care the contracting team displayed have driven the prices down and opened doors for sustainable technologies and environmentally preferable products, while providing substantial opportunities for small business.” Interviewed by Federal News Radio in Washington, Kempf said buyers won’t have to do anything to get the lower prices; the discounts will be applied automatically at the point of sale every time a federal employee uses a purchase card to buy something from one of the vendors. Although small firms dominate the list of preferred vendors, some industry officials say many other small local dealers stand to lose substantial federal business if the BPAs catch on. The BPAs were awarded under GSA Schedule 75. The small business awardees are: •Document Imaging Dimensions (small woman-owned) •Independent Stationers Inc. (small) •Metro Office Products LLC (small disadvantaged) •Shelby Distribution Inc. (service-disabled veteran-owned) •SITA Business Systems Inc. (small disadvantaged woman-owned) •WECSYS LLC (small disadvantaged) •EZ Print Supplies Inc. (small woman-owned) •ASE Direct Inc. (SDV) •Cartridge Savers Inc. (small disadvantaged) •New York Inkjet LLC (small woman-owned)