PART 312—ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS
PART 312—ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 40 U.S.C. 486(c).
Subpart 312.1—Acquisition of Commercial Items—General
(a) It is HHS policy to maximize its buying power, reduce acquisition administrative costs, and develop longterm, mutually beneficial, open partnerships with best-in-class providers of products and services. Accordingly, HHS has implemented a Strategic Sourcing Program under which Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity contracts (IDIQs) and Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), known as HHSwide Acquisition Contracts (HWACs), are awarded to allow for savings for commercial items and services across HHS and make the acquisition process more efficient.
(b) If consideration is being given to soliciting or acquiring a product or service from a source, other than HHS Contract Closeout IDIQs or Strategic Sourcing BPAs, when the category of the current requirement (e.g. Lab Supplies, Events Management) is encompassed in the portfolio of existing IDIQ or BPA categories a waiver request must be prepared and approved in advance of a purchase or processing of a requirement.
(c) The instructions, including approval requirements, and waiver form, are available at http://dbh.ogam2000.com/HHS_Strategic_Sourcing/Data_Collection/waiver.asp The following links provide more detailed information regarding the supplies, equipment, and services in each of the HWACs: the HHS Acquisition Integration and Modernization Web site: http://intranet.hhs.gov/hwac/index.html and the HHS Strategic Sourcing Web site:http://intranet.hhs.gov/ssc/.