14 FAM 230
ACQUISITIONs abroad
(CT:LOG-342; 02-02-2022)
(Office of Origin: A/OPE)
14 FAM 231 contracting officer authority
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
a. Contracting officers may use their delegated procurement authority to meet acquisition requirements. However, pursuant to the Department of State Acquisition Regulation (DOSAR) 48 CFR 601.601-70(a)(1)(i), posts must not enter into cost-reimbursement, fixed-price incentive, or fixed-price re-determinable contracts.
b. Contracting officer warrants enable post personnel to manage the contractual needs of the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the post. Posts may also meet their need for supplies and services by using the acquisition, supply, and transportation resources of the Department. The domestic contracting offices listed in 48 CFR 601.603 can purchase a wide range of supplies, services, and construction for posts abroad. These contracting offices are staffed with individuals who are specifically trained and experienced to fulfill unique programmatic requirements. The central location in the United States of most of these contracting offices allows them to employ efficiency and continuity to award contracts for similar programmatic requirements throughout the world, instead of on a fragmented basis at the post level. The Office of Acquisitions Management (A/OPE/AQM) is the largest of these offices encompassing domestic offices as well as the Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO) in Frankfurt, and has the capability to solicit, award, and administer acquisition instruments for any program office within State (including abroad) of any dollar value. Some A/OPE/AQM and RPSO contracting officers have unlimited warrants, whereas all contracting officers abroad have limited warrants.
c. When purchasing from the United States for programmatic acquisitions, State program office personnel need to work directly with one of the domestic contracting offices when requesting U.S. sources. For acquisitions from local sources, if the amount of the acquisition exceeds the post contracting officer’s warrant, or if the acquisition is of a complex nature (regardless of dollar value), it may be better managed by RPSO or by domestic contracting activity.
d. For non-State agencies, the Office of the Procurement Executive (A/OPE) has worked with the other agencies to ensure that they support their own international programs as much as possible, especially for programmatic needs. The Department has issued joint guidance with a number of agencies including the Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Foreign Commercial Service (FCS), Defense Logistics Agency/Defense Energy Supply Center (DLA/DESC), Defense Attaché Office (DAO), Department of Homeland Security/Customs, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), International Trade Administration (Commerce), Foreign Agricultural Service, and Center for Disease Control (CDC). All joint cables with other agencies are posted on A/OPE’s Intranet site.
e. Posts may also use the resources of other U.S. Government agencies, such as:
(1) The General Services Administration (GSA);
(2) The Office of Logistics Management (A/LM/OPS); and
(3) The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
14 FAM 232 Department of State Resources
14 FAM 232.1 Office of Acquisitions Management
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
The Office of Acquisitions Management (A/OPE/AQM) may acquire supplies and services on behalf of posts abroad. A/OPE/AQM also provides liaison services between posts and vendors.
14 FAM 232.2 Office of Logistics Operations
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
The Office of Logistics Operations (A/LM/OPS) develops and administers the Expedited Logistics Programs; coordinates supply support; and manages and operates the Department’s consolidated warehouse facility in the Washington, DC area to support supply activities.
14 FAM 232.3 Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO) Frankfurt
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
a. The Regional Procurement Support Office (RPSO) in Frankfurt assists posts abroad with acquisitions from domestic and foreign sources, including the military exchange system.
b. The RPSO is not a supply depot and does not maintain stock supplies.
14 FAM 232.4 U.S. Despatch Agencies
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
The U.S. Despatch Agencies, located in New York, Baltimore, Miami, Seattle, and Brownsville, arrange and expedite surface shipments from the continental United States. Posts may also use Despatch Agencies to coordinate air shipments that originate anywhere in the United States. The European Logistical Support Office (ELSO) at Antwerp, Belgium, assists posts in Europe, Africa, the Near East, and South Asia with supplies and management of air and surface transportation of official shipments. ELSO also operates the Expedited Logistics Program (ELP), which prepositions a number of commonly used items including appliances, office equipment, emergency supplies, pre-assembled Welcome Kits, and residential household furniture as working capital fund stock inventory for expedited delivery.
14 FAM 233 U.S. Government Sources
14 FAM 233.1 Preferred Sources
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
Several organizations are identified as the preferred sources for certain types of items. When purchasing items from these sources, you must enter the orders into ILMS Ariba and include transportation funding in the requisition as a surcharge. The first line of the post address used in any requisition must include the post purchase order number and the first five letters of the post city name.
14 FAM 233.2 General Services Administration (GSA)
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
In accordance with 48 CFR 8.402, the General Services Administration (GSA) is the preferred centralized procurement source for the federal government. Generally, federal agencies procure the products and services managed by GSA through two programs:
(1) GSA Global Supply, which is a wholesale supply program comprised of a catalog of common-use products for government-to-government (G2G) requisition-based ordering. GSA ensures items are procured in compliance with all applicable federal procurement rules and regulations. This is the mandatory source for certain designated products that are supplied by nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind or severely disabled (known as "NIB/NISH", "Ability One") and Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR); and
(2) The GSA Multiple Awards Schedule Program is a collection of commercial indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts that federal agencies use to procure a wide range of products and services.
14 FAM 233.3 Office of Logistics Management (A/LM) Stock Program
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
The Bureau of Administration, Office of Logistics Operations (A/LM/OPS), offers four expedited logistics programs for commonly used items for easy purchase worldwide. A full list of items offered through the programs can be found in the catalog section of Ariba:
(1) Expedited Logistics Program (ELP): ELSO maintains stock items, including appliances, office equipment and supplies, residential household furniture, and prepositioned stock of pre-assembled limited use welcome kits;
(2) Secure Expedited Logistics Program (S-ELP): Maintains stock of supplies and equipment for controlled access areas (CAA). This includes lithium batteries, copiers/printers, shredders, fax machines, toner cartridges, printer maintenance kits, diskettes and safes. S-ELP also stocks safes for unclassified areas and safe driving award pins;
(3) Healthcare Expedited Logistics Program (H-ELP): The Department has established partnerships with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Supply Service Center at Perry Point, Maryland, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center – Europe located in Frankfurt (USAMMCE), and various pharmaceutical companies to provide medical supply support to posts. H-ELP has a catalog of over 1,500 medical products, which includes the most commonly used vaccines and medical/laboratory supplies used by health units; and
(4) Post Disaster Support Kit (PDSK): The PDSK program offers streamlined procurement and shipment of emergency supplies and equipment to posts, such as shovels, water purification bottles, hard hats, emergency blankets etc. To place an order, a material stock request (MSR) should be submitted through ILMS Ariba.
14 FAM 233.4 Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
(CT:LOG-14; 01-05-2006)
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and other Department of Defense supply components should be used when feasible to obtain construction and industrial materials. DLA is the source for all Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved pesticides.
14 FAM 234 Requisitioning Supplies
14 FAM 234.1 Ordering Supplies through the Office of Logistics Management (A/LM) Stock Program
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
A full list of items carried through the A/LM stock program can be found in the Ariba catalogs. To place an order, a material stock request (MSR) must be submitted through Ariba.
14 FAM 234.2 Ordering Supplies from the General Services Administration (GSA)
(CT:LOG-272; 07-10-2019)
a. Offices may order products and services made available by the General Services Administration (GSA) using two methods:
(1) Government-to-government (G2G) requisition - Ordering officials may submit G2G requisitions directly to GSA for catalog items available through its Global Supply ™ program. Items can be ordered online through the Global Supply ™ website (see 14 FAM 234.2, paragraph c) or offline by emailing orders to the GSA National Customer Service Center at NCSCorders@gsa.gov. GSA accepts payment by either government purchase card (GPC) or an activity address code (AAC) account; and
(2) Delivery order procurement - Ordering officials may conduct delivery order procurements using the Multiple Award Schedules Program. Items can be ordered from program vendors online through GSA Advantage or offline by contacting the vendor directly using the contract information presented online. For products procured online, vendors only accept GPC payments. Offline, vendors accept GPC, cash, or purchase orders.
b. The responsibilities of the ordering office differs according to ordering methods described below:
(1) For Global Supply ™ catalog items, GSA satisfies all applicable federal competition and procurement requirements including those regarding the mandatory purchase of certain goods manufactured under the Ability One and Federal Prison Industries (also known as UNICOR) programs. Therefore, Department orders placed using the G2G requisition method are considered fully compliant with all applicable federal procurement guidelines regardless of dollar value; and
(2) Orders placed using the Delivery Order Procurement method are not government-to-government transactions with GSA. Therefore, ordering officials are responsible for complying with all applicable federal procurement rules and regulations found in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 8.4 - Federal Supply Schedules.
c. The GSA Global Supply ™ is limited to catalog items available for G2G requisitioning from GSA. The GSA Advantage lists Global Supply™ catalog items as well as non-catalog items sold by GSA Multiple Award Schedule vendors. Due to key procedural differences between the ordering methods, GSA recommends using the following:
(1) Global Supply ™ when the ordering office intends to order directly from GSA utilizing the G2G requisition methods;
(2) GSAAdvantage ® when the ordering office intends to place orders with vendors utilizing the delivery order procurement method. Additionally, overseas users should place orders offline through direct communication with vendors to ensure compliance with the marking, labeling, and shipping requirements specific to post;
(3) For orders through GSA Global Supply Catalog, use the Global Supply Catalog's email ordering form. A copy of the order will be sent electronically. The email ordering form is accessible on the Internet from the GSA Global Supply Catalog list; or
(4) Fax the order to GSA Global Supply at (800) 856-7057 at any time of the day or night. Order forms can be found at the back of the catalog. GSA Global Supply will send an order confirmation number for each fax order. The confirmation number can be used for tracking purposes. You may pay by either government purchase card or by establishing an activity address code.
d. All requisitions, to include credit card orders, consigned to Despatch Agency CRPs must be entered into ILMS Ariba and include transportation funding in the requisition as a surcharge. The first line of the post address used in any requisition must include the post purchase order number and the first five letters of the post city name.
14 fam 235 through 239 unassigned