Introduction
Letter |
MEMORANDUM
| SUBJECT: | Mandatory Use of Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Green Office Supplies | |
| FROM: | David
J. O’Connor /s/ Acting Assistant Administrator Office of Administration and Resources Management |
|
| TO: | All EPA Employees |
We would
like to thank all EPA customers for participating in the
BPA pilot program with Corporate Express to purchase green office
supplies. Working together, we have been able to successfully resolve
the issues you raised during the pilot regarding price and product
availability. As a result, we will now be making the BPA mandatory,
effective May 1, 2005.
The BPA is designed to be a one-stop shop for office supplies and is one of the greenest federal office supply BPAs in existence today. Employees can access the Corporate Express web-based ordering system via the EPA’s intranet home page (http://intranet.epa.gov). Go to the “Order Office Supplies” link under “Agency Services” to register and begin using EPA’s web-based ordering system.
Although our goal is for all office supplies to be purchased through this BPA, at your request, we have negotiated an "Opt Out" Provision. Its purpose is to relieve the employee of the mandatory nature of the BPA when the exact product is available from a vendor other than Corporate Express, at a price difference greater than 7%. As the environmental leader of the federal government, we expect this provision will be used sparingly, since the benefits provided by environmentally preferable and recycled products will generally outweigh the price.
We appreciate all of the cooperation and support shown by EPA’s program customers in making this BPA a success and we look forward to your continued support as we go mandatory. If you require additional assistance, please contact Karen Richardson of the Office of Acquisition Management, at (202) 564-4378 or richardson.karen@epa.gov.