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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.
