HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.
![handle is hein.gao/gaobaagiq0001 and id is 1 raw text is:
COMPTROLLE R GENERAL OF THE UNITEO STATES
WASHINGTON. D.C. 2054
LM0965o02 JL 5 1972
Dear Mr. Schmitz:
This is our report in response to your request of March 3,
1972, that the General Accounting Office investigate the use of
General Services Administration (GSA) contracts fo-pejignt
of electronic instruments and laboratory e1upmt.
In a letter dated February 22, 1972 (see enclosure), one
of your constituents stated that Federal Supply Schedule con-
tracts were awarded witho true,compti-in and orders were
placed against these contracts on a sol] pj4ce basis with
minimum justification and without secficat ions or consider-
ations of program requirements.
Our examination showed that, for selected commercial
products sold to the general public by many suppliers, GSA
(1) solicits offers from a substantial number of suppliers,
(2) negotiates with each responsive supplier, and (3) awards
contracts to those suppliers which, in GSA's view, offer
terms and conditions favorable to the Government. The con-
tracts for these commercial items are negotiated, rather than
formally advertised, because Federal specifications have not
been developed. Some agencies have established procedures to
obtain justification for the procurement of other than -he
lowest cost equipment.
INTRODUCTION
The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of
1949 (40 U.S.C. 471) made GSA responsible for the procurement
of common-use supplies and services for Federal agencies in
the executive branch. The Federal Supply Service performs
GSA's procurement and distribution mission through (I) a
stores stock program for replenishment of supplies stocked in
GSA depots for shipment to Federal agencies when needed, (2) a
program of direct delivery from suppliers to Federal agencies
under definite-quantity contracts, and (3) indefinite-quantity
term contracts listed in Federal Supply Schedules--called
Schedule contracts--which are used by Federal agencies to
place orders directly with listed suppliers.
GSA uses Schedule contracts for commercially available
items when stockage or definite-quantity contracts are not](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.gao/gaobaagiq0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)