Blanket purchase agreement (BPA)

There are two common kinds. A BPA under FAR 13.303 uses simplified acquisition procedures for recurring purchases. A BPA under a GSA Schedule follows FAR 8.405-3 and builds on the vendor's schedule pricing and terms.

A BPA is not a contract for a quantity: it sets the terms, pricing and ordering procedures, and the government is obligated only when it places a call. Agencies can establish a BPA with one vendor or several; with several, calls are competed or rotated under the BPA's rules.

BPA solicitations often look like small RFQs: a quote, a short technical response and pricing. The real value depends on how often the agency places calls, so ask during the questions and answers period about expected volume if the solicitation is silent.

Common mistakes: pricing a BPA as if volume were guaranteed, and missing that call ordering procedures may favor a quick turnaround you must staff for.

A multiple-award BPA works much like a small IDIQ for the vendor: getting on the BPA is the first competition, and each call may be a second one. Keep the BPA's terms, labor categories and price list where the team can find them quickly, track every call you receive and whether you won it, and use that record to decide whether the BPA deserves more business development effort. State agencies use similar instruments, sometimes called blanket orders or master agreements, with their own ordering rules.