Last Wednesday, July 29, Clover’s founder and Executive Chairman, Jim Cerkleski, hosted an insightful webinar to help our partners sell Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).
This is the presentation, the recording, and the PPE product portfolio from our web site.
To help our community of Office Products / NOPA, BTA dealers, and buying group partners prioritize PPE opportunities, we invite your consideration of the B2G platform. This includes Federal, State, Local Government, and Education (FED-SLED) Public Sector verticals – any entity that is tax supported.
The Clover team has the experience, and the dedicated resources, to help drive a successful PPE campaigns in this B2G vertical.
If you are interested in PPE please connect with me or my colleague
|
Steve Noyes |
Steve Reid, VP Federal Sales |
If we don’t know the answer, we have the network of contacts to quickly investigate so we can respond with accurate information.
Certain dealers are including PPE on their GSA Schedules as a result of the May 28 waiver, SPE Memo SPE-2020-10 that allows TAA and AbilityOne exemptions through Sept. 30, 2020.
When submitting your modification to your Schedule, remember to add Clover’s top selling imaging supplies for Q2-2020.
Our product descriptions are in the process of being written to fit into the 40 character compartment required by GSA on SIPS 8.5.
Because imaging supplies and PPE may not be bought by the same Purchasing Manager, a suggestion is to leverage your Agency relationships, and ask the CAO, SPE, COTR or any of the Purchasing Directors, or 1102’s that have purchasing responsibility and budget authority - “Who is buying PPE?” and/or “Are their bids that I can respond to, or registries that I can enroll on? “ This info chart offers a perspective on the volume of PPE that has been acquired by GSA as of 5-29-20, GSA Covid-19 Slides.
We can confirm that:
We can confirm through corroborating data from our friends at www.thecgp.org, and from www.pricereporter.com, and our history, that leading Federal Agencies and Departments that are buying PPE include:
Featuring PPE on your GSA Schedule has an added benefit because of the March 13, 2020 activation of the Stafford Act. This Executive Directive makes GSA Schedules available to States, Cities, Municipalities, Counties, K-12, Colleges and Universities.
After Sept. 30, a possibility exists that any products considered ETS, that have been added to the Dealer’s GSA Schedule, could be automatically robo-removed. However, as Agencies gradually re-open, GSA forecasts continued high demand, and chronic back-orders, for PPE.
For future consideration, the AbilityOne Commission hosts an ETS waiver process, and also provides Purchase Exceptions to Government Agencies.
These are issued on a case-by-case basis. Dealers don’t need that waiver now because the PPE exemption goes through Sept. 30.
For more information, please review the AbilityOne Commission ETS Policy 51-541
Since March, the impact from COVID-19 on PPE has resulted in three TAA extensions, and two AB1 exemptions.
The list of applicable Federal Supply Classes (FSC) has remained consistent. GSA will continue to monitor the need for FSC exemptions on a monthly basis.
Supplement 2 of SPE Memo SPE-2020-10 extends the Purchase Exceptions authority for certain AbilityOne products to September 30, 2020.
**A full list of purchase exceptions can be found here.
| FSC | General Products Purchased |
| FSC 4240 | N95 masks |
| FSC 6810 | Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) |
| FSC 6840 | Disinfectants includes, cleaners, sprays and wipes |
| FSC 7930 | Cleaners including sanitizing surface and floor cleaners |
| FSC 8520 | Hand sanitizers, soaps and dispensers |
Trust Clover – to avoid the many pitfalls and dangers of misrepresentation, fraud, and price gouging.
To help consumers and dealers navigate PPE counterfeit challenges, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched the COVID-19 Response Resource Center.
This site includes, (among other things), resources to help the public identify and report instances of fraud and counterfeiting related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
For example, the USPTO suggests consumers become sensitive to the “four P’s”:
|
|
|
|
Read Director Iancu’s full remarks on Fighting Counterfeits in a Pandemic: The Impact and Solutions for Manufacturers.
See also FTC Testifies Before Congress on Efforts to Combat COVID-19-related Scams
The www.GSAadvantage.gov has updated detail in the Covid compartment, and on www.gsa.gov/Covid19
COVID-19 Related Product Shortages: 3/13/2020
Because of the constant changing levels of product availability, vendors are recommending that customers contact them directly before placing orders on GSA Advantage! to ensure their availability.
Vendors will attempt to answer any questions regarding the "in-stock" availability of products, so please make sure that your request is specific. The more detailed the request, the better the vendor will be able to respond.
The contractor's contact information including phone number, and email is located on the Contractor Information page of GSA Advantage!. The Contractor Information page can be accessed as follows:
Click here to see more details on finding the vendor contact information
You can access search categories that include COVID-19 related products under the Disaster Relief and Pandemic Products aisle.
GSA has released an updated version of the COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions for Global Supply Contractors. See the updated 5-20-20 V2 here.
GSA published these 67 slides from a training session for industry on COVID-19. The slides include links to GSA’s COVID-19 policies – including purchasing and payment flexibility.
FEMA now controls the strategic national stockpile (SNS) due to recent transfer from HHS to FEMA.
Potential contractors/partners are asked to reach out via email to: FEMA-Industry@fema.dhs.gov.
The agency is also posting certain contract solicitations and sole source awards on https://beta.sam.gov/ for a wide variety of products and services.
Nathan Turnipseed
National Director, VHA Medical Supply Program (Acting)
VHA Procurement and Logistics Office (10NA2)
Department of Veterans Affairs | 811 Vermont Avenue NW | Washington, DC 20005
Cell: 203-999-2204 | Email: nathan.turnipseed2@va.gov
Specific vendor portals to register PPE are being updated
The standard remains active: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/nac/
VA FSS Program Director, Dan Shearer, asked that contractors share the guidance with state and local government customers interested in utilizing the VA FSS.
Leverage the Presidential “Memorandum on Authorizing the Exercise of Authority under Public Law 85-804” issued on April 10, 2020 to make product available on VA Schedules available to state and local governments.
Terms and Best Practices:
Worldwide cleaning association, ISSA has confirmed their North American conference and show will run from November 16-19 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Additional information can be found on https://www.issashow.com/en/home.html