Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)
Also called: BPA, blanket purchase agreement, GSA BPA, schedule BPA
A Blanket Purchase Agreement is a standing arrangement between an agency and a vendor that sets prices, terms and a ceiling for repeat purchases, so the agency can place calls or orders quickly without a new solicitation each time.
There are two kinds. Simplified acquisition BPAs under FAR 13.303 are charge accounts with an agency for small, recurring buys; schedule BPAs under FAR 8.405-3 are established against a vendor's GSA schedule contract and can run for years with large ceilings. Either way a BPA is not itself a contract: no money changes hands until a call or order is placed, and the agency is not obliged to order anything.
What to check: who may place calls, the per-call limit, whether the BPA is single or multiple award (multiple award BPAs compete each order among the holders), the review schedule in FAR 8.405-3(e), and how the BPA ends. Price the BPA knowing the volume is a hope, not a promise, and watch for calls that creep outside the agreed scope.
What it is not: an IDIQ, which is a contract with a minimum guarantee, and not a sole source arrangement; competition happens when the BPA is set up and often again at each order.
See also: GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, Simplified acquisition threshold (SAT), Task order and delivery order
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