Page 38 - FCW, July 2017
P. 38

CDW-G DELIVERS
FAA’S SAVES PROGRAM EYES THE FUTURE Commodity services and products remain the focus, with more additions on the way.
HE FEDERAL AVIATION
ADMINISTRATION (FAA) contract that provides commodity products
and services continues to deliver on its promises of better pricing and faster
purchasing. But it’s not resting on its laurels. The FAA launched its Strategic Acquisition of Various Equipment and Supplies (SAVES) acquisition vehicle in 2006 to make purchasing products
and related services easier for the agency and help it realize significant savings.
A large part of SAVES’ success
is due to its continuous efforts to keep the needs of its users first.
It has also remained true to its commitment to enterprise-wide strategic sourcing. The focus of the SAVES contract is on commercial commodities common across
FAA and DOT. “It leverages total spend to achieve reasonable
pricing, standardization and ease of ordering for stakeholders,”
says Jeffrey Baker, Manager, Acquisition Oversight, Control and Reporting, Acquisition Policy and Oversight, FAA.
The program has evolved over the years, offering new products and services based on user requirements. During the past year for instance, it established
a new vehicle to provide Aircraft Navigational Charting Services for FAA assets. This growth is expected to continue as SAVES expands into new commodity areas and focuses on supporting service-based infrastructures, says Baker. Also, as the demand for cloud and other technologies increase, agency needs are transitioning to service-based delivery and forcing programs like SAVES to evolve once again.
SAVES currently includes
a portfolio of nine contracts,
providing goods and services in areas such as office supplies, office equipment, delivery services,
and IT hardware and software.
The FAA is in the midst of re- competing the SAVES IT hardware and VTC vehicles. The agency also enforces using General Services Administration (GSA) contracts
for maintenance, repair and operations and janitorial-sanitation services under the SAVES umbrella.
The 11-year old SAVES program has been successful so far. Through April 2017, the DOT/FAA has spent almost $1.1 billion using SAVES contracts. By doing so, it has generated an estimated cost avoidance of $315 million.
“SAVES provides an extremely useful tool for the FAA,” says Tom Alex, Executive Account Manager at CDW-G. “With the type of business they do—keeping air travel safe—it’s very important to have an easy to use acquisition to
SAVES AT A GLANCE
What does SAVES offer? Currently the SAVES portfolio includes nine contracts, providing goods and services in
areas that include office supply, office equipment, delivery services, and IT hardware and software.
What’s new in SAVES? Over the past year, SAVES added a new offering to provide Aircraft Navigational Charting Services for the FAA. This helps it work collaboratively with its operational units to expand category management/strategic sourcing efficiencies into National Airspace System supply and services.
How much has DOT spent? Through April 2017, the DOT/FAA has spent around $1.098 billion using SAVES contracts. This has generating an estimated cost avoidance of $315 million.


































































































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