U.S. General Services Administration
GSA prepositions high-demand supplies to support DoD mission
Forward supply points reduce customer wait times
HONOLULU – With a goal of further assisting military and federal agency customers, the General Services Administration (GSA) has significantly cut wait times for delivery of some mission-essential products after opening four forward-supply points across the United States INDO-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) theater of operations.
“By positioning high-demand products closer to end users, GSA is able to deliver these items quickly and help our customers focus on their challenging missions,” said Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) Assistant Commissioner for General Supplies and Services Bob Noonan.
GSA’s new forward-supply points are in Guam, South Korea, Japan and Hawaii. These locations allow for the rapid delivery of high-demand items including office products, tools and cleaning supplies. The four locations, opened during this current fiscal year, have shortened the delivery window of some supplies from more than 45 to less than five days. The number of forward positioned items ranges from 350 in Guam to more than 750 in Japan from among hundreds of thousands of catalogued items available via GSA Global Supply.
“It’s the greatest hits from the GSA Global Supply (GGS) program catalogue,” said John Barnicle, GSA’s director of portfolio outreach. “The forward supply points simply accelerate delivery of items with the most consistent demand. GSA continues to offer tens of thousands of items from the continental United States for worldwide delivery. Customers across the Pacific have welcomed the program and its available inventory is likely to grow.”
Prior to opening of these forward supply points, customers ordered GSA products which were combined with shipments from other sources at a Defense Logistics Agency facility in Tracy, Calif. The length of time at sea for containerized products to reach customers was part of the conversation that yielded a solution for USINDOPACOM customers.
When utilizing a forward supply point, customers can still use their preferred, most-convenient ordering method whether it's on their own platforms or via GSA’s websites to fulfill orders in the most timely way. Between October and March of this fiscal year, the forward supply points delivered 9,029 ordered items with a value of more than $7.1 million.
“As the needs of our customers shift with real-world demands and requirements, we will continue to find relevant solutions for their supply needs,” said Casey Kelley, FAS Region 9 Commissioner. “These forward supply points are great examples of the growing business FAS has with the Department of Defense. It’s an honor to support their mission.”
The arrival of the four supply points supporting the USINDOPACOM theater follows the successful implementation of a model 2018 program to support DoD and other federal agency customers in Europe. The goal then and now is to provide customers with faster delivery of in-demand products and supplies. Positive customer feedback in Europe started the conversation about how to deliver similar results in the USINDOPACOM.
In addition to GSA’s forward supply points, customers can continue to rely on GSA’s retail network for immediate access to office products and industrial supplies. Retail store options, like the GGS, offer customers multiple payment options and guaranteed compliance with federal purchasing regulations.
Despite COVID-19, GSA has continued operations across the USINDOPACOM by mandating health and safety protocols at all retail stores.
“Customers should feel confident about shopping at our retail locations where Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health and safety protocols are in place,” said Mike Lord, GSA’s manager of OCONUS retail operations. “Our vendor partners have been a huge help in fulfilling customer orders in a timely manner.”
For a complete listing of GSA’s retail locations, please visit our Pacific Rim or Continental United States webpages.