Blanket Purchase Agreements

OASIS+ BPA toolkit for ordering agencies

This toolkit is designed to provide Contracting Officers (COs) and stakeholders with practical guidance for establishing and administering Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) against General Services Administration (GSA) OASIS+ contracts. Its purpose is to ensure consistent acquisition practices and alignment with the relevant federal regulations (RFO-2025-16 FAR Subpart 16.5) and the OASIS+ contract terms.

Introduction and purpose

Contracting Officers (COs) are authorized to establish one or more blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) against General Services Administration (GSA) OASIS+ contracts to fill repetitive needs for supplies or services. This toolkit is designed to provide stakeholders with practical guidance for leveraging the authority for BPAs under OASIS+ contracts. The processes and examples in this toolkit: 

• Support consistent acquisition practices
• Provide practical sample language when establishing BPAs
• Help ensure your acquisitions align with RFO-2025-16 FAR Subpart 16.5, the OASIS+ contract, and the OASIS+ Buyer’s Guide.

Acquisition planning considerations

When establishing a BPA, conduct market research and acquisition planning to the extent necessary to define requirements and support the acquisition strategy. 

• A BPA may be preferable to issuing a stand-alone task order if:
  • The requirement is recurring and expected to span multiple years;
  • The scope, labor categories, and skill sets are expected to remain relatively consistent across future orders;
  • Establishing a BPA would reduce acquisition lead time and administrative burden for placing subsequent orders; and/or
  • There are efficiencies or other benefits that may be achieved by combining repeating requirements under a single BPA.
• Define the scope, period of performance, and estimated quantities/dollar value:
  • What is the scope? Remember that supplies or services outside the scope of the parent OASIS+ contract are not authorized under any OASIS+ BPA.
  • What is the total estimated value of the BPA? What is the range of individual order values anticipated under the BPA?
  • How will ordering procedures ensure that for each order BPA recipients are provided the fair opportunity procedures in RFO-2025-16 FAR 16.507-3 through 16.507-5?
  • What is the appropriate period of performance?
  • Submit the requirement for an optional, complimentary OASIS+ Scope Review.
• A multi-award BPA may be preferable to a single-award BPA if:
  • More than one OASIS+ contractor can reasonably perform the anticipated work;
  • Order-level competition is needed to help drive better pricing, performance, or innovative solutions;
  • A slightly longer task order lead time is acceptable in exchange for increased competition and flexibility to meet varying requirements;
  • The requirement includes similar services across multiple geographic areas that may be difficult for a single contractor to fully cover; and/or
  • The requirement includes multiple, diverse task areas that may not be fully addressed by a single contractor.
• On-ramps (to allow additional qualified vendors to join the BPA) may be beneficial if:
  • Additional qualified vendors may be needed over time to maintain competition, provide specialized expertise, or support evolving requirements throughout the BPA ordering period; and/or
  • The BPA is multiple-award and the initial group of BPA holders may not fully address future needs.
  • Contractors must first be awarded an OASIS+ contract before being eligible to participate in any BPA on-ramp. Only contractors holding an active OASIS+ contract at the time of the BPA on-ramp may be considered for addition to the BPA.
  • Note: if on-ramps are not used and the BPA ordering period exceeds five years, the acquisition team should document that on-ramps are not in the best interest of the Government, consistent with RFO-2025-16 FAR 16.507-2(c)(3)(v).

Skip the guesswork—use GSA’s Market Research as a Service (MRAS). This free service gives you the data needed to make an informed decision about establishing one or more BPAs. 

Acquisition threshold considerations

BPAs established under OASIS+ follow the same ordering procedures that apply to task or delivery orders under FAR 16.507-3 through 16.507-5 (RFO-2025-16). Accordingly, when establishing a BPA, ordering activities must provide fair opportunity and follow the applicable competition and documentation requirements based on the estimated value of the BPA.

• Above the micro-purchase threshold but not above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT): The contracting officer must fairly consider all contractors capable of performing the work. If available information allows fair consideration, the BPA may be established without soliciting all contractors.
• Above the SAT but not above $7.5 million: The contracting officer must provide fair notice to all contract holders (e.g., through a solicitation or notice of intent). The notice must allow contractors the opportunity to compete for the BPA.
• Above $7.5 million: The contracting officer must follow the same fair notice process, but with additional transparency. The notice must clearly describe the requirement, allow a reasonable response time, and identify the evaluation factors and their relative importance. 

Embrace innovative approaches 

Agencies are encouraged to embrace available contracting flexibilities, including the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovations (PTAI) when establishing and using BPAs to streamline ordering, enhance competition where appropriate, and respond more efficiently to evolving mission requirements.  The PTAI is a repository of innovative acquisition techniques and automations you can employ in your BPA acquisition. Examples include:

• Designing more flexible BPA solicitation structures that focus on outcomes and capabilities rather than prescriptive solutions, allowing contractors to propose innovative approaches at both BPA establishment and order level.
• Tailoring evaluation criteria to emphasize technical innovation, scalability, and adaptability for recurring or evolving requirements supported by the BPA.
• Using modular or phased BPAs, where initial BPA awards establish a qualified pool of vendors and competition is refined at the task-order level as requirements mature.
• Incorporating on-ramps into BPAs with shorter ordering periods to maintain competition and allow new qualified contractors to participate over time.
• Aligning BPA ordering procedures with PTIA principles to reduce acquisition lead time, administrative burden, and barriers to entry, particularly for complex or interdisciplinary services.

Establishing the BPA

Issuing a BPA solicitation

Your solicitation must ensure BPAs are established using the fair opportunity procedures at RFO-2025 FAR 16.507-3 through 16.507-5, based on the total estimated value of the BPA. Your BPA solicitation should also:  

• Communicate the scope and objectives of the requirement
• Allow qualified OASIS+ contractors to submit proposals for pre-qualified services, labor categories, and pricing
• Outline the BPA evaluation criteria and ordering placement procedures
• Establish the ordering period, including any options
• Identify authorized ordering officials and any limitations on orders
• Include any additional ordering activity requirements, such as delivery, invoicing, discounts. OASIS+ contract terms and conditions flow down to BPAs and their respective orders.
• Define quality, timeliness, and deliverables in statements of work, performance objectives, or service level agreements (SLAs).

Create the BPA

• Prepare award documentation, including selection rationale. Documentation requirements vary based on estimated BPA dollar value (see FAR 16.507-3 through 16.507-5 (RFO-2025-16) for details).
• At a minimum, include the elements identified at  RFO-2025-16 FAR 16.507-2(c)(3))
• Outline ordering procedures, which must ensure that for each order BPA recipients are provided the fair opportunity procedures in RFO-2025-16 FAR 16.507-3 through 16.507-5, based on the total estimated value of the order (unless an exception applies)
• BPAs should state the estimated value, but should not specify a ceiling.
• Include additional terms and conditions, as needed
• Confirm the period of performance for the underlying OASIS+ contract, including options, is sufficient to cover the entire BPA ordering period. Do not set a BPA ordering period that extends beyond the remaining term of the OASIS+ contract, including option periods (e.g., you cannot set a 5-year BPA period of performance when the OASIS+ contract only has 3 years remaining)
  • The OASIS+ Unrestricted ordering period including options ends December 5, 2034, a BPA ordering period may not extend beyond that date.
    • If established in FY 2026, a 5-year BPA is permissible because it falls within the remaining contract term.
    • If established in FY 2032, when only 2 years remain, a 5-year BPA is not permitted. The BPA ordering period must end no later than December 5, 2034.
• When establishing BPAs with 8(a) participants, the contracting office must submit an offering letter for, and SBA must accept, the BPA in accordance with  RFO-2025-19 FAR 19.108-6. SBA acceptance of the OASIS+ contract does not automatically cover the BPA or orders issued under it.

BPA administration and ordering

Placing BPA orders 

• All authorized BPA ordering Contracting Officers must have an OASIS+ delegated procurement authority.
• Follow the ordering procedures of the BPA.
• Orders must be within the scope of both the BPA and the OASIS+ contract.
• Try to keep submission requirements to a minimum and use streamlined procedures when practical.
• Document the file to the extent necessary to support the award decision
• When setting aside orders for 8(a) participants, the contracting office must submit an offering letter for, and SBA must accept, each BPA order in accordance with  RFO-2025-19 FAR 19.108-6. SBA acceptance of the OASIS+ contract does not automatically cover the BPA or orders issued under it.
• Task orders (including those issued under a BPA) must be solicited and awarded prior to the expiration of OASIS+ and may extend up to five years and six months (which includes the extension at FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services). 

BPA administration

When administering a BPA, it is recommended that you: 

• Provide BPA terms to all authorized ordering officials
• Review BPAs on an annual basis or prior to exercise of option to:
  • Ensure the BPA still represents the best value
  • Verify the BPA holder’s OASIS+ contract remains in effect
  • Review BPA usage, contractor performance, and compliance with BPA terms
  • Ensure that the BPA ordering procedures are being followed
  • Consider if additional price discounts or other concessions can be obtained
  • Consider if conditions warrant the on-ramping of new suppliers or modification of existing agreements

BPA reference materials

The following examples are a suggested best practice, but not mandatory for placing BPAs under OASIS+.

• Sample OASIS+ BPA Solicitation [DOCX - 11 KB]
• Sample OASIS+ BPA [DOCX - 10 KB]
• FAR Companion (see FC 16.507-2(c)(3), BPAs under multiple award contracts)

FAQs and common misconceptions

Question: Can BPAs cross OASIS+ Domains?

Answer: No, eBuy does not support soliciting multiple domains and each domain consists of a fair opportunity pool.

Question: Do we need to compete BPA orders?

Answer: If there is more than one contractor on the BPA, yes, orders must be competed in accordance with the BPA ordering procedures the fair opportunity procedures in RFO-2025-16 FAR 16.507-3 through 16.507-5, based on the total estimated value of the order (see RFO-2025-16 FAR 16.507-2(c)(3)(iv)(B)) (unless an exception applies).