PART 4: SPECIAL PURCHASING OFFICES

There are three categories of goods and services which are purchased by special purchasing offices. These are merchandise for defense commissary stores, resale merchandise for the military exchange services, and motion pictures and videotape production.

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA)

DeCA Is a chain of supermarkets (commissaries) providing quality goods at the lowest possible cost to authorized patrons. We have three regional offices in the United States and one in Europe. For more information see website http://www.deca.mil/default.htm

DeCA Is Not associated with any other military resale or retail activity. Other entities operate and manage these activities known as club systems, ship stores, or exchanges. DeCA is also not associated with dining facilities (mess halls, dining halls, galleys, etc.). The dining facilities are operated by the individual Armed Services to provide prepared meals for their members.

What We Buy

Grocery Products-- Our resale products are those traditionally sold in commercial supermarkets. Commodities and products sold in the commissaries are restricted to those authorized by the U.S. Congress. (See the "Resale" section for more information.)

Operational Support-- Equipment, supplies and services required to support the operation of individual commissaries (stores).

Administrative Support - Supplies and services to support the overall operation of the Agency.

DeCA has a preference for commercial type products.

Resale Focus

Resale includes both brand name and non-brand name products. Brand name products are those that have identifiable customer recognition, and are marketed, merchandised and commercially available and sold based on that brand. We carry these products because the commissary patron prefers the brand name. Non-brand name products are products for which there is no customer preference and include meat, eggs, etc. and in-store resale operations (deli/bakery). They are procured competitively using commercial descriptions. (See the "Resale" section for more information.)

Other Than Resale Focus

Other than resale means operational and administrative support items as defined above. (See the "Operational and Administrative Support Items" section for more information.) These acquisitions account for less than 5 percent of DeCA’s total contractual awards.

Your Market Key for Brand Name Items

The first step in selling us a brand name product is to make an item presentation to one of our buyers. The presentation is your opportunity to market your product and provide any unique information. Before selection, a brand name product must have a universal product code (UPC) and be sold in commercial supermarkets. For more information regarding product UPC, you can contact Uniform Code Council Inc. at (937) 435-3870 or see web cite http://www.uc-council.org . Details of your offer must be summarized on DeCA Form 40-33, Item Presentation Form, which may be obtained from a local commissary or from one of the points of contact under the "Getting Started" section.

For brand name resale items, your product's performance determines whether it remains in our stock assortment. We continuously analyze product sales information and if sales trends indicate your product is moving, then replenishment quantities are ordered; if not, your product will be removed from our shelves. Specific time frames for measuring product performance will be explained during your presentation.

Products for national distribution are normally presented at our corporate headquarters at Fort Lee, VA. Products with regional or local distribution may be presented at one of our region offices or an individual commissary. Our small business specialists, category managers, or region buyers can help you decide which location is best for your presentation.

Points of Contact/DeCA Headquarters /Ft Lee

DeCA Region Locations and Points of Contact

Defense Commissary Agency

Acquisition Management

1300 E Avenue, Building 11200

Fort Lee, Virginia 23801-1800

(804) 734-8740

MILITARY EXCHANGE SERVICES

The categories of merchandise and price limitations on goods sold by military exchange services in the continental United States are established by regulations approved by Congress. These limitations do not apply to overseas exchanges.

The buying offices and procedures for dealing with the exchanges are set forth below.

Army and Air Force Exchange Service

To sell to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service a firm must offer its product to the appropriate buyer at the Headquarters or the exchange region office. No merchandise is purchased by individual exchanges. The Headquarters buyers purchase all resale merchandise that is commonly stocked in post and base exchanges in the CONUS, and all resale merchandise of United States origin for overseas exchanges. Merchandise peculiar to single exchange regions is purchased by these four exchange regional offices, each of which has approximately 36 exchanges located in its geographical area.

The Navy Exchange Program

The Navy Exchange Program is a Navy retailing operation that provides quality products and a variety of services to the men and women of the Armed Forces, with special emphasis on serving members of the U.S. Navy and their families. Navy Exchanges are located at U.S. Navy bases in the United States and in 19 countries around the world.

Navy Exchanges are self-supporting and do not receive tax dollars for their operation. Net profits generated by Navy Exchange sales are returned to Navy bases to help support local and Navy-wide recreation and morale programs. These include such on-base activities as physical fitness centers; swimming pools; child care centers; libraries; intramural sports programs; special entertainment events and other activities. Please note that additional information on the Navy and Marine Exchange program can be found by accessing the World Wide Web at: http://www.adm.rda.hq.navy.mil/.

Navy Exchanges

Navy Exchanges consist of retail and services departments and are operated in a similar manner to commercial retail enterprises, within limitations established by Congress and the Department of Defense. Exchanges provide basic staple merchandise and a selection of other items to meet the needs of authorized customers. There are 133 Navy Exchanges worldwide.

Services available to authorized Navy exchange customers include: automotive service centers; fast food outlets; snack bars; cafeterias, food carts, mobile canteens; laundry and dry cleaning; vending machines; optical shops; photo finishing, specialty stores; barber and beauty salons; flower shops; video and car rental; and other personalized services.

Contacting NEXCOM Buyers

The NEXCOM Command maintains an open door policy in meeting with all potential suppliers. Open Vendor Day is held the first Wednesday of each month for those vendors who are not currently doing business with the Navy Exchange System. Sales personnel are invited to call the appropriate buyer to schedule an appointment. Appointments are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis between 9:00 am - 3:00 p.m.

Inquiries and correspondence should be directed to a retail or services buyer at the address below:

Navy Exchange Service Command
3280 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Virginia Beach, VA 23452-5724
Phone: 757-631-6200

The Small Business Office provides information about how to go about doing business with the Navy Exchange System. The small business specialist can be contacted at 804-631-3582.

The locations of NEXCOMs and the Navy Exchanges that each supports is shown in the following list: (Numbers in parenthesis show the number of Navy exchanges in that particular area):

Military Sealift Command (MSC) Exchanges

Navy Uniform Program

As program manager for Navy Uniforms, the Navy Uniform Program is the only authorized source of certified Navy Uniforms. The Navy Uniform Program encompasses the management of government issue uniform items.

Information regarding Navy Uniform procurement procedures, inquiries and correspondence should be directed to Ms. Becky Adkins, Director of Navy Uniforms, at the address and numbers listed below:

Navy Uniforms
1545 Crossways Boulevard
Suite 100
Chesapeake, VA 23320
POC: Director, Ms. Becky Adkins
Phone: 757-420-9116
Fax: 757-420-4094

Ships Store Program

To meet the needs of the afloat sailor, ships stores carry basic toiletries and sundries, high demand items such as soft drinks and candy bars, and "nice to have" items which include consumer electronics merchandise. The limited cube and space on board each ship restricts selection to those items that are the most popular. However, sailors have the ability to special order almost any item a Navy Exchange carries. The Ship’s Supply Officer or an appointed Ships Store Officer supervises and initiates the purchasing for the ships store based on the crew’s needs and inventory limitations using the Ships Store Afloat Catalogs (SSAC), Contract Bulletins or by initiating a special purchase order. Inquiries and correspondence should be directed to Mr. Charles Vaughn, Director of Ship Stores Program, at the address and numbers listed below:

Ship Stores Program
3280 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
POC: Director, Mr. Charles Vaughn (Code A)
Phone: 757-445-6899
Fax: 757-445-6920

The Marine Corps Exchange Program

Marine Corps Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) is a diverse collection of activities, services, and programs which support the quality of life of the Marine Corps community, active duty, reserves and retired.

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Activities Involved in Procurement of ADPE,

Software, Maintenance and Services

MOTION PICTURE AND VIDEOTAPE PRODUCTIONS

Motion picture and videotape productions are purchased only from qualified producers. To obtain an application form for acceptance on the Qualified Film Producers List or the Qualified Videotape Producers List, contact the Joint Visual Information Activity Office, 601 North Fairfax Street, Room 334, Alexandria, Virginia 22314-2007, telephone (703) 428-0636. They serve as an executive agent for all Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense. To become qualified, producers submit sample films or videotapes to a review board. Ultimately, contracts are placed by authorized procurement offices of the Army, Navy and Air Force. In order for a producer to receive a contract from an authorized procurement office, the producer must first be approved for the appropriate qualified list.

Note that audiovisual services such as processing or graphics, and audiovisual equipment are purchased by the requiring post, camp, station, or installation.

Authorized Military Service procurement offices are:

Army

Joint Visual Information Activity Washington - Contracting
601 N. Fairfax Street, Room 334
Alexandria, VA 22314-2007
703-428-1122

Joint Visual Information Activity - Production
601 N. Fairfax Street, Room 334
Alexandria, VA 22314-2007
703-248-1118

Navy and Marine Corps

Navy Imaging Command
Anacostia Naval Station
Production Contracting Department
Building 168
Washington, DC 20374-1681
(202) 433-5775