And one of the most complicated eligibility issues companies have to deal with is Trade Agreements Act (TAA) Compliance.
TAA compliance rules
Many companies struggle with remaining compliant with the Trade Agreements Act (TAA). It requires that companies only sell products manufactured or “substantially transformed” in the United States or that are made in TAA designated countries, including nations that currently have free trade agreements with the USA. Of course, the current political environment means that TAA designation, the list of GSA compliant countries, and a product’s country of origin are constantly changing. Which in turn means that even if your product fulfills TAA compliance rules at 100% today, tomorrow the political weather changes, and one or more of your products now fails to meet TAA requirements. And your GSA contract is suddenly at risk. We can help you stay on top of it, and help you keep your contract TAA compliant all the way through its term.
Another critical component is the AbilityOne “Essentially The Same” (ETS) compliance requirement. ETS compliance means that federal agencies must source products from the AbilityOne manufacturers instead of the same item manufactured by large Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).
TAA contract
This legislation was designed to create employment for people with disabilities by making AbilityOne products mandatory while their OEM counterparts are made non-compliant. ETS products must be removed from contracts and no longer be sold to the government. This is done to promote these products, and to help AbilityOne manufactures and the program as a whole. It is critical for GSA Contractors to be ETS-compliant, even if they don’t do sell AbilityOne as the sale of ETS products is prohibited for all contractors and may cause contract violation.
Compliance with United States government regulations can be complex. Maintaining TAA compliance or ETS compliance can be a significant drain on human resources, costing you valuable time that could be spent on growing your business. Leave compliance issues to Price Reporter while you and your team focus on sales and business development.