"U.S. Made" Gets a Product Found, Not Favored

Bottom Line:

For Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) administered Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), including a "U.S. Made" descriptor is a voluntary choice rather than a purchasing preference or operational policy modification.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) allows vendors under its administered Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts the option to include a "U.S. Made" item description designation for products that meet the definition. The tag provides government buyers utilizing these schedules (e.g., the Department of Defense (DoD), Indian Health Service (IHS), etc.) with an enhanced preliminary market research search filter tool. However, the tag does not alter the procurement process (e.g., set-asides) or evaluation criteria. As such, non-U.S.-made, Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliant products remain at full parity with items that include this tag.