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They can use a variety of forms to request your
personnel to buy the necessary material. Aboard
ship you can use the following forms for open
purchase: DD Form 1348-6, NAVSUP Form
1250-2, and any local prepared form that has been
approved by competent authority.
Military Interdepartment
Purchase Request
MIPRs are forwarded by the originating mili-
tary department to another military department
for purchasing action. Field contracting activities
responsible for single department procurement
should receive requests for purchase action on the
following forms:
Military Interdepartmental
Purchase Request, DD Form 448 (this form is
used by other military services), and Requests for
Contractual Procurement, NAVCOMPT Form
2276 (this form is used by the Department of the
Navy).
COMPETITION AND PRICE
REASONABLENESS
It is the responsibility of the storekeeper or
buyer to make sure every purchase is made at a
fair and reasonable price. He or she is to make
sure the government gets what it pays for in terms
of quality and delivery. When dealing with a
contractor, you are speaking for the U.S. Navy.
When making a purchase, never be afraid to
challenge the price, demand a reduction, or ask
to talk to someone higher in that company. If
necessary request more information from your
customer. The information on the item that you
are purchasing might require more technical
advice. If this happens, let your customer talk to
the contractor with you present. In getting
this information, your job is to perform a
service to support your customer and the ship or
command.
Purchases Not Over $2,500
These purchases should be distributed equally
over a period of time among qualified suppliers.
If practical, a quotation can be solicited from
other contractors on repeat orders. When you can
determine that one quote is fair and reasonable,
you can save the additional expense and time of
seeking additional quotes. But if you think that
the price might be unreasonable, then seek
additional quotes. The judgment in the reason-
ableness of the price needs to be made in every
buy. You need to use common sense when making
these buys. You should always ask yourself,
“Would I pay that price if I was going to use my
own money?” If you answer no, then you need
to do more work. Some of the time all you need
is a better understanding of what you are buying
or additional information on the item.
Purchases Over $2,500
For any purchases that are over $2,500, you
must have your purchasing agent solicit three
bids from various contractors or companies. By
soliciting three bids you can get prices that are
reasonable to the government and to your com-
mand. You can get reasonable competition for
small purchases from the local area that is your
home port. When your ship is on deployment
overseas, you then usually have to work through
a husbanding agent in that foreign port. The only
time you need a husbanding agent is when there
is not a Navy activity located nearby. If you have
an NSD or an Naval Supply Activity located in
that particular port, you must submit your open
purchases to them per the local directives or area
instructions.
When requesting bids from three separate
businesses and you only receive one response, no
other responses are needed if you decide that the
quote is fair and reasonable. The contracting of-
ficer can have solicitations limited to one company
if he or she decides that the price is fair and rea-
sonable. When he or she does this, you must get a
sole source letter from the departmental represen-
tative explaining why this company is the best one
to purchase the material from. You have to be
sure you file this letter with the purchase request.
BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEMENT
The BPA method of small purchase is a
simplified procedure of establishing charge
accounts with various sources to cover anticipated
purchases of the same general category. The gen-
eral scope of the BPA must be consistent with the
contractor’s status under the Walsh-Healy Public
Contracts Act as a manufacturer of, or regular
dealer in, the type of supplies identified. BPAs
eliminate the necessity of issuing individual pur-
chase orders by providing those purchases that can
be made by placing oral calls, or by informal
memorandums when more convenient, Maximum
use of BPAs is encouraged and recommended
when appropriate. Of course, if you do a small
amount of purchasing, you probably will not have
repetitive requirements for purchases by the BPA
method.
Conditions for Use
All BPA agreements are to be issued as
bilateral, two-party signature documents. Major
field purchasing activities and other Navy Field
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