A Look at the U.S. Army Furniture Program-Savoy Furniture and Type A Case Good Furniture

Despite talk of Sequester and cuts all across the federal government, there is a little known program that can do much to assist the furniture used to support our war fighters and be economical at the same time.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) requested U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) support in furnishing unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH). GSA agreed that a program could be set up to meet the stringent requirements for the Army Corps and this special program.  Central to this effort was the Corps' intention to use the GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program to provide a variety of product styles and sources while ensuring the quality and performance of the furniture used in the housing. 

GET, LLC, through our friends at Savoy Furniture, can provide case good support for Type A Products as graded by the USACE.  

Type A or C1 construction (Veneer on Hardwood Veneer-Core Plywood) includes side panels that shall be minimum 19 mm (3/4") 5-ply hardwood veneer-core plywood with oak veneer, exposed edges on the front of the piece shall be provided with minimum 10 mm (3/8") thick solid oak edge banding or may be covered by solid oak front frame, back edges of side panels, if exposed, shall be finished for appearance, as the backs of some of these units may be exposed to view, top edges of  side panels, if exposed, shall be finished smooth, and sealed, for cleaning, bottom edges of side panels shall be sealed to eliminate the possibility of water wicking up the side panels when floors are mopped and as a minimum, side panels that will be visible, such as in wardrobes, drop-lid desks, one-drawer nightstands, etc., shall be finished on both faces to match other panels.

GSA has and continues to work with the Corps' Huntsville Center to establish a process for identifying products.  It was decided that the program could be set-up within the GSA schedule for household and quarters furniture, FSC 71. As stated on their website, GSA worked with Huntsville to establish the technical requirements for the furniture. Vendors are invited to submit information on their contract items to demonstrate compliance with the Corps' requirements and GSA reviews the product lines.

The product lines listed are submitted by vendors, including Savoy, for review against the requirements of the Department of the Army UPH Furniture Program. Specific product details related to the product design, materials, and construction are constantly reviewed. In addition to identifying the product lines, the listing provides the available construction types and pull types, as defined by the Army UPH Furniture specifications.  

For more information on how GET, LLC and Savoy Furniture (GSA Dorm and Quarters Contract #GS-27F-3019D (John Savoy & Son, Inc.)) can assist with your case goods needs, call us at 671-483-0789 or check out our website at www.get-guam.com.

Savoy Has New Products on GSA Advantage

GET, LLC is so very proud to be a partner with John Savoy & Son, Inc who has been one of the country's leading manufacturers of high quality casegoods, lounge furniture, tables, chairs, and beds for over 65 years.

From rough lumber to finished product, all of Savoy's furniture is made in their 350,000 sq/ft facility located in Central Pennsylvania. And has the Savoy Factory been busy-the team has most recently completed installations at Fort Dix, U.S. Naval Base Ventura, U.S. NAS Meridian, Schofield Barracks and Glenmont Job Corps.

Also, Savoy has added a number of new items to their Household & Quarters Furniture schedule and GSA Advantage (GS-27F-3019D) including the 18 x 20 IN Ladderback Stool-WoodSeat and Back, the Casegood mainstay-The Madison Collection, the DAWN Ergonomic Midback Chair and the modular seating classic-The Monaco Collection (see photo).

Remember, Savoy is a WOMEN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS which means every purchase of a Savoy product assists in achieving your respective agency's set-aside goals.

Helping Savoy here means helping GET, LLC.  

Please contact us today for detailed product specification information at 671-797-0789 or our website at www.get-guam.com for more product details.

An American Company and Economy Poised for Growth

As I spent time preparing for this post, I thought it would be nice to point out a great article about our friends at Savoy Furniture that features the Montoursville, Pennsylvania company and their storied history.

With humble beginnings as a machine wood carving shop to a modern furniture manufacturing company, this feature spells out their business into 2011-when the article was written. 

Beds. Chests. Desks.  It is what they do best. They are an American success story surviving the ups and downs of our Nation's economy over the past six decades.  They also were "green" way before their competitors.  Savoy and their practices have been environmentally friendly-a model for other corporations in their industry to follow.  Take the time to read the Williamsport Sun-Gazette article-it is pretty good.

On a side note, I had a brief talk today with Jason Saylor of Savoy who was on the road in Georgia.  It was the reminder of just how busy the Savoy team is in developing business around the country and our important role with Savoy to grow their business where America's Day Begins.  Savoy's place with a GSA Schedule generally means a huge advantage to them with the federal government-this despite a Sequester that has many concerned about the fate of doing business with Uncle Fed in the near term. 

All eyes are on Congress and the Obama Administration on this important issue.

The fallout? 

Hopefully the policy decisions on Capitol Hill act as a catalyst for growth of the U.S. Economy which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce described in their recent outlook for 2013 as "solid but not spectacular". 

I say, "Hey Washington DC-Get your act together for the sake of Americans all across the globe!!!".

Independence LED Available on GSA Schedule-Official Corporate Release

I know that GET LLC was excited to announce recently that our friends at Independence LED Lighting and their products are on the General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule.

Please see the official corporate release by Charlie Szoradi and the Pennsylvania-based team. 

As I had previously mentioned, this effort was well over a year in the making. 

This is such a huge opportunity for Independence LED and for GET LLC.  As an authorized dealer, we stand ready to help federal agencies in Guam and throughout the Pacific Rim, bring this high quality and "American Made" product to your respective installations and or facilities. We can bring 80 products to your buildings that we believe will go far in meeting the aggressive federal energy efficiency goals set out by statute and the executive direction by the Obama Administration-specifically the very aggressive efforts to reduce energy consumption across the Department of Defense who is the largest consumer of energy of all the Executive Branch agencies.

State Governments and their respective agencies can also take advantage of the GSA Schedule.  

Good news considering how cash strapped the states and territories are today.

Again, kudos to Independence LED.  Check out our website at www.get-guam.com for details on how we can help you with your construction materials and supplies needs-including those for your next LED Lighting project.

Independence LED Lighting Secures GSA Schedule

Very exciting news from our friends at Independence LED Lighting.  

As of February 1st, 2013 the Independence LED line of American Made LED products are included on the General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule. This process involved more than a year of submission and review work. 

As an Authorized Distributor, we congratulate Chairman and CEO Charlie Szoradi and the entire team at Independence LED Lighting on this great news. GET, LLC is so very proud to be a part of this team. 

GSA Schedule Contracts, also known as Federal Supply Schedules, are indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ), long-term contracts under the General Services Administration's Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program. GSA Schedule Contracts were developed to assist federal employees in purchasing products and services, and contain pre-negotiated prices, delivery terms, warranties, and other terms and conditions.

In addition to the Made in USA status, the Independence LED products are listed for Disaster Recovery Purchasing and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). 

Acquisitions through GSA Schedules are issued using full and open competition. Prices have already been deemed fair and reasonable, and Contracts are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, reducing evaluation cycles. Purchases can be made directly from a contractor's GSA Schedule Contract, eliminating time-consuming responses to complex RFP’s and lengthy negotiations. 

Plus, the GSA Schedule for the line of Independence LED products is through a Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran First Energy.

For more information on this latest development, drop us a line or give us a call to discuss further.