Troop Support Medical, VA capital equipment joint contract program exceeds expectations

PHILADELPHIA -

The Defense Logistics Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs have partnered to combine their buying power and acquire medical capital equipment faster, more efficiently and at lower costs, a DLA Medical supply chain chief said.

DLA Troop Support's Medical Capital Equipment division manages these types of major equipment investments for the Department of Defense from cradle-to-grave, said Mario Buonanoce, Capital Equipment branch chief.

Facets of the program include the acquisition of major items of equipment, normal installation, turnkey installation, maintenance, upgrades of existing equipment, training, and other incidental services required for the operation of the medical equipment.

DLA and the VA worked together to define their requirements and award approximately 40 contracts to large and small businesses that provide quick access to the full array of modern radiology and imaging equipment.

"The program also has 'open seasons' that enable new vendors to onboard efficiently if there is a federal demand for their equipment," said Rachel Ganaway , Capital Equipment division chief.

"Originally, the goal of this joint contract program was to improve healthcare delivery to our veterans. However, it realized an even greater result as it also benefits the warfighter, DOD beneficiaries and whole of government partners," continued Buonanoce.

By combining identical contracting work at the federal level, DLA and VA lowered their administrative resource costs as they expanded their network of reputable vendors ready to support their customers at fair and reasonable prices.

"At its core, the goal of this joint effort is to eliminate duplicative contracting work and pool our buying power to improve customer service at lower prices and pass the cost avoidance to our customers," said Ganaway.

The partnership was a detailed initiative that provided benefits to both the agency and partners.

"Developing one set of contracts that can meet the radiology and imaging requirements of all federal agencies took close coordination and ingenuity, but it saves countless administrative hours while speeding up the acquisition process," said Ganaway.

In recognition of the program's success, the Office of Management and Budget designated the Joint Radiology and Imaging Joint Program as best-in-class across the entire federal government. DLA and VA continue to jointly explore options to expand the program and their network of vendors to meet the future needs of the entire federal government.

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