An official website of the United States government.
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Mandatory Source Information

  • Federal Procurement Training Services

    Would your government procurement and contracting officials benefit from a free refresher course on UNICOR purchasing procedures?

    Learn more here...
Business Card Icon

General Inquiries Contact

For general inquiries and service Click Here

First come the required sources of supplies and services, then come Micro purchases and the Simplified Acquisition Procedures... Confused About Your Right? Know The Law!

The Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, covers micro purchasing and the simplified acquisition procedures. Some people are thinking, “Does that really mean I can use my government purchase card without considering UNICOR, NIB/NISH, stock programs, excess inventory, or Federal Supply Schedules anymore?” The answer is, No. A House of Representative’s conference report covering the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994, states, “The conferees do not intend that the increased threshold alter the current priority among sources of supplies and services under Part 8 and 13 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.” So, remember...before you go to your local supplier you must first consider the listing in FAR 8.001, Priorities for use of Government supply sources, listed below.

(1) SUPPLIES

  • Agency inventories
  • Excess from other agencies
  • Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOR)
  • Procurement lists of supplies available from the committee for the purchase from the committee for the purchase from people who are blind or severely disabled (NIB/NISH)
  • Wholesale supply sources, such as stock program of the General Services Administration, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and military inventory control points
  • Mandatory Federal Supply Schedules
  • Optional use Federal Supply Schedules, and SF-71 Form
  • Commercial sources.

(2) SERVICES

  • Procurement lists of services available from the Committee for Purchase from People, who are Blind or Severely Disabled (NIB/NISH),
  • Mandatory Federal Supply Schedules and mandatory GSA term contracts for personal property rehabilitation,
  • Optional use Federal Supply Schedules and optional use GSA term contracts for personal property rehabilitation.
  • Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOR) or commercial sources.

The UNICOR Advantage

UNICOR offers hassle free ordering and provides the freedom that comes with purchasing options that work for you.

UNICOR actively seeks new ways to improve service to customers. We have invested and expanded our e-commerce technology to support our On-Line Shopping Store. Today, when a customer places an order on-line, it is directed to one of more than 100 factories, just like many private sector fortune 100 companies. The customer has a new edge of knowing when an order is placed on-line, that it is immediately scheduled for manufacturing and production.

Why Specify UNICOR Products?

  • Eliminates 3-Quote Purchasing Requirements
  • Competitive Pricing with GSA
  • National Sales Coverage
  • Single Requisition for Products and Services
  • On-line order Status and Tracking
  • One Stop Shopping
  • One Invoice

Specifying UNICOR products is a very Smart Move. We are proud to be your number one supply source! All the more reason to select UNICOR as your First choice when every penny counts.

Convenient Payment Methods for Military & Civilian Agencies

  • DD 488-MIPR (Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request)
  • Standard Fedstrip/Milstrip Systems
  • MOA (Memorandum of Agreement)
  • MOU (Memorandum of Understanding)
  • DD 1149 OR SF 1449-Purchase Order
  • DD 1155 Order for Supplies and Services
  • OF 347-Order for Supplies and Services and the SF-1 Form
  • Government Purchase Card

Some of the above payment arrangements allow you to advance payment to UNICOR now, and make your specific selections later. For more information on these payment methods, contact our Customer Service Center at 1 800-827-3168 and select the Accounts Receivable option.

What is Mandatory Source and Why Must UNICOR Rely On it?

To help ensure a steady work flow and partially offset some of the competitive disadvantages associated with operating in a correctional environment (e.g., lower productivity levels, labor-intensive production processes, security inefficiencies), FPI was designated a mandatory source of federal supply for the products it manufactures. This “mandatory source” designation does not apply to any of FPI’s services or recycling activities. Recent legislation has altered how FPI’s mandatory source status is applied.

Section 827 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Public Law 110-181, changes competition requirements for purchases from FPI.

Defense Department Considerations

Effective March 31, 2008, Section 827 requires DoD contracting activities to use competitive procedures when procuring products for which FPI has significant market share (defined as being greater than 5% in any Federal Supply Code (FSC). In using these procedures, FPI must be included in the solicitation process. Check out this decision path for DoD Decision Path Procedures.

Civilian Agency Considerations

The Consolidated Spending Bill for FY 2004, Division F, Section 637, altered the process by which civilian agencies purchased UNICOR items for that fiscal year. The Bill required that civilian agencies determine whether a UNICOR product offered the best value to the procuring agency, using the same two-step process followed by the DoD, outlined above. Ultimately, Section 637 of the Consolidated Spending Bill for FY 2005, extended permanently, this two-step procedure which is applicable to all agencies. Check out this decision path for Civilian Decision Path Procedures.