Source & Authority Information
- •13.303-1 General. | Acquisition.GOV(accessed August 26, 2026)
- •13.303-3 Preparation of BPAs. | Acquisition.GOV(accessed August 26, 2026)
- •13.303-4 Clauses. | Acquisition.GOV(accessed August 26, 2026)
AI-assisted and automatically checked against the linked primary sources.
What does FAR 13.303 say a BPA is?
According to FAR 13.303-1, a blanket purchase agreement is a simplified method for filling anticipated repetitive needs for supplies or services by establishing “charge accounts” with qualified sources. FAR 13.303-1 also says BPAs should be used by an organization that provides supplies for its own operations or for other offices, installations, projects, or functions. FAR 13.303-3 then requires the BPA to be prepared on the forms specified in 13.307 and says not to cite accounting and appropriation data. The mandatory terms cover the description of the agreement, the Government’s limited obligation, the per-purchase dollar limit, authorized purchasers, delivery tickets, and invoice handling. FAR 13.303-4 requires the contracting officer to insert the clauses prescribed elsewhere in Part 13 that apply to the BPA, and when a clause uses a dollar threshold, the comparison is to the amount of each order under the BPA. FAR 13.303-1(c) makes one limit explicit: a BPA does not remove the agency’s responsibility to keep obligations and expenditures within available funds.
Process
- 1Confirm the need fits the BPA use case
Use the BPA for anticipated repetitive supplies or services and align it with an organization that needs recurring support for its own operations or related offices/functions.
- 2Prepare the agreement on the required forms
Follow FAR 13.303-3 and use the forms specified in 13.307; do not cite accounting and appropriation data.
- 3Add the mandatory terms
Include the description of the agreement, the Government’s limited obligation, the per-purchase dollar limit, authorized purchasers, delivery ticket requirements, and the applicable invoice language.
- 4Insert applicable clauses and check thresholds order by order
Add the clauses prescribed elsewhere in Part 13 that apply to the BPA, and compare any dollar threshold to the amount of each order under the BPA.
- 5Keep funds control in place
Make sure the BPA process does not exceed available funds, because FAR 13.303-1(c) keeps that responsibility in place.
A BPA is not a funding workaround. FAR 13.303-1(c) keeps the agency responsible for obligations and expenditures within available funds, and FAR 13.303-4 ties threshold checks to each order under the BPA.