What is BAA (Buy American Act) Compliance?

What-is-BAA-Buy-American-Act-Compliance

President Herbert Hoover enacted BAA Compliance, or Buy American Act Compliance, in 1933. It requires the United States government to buy "domestic end products" for use inside the United States of America rather than foreign products. BAA (Buy American Act) Compliance provides a preference for American products to protect domestic labor. 

 

BAA Compliant Products

According to the Buy American ACT, a product that is being purchased for use by the government must include a significant amount of American-made materials or components. There are, however, exclusions and waivers that permit the purchase of non-domestic goods in specific situations, such as when the necessary commodities are not offered domestically or are not economically viable.  Products are domestic end products if they are manufactured, mined or produced in the United States. To be BAA compliant for Department of Defense procurements, the product must be produced, mined, or manufactured in the United States, and more than 60% of the cost of the product's components must be manufactured in the United States for it to be considered a "domestic end product".

To determine whether the product is BAA compliant, you must identify the place where the final product is produced. If the product is not produced, mined or manufactured in the United States, it is not BAA (Buy American Act) Compliant.

And what if the product was not manufactured in the United States? You need to identify the components of the end product and find out if the cost of the product components exceeds 60% of its components' cost. If the cost of the product components that were manufactured in the USA is more than 60%, the product is BAA (Buy American Act) Compliant.

Omnitron Systems is headquartered in Irvine, California (USA), manufactures all it’s products in the United States, and all of its products are BAA compliant, including media converters, PoE switches and Ethernet switches. 

 

Qualifying Country End Products

Here is a list of qualifying countries that have a mutual defense procurement agreement with the United States. The qualifying countries and the United States agree to remove barriers to buying equipment produced in the other country:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom

 

BAA vs TAA Compliant

TAA Compliance or the U.S. Trade Agreements Act approves and implements multiple trade agreements under the Trade Act of 1974 between the United States and other countries, which are also called designed countries, and TAA Compliant Products are produced in the U.S. or a TAA-designated country that must meet the substantially transformed requirement. In contrast, the BAA Compliant requires the United States government to buy "domestic end products" or products with over 60% of their product components’ cost manufactured in the United States. 

Note: Just because a product is TAA compliant does not mean it is BAA compliant as well. 

 

BAA vs NDAA Compliant

NDAA Compliant NDAA Compliant or the National Defense Authorization Act is the United States federal law that specifies the budget and expenditures, and in 2019, section 889 was added, which prohibits the United States government from purchasing products from specific companies and their subsidiaries.

Communication equipment from specific blacklisted manufacturers are part of NDAA compliance. The National Defense Authorization Act, in particular, contains clauses that deal with the purchase and use of telecommunications tools and services that endanger national security.  These regulations are primarily concerned with addressing worries about potential dangers from particular manufacturers, especially those connected to China. The limitations are designed to reduce dangers like sabotage, espionage, and unauthorized access to private data.

Note: Buy American Act (BAA) Compliance doesn't expressly prohibit particular companies like NDAA compliance. For manufacturers who want to obtain federal government contracts, NDAA compliance and BAA compliance are needed.

 

Conclusion 

  • The Buy American Act (BAA) promotes the purchase of domestic goods by giving preference to products made in the United States for government procurement.
  • The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) facilitates international trade by allowing the procurement of products from designated countries with which the United States has trade agreements.
  • NDAA Compliance restricts governments from using banned equipment from specific manufacturers from China for security concerns.

BAA Compliance, or Buy American Act Compliance, requires the United States government to buy "domestic end products" for use inside the United States, or the cost of the product component must be more than 60% from components manufactured in the United States.

Omnitron Systems is a privately held company headquartered in Irvine, California and manufactures all of its products in the United States, which means that its products are high-quality and comply with federal safety and environmental regulations and are manufactured with respect for human rights. All Omnitron media converters, PoE media converters, Ethernet switches and extenders are Trade Agreements Act (TAA) compliant, Buy American Act (BAA) compliant, and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) compliant.

If you have any future questions about the Buy American Act (BAA) Compliance, give us a call; we are available 24/7 to answer your questions. Call us now to get pre-sale support.

At Omnitron, we understand that network design is essential to any successful IT infrastructure. That's why we offer free network design services to our customers. Our experienced network engineers will collaborate with you to develop a comprehensive design that meets your unique needs, budget and time limit. Schedule your free network design

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