5 Key Reasons For Government Buyers to Purchase TAA Compliant Headsets

The U.S. Government has a long-standing program that helps to promote reciprocal trade among countries, while helping to strengthen the U.S. economy. The program I’m referring to was originally created back in 1979, called the Trade Agreements Act, or TAA.

The TAA was created to help foster a free and open trading environment between the United States and specifically identified trading partner countries. Though this list of countries doesn’t get updated often, it did get updated most recently in 2016 to add Moldova, and Ukraine.

Why buy TAA compliant headsets?

As a Government Buyer, there are several reasons to buy TAA compliant headsets. Here are a few of them.

Compliance. Federal Government Buyers are required to purchase products and services that are TAA compliant. By adhering to these requirements, Buyers are assured that they are conforming to the mandate, and by doing so, avoid any purchasing repercussions for not following the procurement guidelines.

A larger vendor pool. A lot of suppliers work to create, and offer TAA compliant products to the Government as a way to help increase their sales. By having an expanding list of products to choose from, the Government Buyer has a wider selection of products available to them, and when they do, they can better match products to Agency needs, while at the same time help to a healthier U.S. economy.

Safety and Quality. TAA compliant products must meet certain safety and quality standards in order to be eligible for sales to the U.S. Government. By having these products available, the Government Buyer will have greater assurance that these products will be safe and reliable for use in Government offices.

Supporting the U.S. Economy.  By purchasing TAA-compliant products that are made in the United States, or designated countries, the Federal Government Buyer will be supporting U.S. jobs, and help to prop up the U.S. economy. 

Holding up our end of the bargain. When a Federal Government Buyer purchases a product that is either manufactured here in the United States, or in one of the partner countries, it demonstrates our adherence to the agreement, and shows that we are fulfilling our obligations under the agreement, and it further helps to demonstrate our commitment to this agreement.

As a Federal Government Contracting Official, you have choices. Discover headsets give your in-house customers comfortable, great sounding, and reliable headsets that are flexible and in compliance with TAA. Give the brand a try, because we think you’ll be happy with the value, and the great service you'll receive.

TAA compliant wireless headsets

The first is the Discover Adapt 20.

This is a Bluetooth wireless headset that’s manufactured in South Korea, one of the TAA partner countries. There are a few things that make the Adapt 20 a unique Bluetooth headset, and a great value. Here’s a quick summary of those things:

1. Mono and Duo versatility. The Discover Adapt 20 allows you to switch the wearing style between mono and stereo by simply switching the headbands. This design is unique, and avoids the need to replace a headset when a different wearing style is needed.
2. Noise canceling microphone. Background noise can be a problem in a lot of offices. Noise that’s picked up by a microphone can be heard by your callers. So having a microphone that can reduce background noise will give your callers a higher quality call with less noise to distract.
3. USB and Bluetooth connectivity. The Adapt 20 allows you to connect via Bluetooth, but also via the included USB adapter. Some computers aren’t Bluetooth enabled, which makes the USB adapter handy. Also, when you connect using the USB adapter, you’ll have a more stable, better sounding wireless connection.
4. 20 hour battery. The battery in the Discover Adapt 20 allows you to talk up to 20 hours. And though nobody talks that much on any given day, it does say that you won’t experience a dead battery even on the busiest of days. You can also avoid having to recharge the battery each day which helps when you forget to recharge the battery overnight. No more arriving to work with a dead headset battery.
5. Wideband audio and hearing protection. The Adapt 20 gives you impressive HD sound quality, while at the same time, protects your hearing from unexpected sound spikes. These sounds can come from fax tones or feedback from different sources. The Adapt 20 has sound limiters that suppress the sounds before they can cause damage to your hearing.
6. Longer warranty, longer peace of mind. Not all headset warranties are the same, not only in length, but what they cover. The good news is the Adapt 20 gives you one of the longest warranties in the industry at 3-years. And, a longer warranty means that you’ll have longer peace of mind, which I think we’d all agree is a good thing.

If you’re looking for a wireless headset to connect to Agency desk phones, but you also need the same headset to connect to a computer, then the TAA compliant Discover Adapt 30 would be a great headset to consider. 

Here’s what makes the Discover Adapt 30 wireless headset a great value.

1. Mono and Duo wearing styles included. The Adapt 20 has the ability to switch between mono and duo wearing styles, but the duo headband is optional. When you purchase the Adapt 30, it comes with both. So if noise, for example, begins to rise and you want to help dampen it, just switch headbands and hear less of those distracting sounds. 
2. Noise canceling microphone. The microphone on the Discover Adapt 30 is bendable for proper placement, and it’s noise canceling. It removes background noise which gives your callers a more professional call experience. The microphone can be placed on the right, or left, which many headsets can’t because they’re limited to right or left placement only. And people do have a preference, so it’s nice that the Adapt 30 gives you the flexibility.
3. Longer wireless range. Bluetooth headsets are rated up to 100 feet of wireless talk range. The Discover Adapt 30, with its DECT 6.0 technology is rated up to 300 feet. Longer wireless range means you can go further, and because of that, you can do things around the office that would otherwise have you coming up short like with other headsets.
4. 8 hour battery. With a full charge, you can talk throughout the day, even on heavy phone days. Recharge overnight, and you’re ready to rinse and repeat. 
5. Industry leading 3-year warranty. Most wireless headsets come with a 1-year warranty, with others offering warranties up to 2-years. The Adapt 30 ups the game by pushing that to 3-years. And just like longer wireless range, longer warranties are also a good thing. A kind of “more is better” sort of thing. Plus, you get the added benefit of longer peace of mind.

Buyers have a lot to navigate

If you're a Federal Government Buyer of goods and services, you know that you have a lot to think about when it comes to procurements. There are a lot of things you have to be mindful of before proceeding with buying the products and services that your Agency needs. 

Government Purchasing Officials have to carefully navigate a lot of rules and regulations that stem from Government rules surrounding procurement policy. Here are some of the different programs that Federal Government Buyers have to be mindful of:

• FAR, or the Federal Acquisition Regulation
• FSS, or the Federal Supply Schedules
• TAA, or the Trade Agreements Acts, which is the subject of this blog
• Small business set-aside
• BAA, or Buy America Act
• BPA, or Blanket Purchase Agreements
• Bidding requirements and thresholds
• GSA SmartPay credit card program for smaller, routine purchases

I can only imagine how challenging that is, and no doubt, frustrating at times. And to make matters even more of a challenge, if Buyers don't follow the rules, they run the risk of having their transactions scrutinized, or even audited. Not a path many Buyers want to travel down for obvious reasons.

Trade Agreements Act

One of the programs mentioned earlier that helps to guide Buyer decision making is the Trade Agreements Act, or TAA for short. This is a cooperative agreement that delivers a lot of benefits here in the United States, but also to our valued trading partners around the world. Among other things, this agreement has requirements pertaining to the origin of the components, and finished goods bought by the Federal Government.

And when you pause for a brief moment to give thought to all the different things that the Federal Government buys, it’s nothing short of mind boggling. One of these items that the Federal Government frequently purchases, are communication headsets. These devices are used in virtually all the different Federal Government offices throughout the U.S. including all branches of the armed forces and even NASA.  

Headsets are always used in Government Call Centers, offices, and just about any other place where audio or video communication is needed. The two main types of headsets are:

• Wired Headsets
• Wireless models

As a Federal Government Buyer, it’s up to you to choose the headset best suited for the needs of the Agency, and where possible, compliant with TAA. Not all headsets are TAA compliant, but the two wireless models in this blog are well worth your time to consider, and both just happen to be TAA compliant.

Have questions, or need some help?

We know that with so many choices, it can be confusing when it comes to matching the right headsets to your specific needs. That’s where our expert Advisors come in. We’ve provided headsets for almost thirty years, and I feel safe in saying that we’re experts in this field, and we’re here to help.