What is TAA?
TAA refers to the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. & 2501-2581), which is intended to foster fair and open international trade, and impacts how the United States government does business with other countries.
Procuring certain types of hardware -such as power distribution, monitoring, and management systems- for federally-affiliated data centers often requires IT managers to consider other factors beyond cost and performance. In some cases, they must also ensure that the equipment is in compliance with federal regulations; Non-compliance can result in significant penalties.
Not all products in a federal data center must be TAA-compliant; Compliance will depend on the conditions of the federal contract. TAA regulations primarily impact ‘Indefinite Delivery’ / ‘Indefinite Quantity’ (IDIQ) contacts, and ‘General Services Administration’ (GSA) contracts.
Why do I need TAA Compliance?
When working under a federal contract, It’s very important, that your business and your supply chain partners abide by the rules outlined in the TAA. In the event of an audit, noncompliance could result in significant fines from the federal government, lost contracts and suspensions from working with federal organizations.
Unfortunately for IT managers, many of our competitors use manufacturing hotspots that are not TAA-compliant. China, for instance, is excluded from on the list despite being the world’s largest manufacturing economy and the source of many data center technologies. Other notable exclusions are the Philippines, India, Brazil and Vietnam.
This can add significant complications to the product procurement process. It can be very difficult to find a product that meets your cost and performance requirements as well as TAA requirements.
Austin Hughes products are TAA Compliant!
Here at Austin Hughes, a leading global provider of data center power distribution, monitoring, and management solutions, we offer an extensive list of TAA-compliant products for consolidating and monitoring data center equipment.
We are able to provide TAA-compliant data center power solutions because we manufacture and assemble our parts in strategic TAA-certified locations such as the United States, UK, and Hong Kong.
By producing and assembling products in these locations, we can offer flexible and affordable product procurement for our customers. If a product is requested that is not manufactured in one of these countries, the parts can be moved to a TAA-certified location to ensure regulatory compliance as well as speedy deliveries and installations.
Some of the government organizations we have worked with include the Department of Defense, NAVY, ARMY, Coast Guard, Air Force, Department of Energy, and National Institutes of Health.
So whether you are looking for specific products that must be TAA-compliant, or you have a TAA quota that you must meet, you can rely on Austin Hughes for fast and easy access to power, monitoring, and management solutions.