Does ordering from Friends Business Source help me meet my small business purchasing goals?

Yes! Purchasing all your office supplies, furniture and printing from Friends Business Source will help you achieve your Federally mandated small business support goals.

How does Friends Business Source compete with national competitors?

Friends Business Source is part of is.group, a cooperative of over 600 independently owned and operated business products dealers/members, with over 950 locations in all 50 states. is.group is part of Business Products Group International (BPGI), which includes thousands of independently owned dealers across multiple continents with a collective buying power of $12 billion dollars, equivalent to that of any individual national competitor (Office Depot, Staples, Boise Cascade Office Products/Boise Office Solutions, and Corporate Express). This collective buying power allowed is.group to provide GSA with highly competitive pricing that earned is.group a GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract award.

What do I need to do to receive the GSA pricing on office supplies & furniture?

Friends Business Source attaches the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Pricing to all Federal Government accounts to insure that all Federal Government agencies receive this pricing.

How do I get set up with Friends Business Source?

Click on “Create an Account” and provide us with the required information.
Click on “Catalog Request” if you would like us to send you catalogs of the items on GSA contract.

What different methods can I use to order?

You can phone, order on-line, e-mail or fax your orders or you can place orders with an outside salesperson.

Can I use the GSA Advantage! ordering portal to order from Friends Business Source?

Yes. Place orders for the contract holder “Independent Stationers”. These orders will be forwarded to Independent Stationers, who will forward them to Friends Business Source as an authorized distributor under this contract. It would be helpful to indicate somewhere on the order to forward the order to Friends Business Source

Can I use the DoD EMALL ordering portal to order from Friends Business Source?

Yes. Place orders for the contract holder “is.group”. These orders will be forwarded to is.group (Independent Stationers), who will forward them to Friends Business Source as an authorized distributor under this contract. It would be helpful to indicate somewhere on the order to forward the order to Friends Business Source.

Is Friends Business Source an authorized AbilityOne distributor?

Yes.

Can I order AbilityOne/Skilcraft/NIB/NISH products on line?

Yes.

Does Friends Business Source accept the Federal Government Purchase/SmartPay Card?

Yes. If you provide us with your SmartPay purchase card number, we will attach it directly to your account for automatic use in the future. This card used to be referred to as an IMPAC card prior to 1998.

What are the advantages of ordering furniture from Friends Business Source?

is.group, for which Friends Business Source is an authorized distributor, holds a FSS contract for furniture that provides a number of unique and valuable benefits that are not available from any other GSA approved furniture source. Specifically, it provides government employees with:

1. A single competitive source for thousands of GSA tested and approved furniture items from multiple different quality manufacturers. Most furniture FSSs are limited to just one manufacturer, forcing government workers to research and create multiple orders with multiple vendors.

2. Consolidated ordering and consolidated shipment, as well as rapid delivery of all product within 14 days of order.

3. Contracted, highly competitive installation rates.

4. A net priced catalog featuring thousands of competitively priced mid market furniture items. The catalog displays products in an easy-to-use good-better-best layout, helping you choose products that are most appropriate for your needs and budget.

Friends Business Source is a full service furniture dealer. Our dedicated and highly experienced furniture team provides sales consultation, space planning and design, product selection and specification, project management and installation support. We also offer our clients complete ergonomic assessments and solutions, an extensive selection of evaluation chairs to help employees select the proper chair for their needs and an in stock program that can deliver thousands of additional furniture items within 3-5 days.

Does Friends Business Source offer recycled items?

Yes, we offer an extensive selection of recycled items. These items are all identified on the Friends Business Source on-line ordering site with a recycled symbol.

Does Friends Business Source pick up laser cartridges and recycle them?

Yes. Simply leave them at the place where we normally make deliveries, with a "Recycling for Friends Business Source [FBS]" note attached to them.

Will I be charged state and local sales taxes?

No. Federal government accounts are exempt from paying sales tax.

Service Advantages

· Dedicated government supply contacts familiar with your account

· Excellent customer service

· Calls answered immediately

· Highly experienced and knowledgeable staff, averaging 15 years in the industry

· Free, next day delivery on orders placed by 5:00 PM

· Helpful, friendly delivery by company drivers

· Fewer backorders as we deliver 99% of all items ordered on a next day basis

· Accurate billing, with local support

· Fast and easy processing of returns

· Flexible and responsive since we are locally owned

· On site sales representation available

Friends Business Source

Federal Employer Identification Number:

34-1690683

Business Ownership:

100% American

Address:

2300 Bright Road
Findlay, OH 45840

Phone:

800.427.1704

Fax:

800.738.3517

Web site:

www.friendsoffice.com

E-Mail orders:

lauri@friendsoffice.com

Workplace Specialist:

Lauri Burroughs

Customer Service:

Beth Rausch