BECOMING A AAFES MILITARY BASE VENDOR

Base exchanges, sometimes called post exchanges, are the equivalent of malls in the civilian world. Military and civilian staff and their families can use the exchange to buy haircuts, magazines, lunch or flowers. Base exchanges are run by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which boasts more than 2,000 facilities around the world. To do business with the exchange, you have to do business according to AAFES rules.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filling Out Forms

Unsurprisingly, doing business with the government requires a lot of paperwork. If you have already been registered as a government vendor and have a government CAGE code, please submit that with your application. You'll also need to submit a Source List application, which tells the base's AAFES contracting officer about your business and what services or items you want to provide. To get on base, you'll also have to submit paperwork for a background check: name, eye color, height, the reason for going on base, and whether you've been convicted of a felony. If you're looking to do business at multiple bases, you'll need to send each base your Source List paperwork and your government CAGE code, showing that you have been registered as a government vendor. 

                                                           

Types of Opportunities

Base exchanges include both short-term and long-term concessions. Short-term concessions such as retail kiosks or food trucks set up on base for a few weeks or months. To land those gigs, you work through your local contracting officers. Long-term concessions such as a dry cleaner or a nail salon have contracts running a year or more. You have to bid for these opportunities like any other government contract, working in this case through the contracting officers at AAFES headquarters.

                                                                      

Meeting Standards

AAFES doesn't want you selling shoddy merchandise. You may have to provide sample products, which AAFES will test to see how well they perform. With clothes, for example, AAFES might test how well they withstand damage and whether they retain creases. When you finally sign a contract, it will include quality specifications. You'll have to live up to the specs, and not deliver anything that falls short. If you give warranties on your goods or services, AAFES customers get the best warranty you offer.

                                                                    

Legal Details

Offering gratuities of any sort to close the deal is strictly forbidden. Anything that looks like a bribe, including an offer of employment to a contracting officer, can kill your contract. Your advertising must never imply that the military endorses your products or services, and you can't use any of the base-exchange trademarks without permission Your AAFES price must be as good as what you offer to civilians in the area, or better.

 

BECOMING A VENDOR AT MILITARY AIR SHOWS 

The national airshows welcome vendors & companies who want to retail their products to thousands of guests at numerous rated family weekend event.  Make your company’s presence a part of the airshow weekend and benefit from our diverse audience.

If you have a product to market, then you will be at home among our attendees many of whom are past and present military service members.  Vendor space will be on a first come, first, serve basis.  We do our best to minimize product overlap between vendors to ensure maximum sales for all the participating vendors. Air show events usually range from 2 to 10 days. If you are already registered as a federal vendor please include your CAGE code in your application.