McLean, VA, Tuesday, June 4, 2013–immixGroup, Inc. announced today the launch of its new Trusted Supplier Program for government agencies and contractors that sell commercial software and hardware products into the public sector. immixGroup helps technology companies do business with the government.

The Trusted Supplier Program provides government agencies with secure, reliable access to commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology products while protecting federal system integrators, value-added resellers, and other solution providers from the liability associated with supplying COTS products that may be discovered to be counterfeit or "other than authentic."

immixGroup created the Trusted Supplier Program to address the legal requirements of the Department of Defense and its contractors when buy products containing electronic components. These counterfeit prevention requirements stem from three different sections of law passed by Congress in the annual National Defense Authorization Acts of 2011, 2012 and 2013 (compiled here) implemented with Counterfeit Prevention Guidance Memo March 2012 followed by DoD Counterfeit Prevention Policy April 26, 2013. Several acquisition regulation updates are in process (the first is DFARS Case 2012-D055).

The sale of counterfeit IT to the federal government has grown to crisis proportions. By some accounts, the number of high-risk suppliers to the federal government, including companies known to have sold suspect counterfeit parts, rose 63 percent from 5,849 companies in 2002 to 9,539 companies in 2011. The issue has broad security and performance implications for government buyers, and it raises significant liability concerns for system integrators and solution providers who may unknowingly source counterfeit, gray market, or tainted products through their supply chains.

immixGroup’s Trusted Supplier Program applies to all products purchased from immixGroup, its subsidiaries, or its participating partners. It mitigates risk for both buyers and vendors by ensuring that:

• All participating products are current in-production, authentic and genuine products from the original manufacturer;
• All products are contractually sourced from the original manufacturer or its authorized channels of distribution;
• Chain of custody traceability is maintained from the source to the delivery point;
• Suspect and/or identified counterfeit parts are reported promptly to the Government Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP);
• "Other than Authentic" products are replaced at no charge; and
• All processes and documentation are carefully managed using immixGroup's ISO 9001:2008 certified business procedures for consistency and quality control.

“As the complexity of the technology supply chain increases, the risk posed by counterfeit or potentially tainted products and parts has never been greater,” said Steve Charles, Executive Vice President and co-founder of immixGroup. “The Trusted Supplier Program allows our government customers and their suppliers to easily comply with new acquisition requirements while minimizing the risks of buying and selling commercial technologies. We’re pleased to offer a timely, practical solution to this growing problem that protects the integrity of the government’s supply chain without increasing costs.”

Additional information on the Trusted Supplier Program can be found on the immixGroup Web site.