Resource
Funding & Procurement
How body armor gets paid for and bought in the United States: the contracts agencies buy through, the grants that help pay, and the rules that come with each. Written for the agency that buys and for the company that sells, with the source behind every rule.
Six ways armor gets bought and paid for
Most purchases combine two: a way to buy (a contract) and a way to pay (a budget or a grant).
01GSA, FBI, DLAFederal contractsHow federal agencies buy armor through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule and agency contracts, and how state and local agencies can use some of the same channels.Read the guide →02Statewide and participating addendaState contractsStates award statewide contracts and sign participating addenda to national cooperative agreements, and local agencies can often buy from them.Read the guide →03Bids, quotes and piggybackingLocal purchasingCities, counties and sheriffs buy under their own purchasing code: quotes or formal bids depending on value, with exceptions for sole source and for contracts another government already competed.Read the guide →04Solicited once, used by manyCooperative contractsPurchasing cooperatives run one competitive solicitation and let eligible public agencies buy from the awarded contracts without running their own.Read the guide →05BVP, JAG, COPS, FEMAGrantsThe Bulletproof Vest Partnership reimburses up to half the cost of eligible vests; JAG can also buy armor; COPS and FEMA money reaches armor only in narrow cases.Read the guide →06Excess property, forfeiture, donationsOther sourcesDoD excess property, federal equitable sharing funds, donations and financing can each cover armor, and each comes with conditions.Read the guide →
Look it up on ArmorList
Contract vehiclesGSA, NASPO ValuePoint, Sourcewell and state contracts, with their terms, eligible buyers and the companies awarded on each.39 on fileWhere to buyPick your state and see every contract your agency can use, with the suppliers on each.Funding finderPick your state, who you equip and what you are buying, and see what can pay for it.Funding programsWhich federal, state and nonprofit programs pay for armor, the conditions each sets, and the ones that do not.76 programsNASPO ValuePoint analyticsMarket-basket pricing, contractor participation and NIJ CPL coverage on the NASPO body-armor contract.Sourcewell analyticsVest systems, carriers, plates, helmets and shields on Sourcewell #091924, the discounts, and the same configuration against NASPO.Federal contract spendingWhat federal agencies spend on personal armor, who buys it and where the vendors are.BVP awardsWhere the Bulletproof Vest Partnership sends its money, by year and by state.SAM.gov opportunitiesFederal solicitations for body armor and ballistic protection, filtered to the armor market.
If you buy armor
- Pick the way to buy. Check your state contracts and the cooperatives your state lets you use before running your own solicitation. How cooperatives work
- Pick the way to pay. BVP reimburses up to half of eligible vests; JAG can buy armor but cannot pay the BVP match. The grants guide
- Specify by model. The NIJ CPL lists models, not companies. Check each one and record the date you read its status. Search products
- Find who is on contract. See which companies hold the vehicle you can use. Contract vehicles
If you sell armor
- Get registered. SAM.gov for federal buyers, and each state’s supplier portal for state work. Federal · State
- Get on a vehicle. Cooperatives award by competitive solicitation; watch their calendars and plan for the refresh. How awards work
- Make quotes grant-ready. The exact CPL model, where it is made, and unit price separate from shipping. What BVP files need
- Show buyers where you are on contract. Your awards appear on your company profile and on each vehicle’s page.
For cooperatives, grant administrators and associations
Help keep this accurate
If you run a contract, a grant program or a buyers’ network, we want your records right. Send a correction, a new award or a program change and we will update the record with its source and the date.
Rules read from official sources on September 30, 2026. This is a reference, not legal, procurement or grant advice: your procurement code, the contract and the program’s own guidance are the record.