Category Management

Category Management is the practice of buying common goods and services as an organized enterprise in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of acquisition activities.

Category Management helps organizations buy smarter for common goods and services such as office supplies, travel and lodging, housekeeping services, and more. For the government, this means buying like an enterprise to get more value and savings by identifying core areas (categories of spend), using data to consolidate and reduce contracts when possible, better managing suppliers and demand, and reducing the total cost of ownership. 

The Office of Management and Budget issued the following guidance on Category Management:

• M-22-03: (amends M-19-13): Advancing Equity in Federal Procurement, issued Dec 2, 2021.
• M-19-13: Category Management: Making Smarter Use of Common Contract Solutions and Practices, issued Mar 20, 2019.

Acquisition Gateway

To learn more about Category Management, please visit us on the Acquisition Gateway. Please use the Solution Finder on the Acquisition Gateway to search for GSA-managed Best In Class solutions.