Federal and federally-funded projects require BAA-compliant emergency lighting. Sage is Buy American Act compliant out of the box — here's what that actually means.
The basic requirement
The Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. §§ 8301–8305) requires federal agencies to procure goods that are either manufactured in the U.S. or whose cost is substantially from U.S. components. The domestic-content threshold under FAR 25.003 has been stepping up — 55% historically, 60% (Oct 2022), 65% (Oct 2024), with a scheduled increase to 75% by 2029. A separate federal statute, BABA (Build America, Buy America Act, enacted under IIJA in 2021), applies to federally-funded infrastructure and requires U.S.-produced iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials. Trade Agreements Act (TAA) applies on top of BAA for certain procurements.
Where BAA applies
- Direct federal construction (GSA, DoD, VA, federal prisons, IRS, courts)
- Federally-funded infrastructure (many highway, transit, and airport projects under IIJA/BABA)
- Federal buildings retrofit and renovation
- Some federally-funded research and healthcare facilities
Sage's BAA posture
Sage products are assembled in the United States and source their component stack from U.S. suppliers to meet the current BAA domestic-content threshold (65% as of October 2024). When a project requires BAA compliance documentation, Sage provides a Buy American Act Certification on request, signed by the Sage manufacturer. The certification is delivered with the submittal package on federal projects, and Sage tracks threshold changes as FAR updates take effect.
When BAA matters to a rep
If the specifier mentions federal funding, GSA, DoD, IIJA, or a BAA/BABA compliance line in the project specification, flag it and pull the BAA certificate with the submittal. Non-compliant emergency lighting is a common rejection point — many competitors manufacture primarily offshore.