Medline, VA sign five-year $120-million supply pact. (Medline Industries Inc.; Department of Veterans Affairs)

Medline Industries, Inc., Mundelein, Ill., signed a five-year federal supply schedule contract in January to provide more than 3,000 line items to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Hines, Ill. Medline was chosen for the new contract to offer VA hospitals another supply source with good pricing and service, said a VA official.

Also, Medline offered the VA many additional services. "We have an exclusive government customer service department to answer questions," said Dan Dykstra, Medline's director of government accounts. The special department includes eight employees. "The people are specially trained only to deal with federal agencies," he said.

To maintain …