[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 170 (Friday, September 1, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45704-45705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-21821]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Procurement List Addition

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely 
Disabled.

ACTION: Addition to the Procurement List.

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SUMMARY: This action adds to the Procurement List a commodity to be 
furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have 
other severe disabilities.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 2, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely 
Disabled, Crystal Square 3, Suite 403, 1735 Jefferson Davis Highway, 
Arlington, Virginia 22202-3461.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beverly Milkman (703) 603-7740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 23, 1995, the Committee for Purchase 
From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled published notice (60 
F.R. 32658) of proposed addition to the Procurement List. Comments were 
received from the current contractor for this day planner. The 
contractor noted that both it and the nonprofit agency which would 
produce the planner under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program hold 
Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts to provide day planners to the 
Government. Addition of the planner to the Procurement List would, 
according to the contractor, foreclose its ability to sell the planner 
to the Department of Defense, thus depriving it of a market which is 
essential to its success and seriously impacting the company.
    The Committee's action would only add the requirements of the 
Defense Supply Service, Washington, DC (DSSW) for a second color binder 
of the planner to the Procurement List, not the entire Department of 
Defense. This requirement represents a very small percentage of the 
contractor's total sales, even when the impact of the recent addition 
of the DSSW requirement of another color of the same day planner is 
taken into account. The contractor will retain its right to sell to the 
rest of the Department of Defense and the rest of the Government under 
its MAS contract and other individual contracts. Consequently, the 
Committee does not 

[[Page 45705]]
believe that its action will have a severe adverse impact on the 
contractor.
    The contractor contended that the Committee's action would be 
inappropriate because it would undermine the MAS approach of giving all 
organizations a level playing field to compete in for Federal business. 
The Committee's action will not deprive the contractor or other MAS 
contractors of the right to compete to sell this product to other 
Federal customers. The fact that the nonprofit agency designated by the 
Committee to produce the planner also holds an MAS contract does no 
more than give that agency the right to compete for Federal business. 
That right does not, however, guarantee any work for people with severe 
disabilities, while the action being taken by the Committee will assure 
a limited business base. The Committee does not believe its action will 
undermine the MAS program, which will continue to encompass the vast 
majority of Federal sales of this product.
    After consideration of the material presented to it concerning 
capability of qualified nonprofit agencies to provide the commodity, 
fair market price, and impact of the addition on the current or most 
recent contractors, the Committee has determined that the commodity 
listed below is suitable for procurement by the Federal Government 
under 41 U.S.C. 46-48c and 41 CFR 51-2.4.
    I certify that the following action will not have a significant 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. The major factors 
considered for this certification were:
    1. The action will not result in any additional reporting, 
recordkeeping or other compliance requirements for small entities other 
than the small organizations that will furnish the commodity to the 
Government.
    2. The action does not appear to have a severe economic impact on 
current contractors for the commodity.
    3. The action will result in authorizing small entities to furnish 
the commodity to the Government.
    4. There are no known regulatory alternatives which would 
accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46-
48c) in connection with the commodity proposed for addition to the 
Procurement List.
    Accordingly, the following commodity is hereby added to the 
Procurement List:

Organizer, Day Planner, Travel Size
    7530-00-D16-0057 (Burgundy)

(Requirements for the Defense Supply Service, Washington, DC)

    This action does not affect current contracts awarded prior to the 
effective date of this addition or options exercised under those 
contracts.
E.R. Alley, Jr.,
Deputy Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 95-21821 Filed 8-31-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-33-P