[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 33 (Friday, February 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6234-6235]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-3596]



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COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED

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 service to be 
furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have 
other severe disabilities.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 18, 1996.

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 October 20, 1995, the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are 
Blind or Severely Disabled published notice (60 F.R. 5421) of proposed 
addition to the Procurement List.
    Comments were received from a company which was the contractor for 
the service at the time it was proposed for addition to the Procurement 
List. This company's contract for the service, which lasted for five 
years, expired October 31, 1995. The company stated that a month 
previously it had unexpectedly lost another Government janitorial 
contract which represented the majority of the company's revenues at 
that time. As a result of losing these two contracts, the income of 
this family-owned company was substantially reduced and, in the opinion 
of the company's accountant, its ability to meet its financial 
obligations was severely impaired. The company, which claimed it had 
performed its contract well, also noted that Government janitorial 
business opportunities generally are declining, and the Committee's 
program has taken many of those remaining, such as the janitorial 
requirement for the rest of the installation where the contract at 
issue was performed. Accordingly, the company believes that addition of 
this service to the Procurement List would have a severe adverse impact 
on the company.
    The service has been provided since the end of the commenting 
company's contract by the nonprofit agency which will perform the 
service under the Committee's program. The service has been performed 
under two small purchase contracts, for the periods November-December 
1995 and January-February 1996, respectively. The current contract was 
awarded after the nonprofit agency won a competition with the 
commenting company and another bidder.
    The Committee is required to consider impact of an addition to the 
Procurement List on the current contractor for the commodity or service 
being added. The commenting company is not the current contractor 
because it did not receive the contract, when it had the opportunity to 
do so through the most recent competitive bidding process.
    Because no one is guaranteed a contract under the competitive 
bidding system, a company which is not the current contractor is only 
losing the opportunity to bid on future contracts because of an 
addition to the Procurement List. The Committee does not consider 
losing this opportunity to be severe adverse impact.
    The Committee also does not agree with the company's assessment of 
its performance on its contract to perform this service. Contrary to 
what the company claimed, the Government contracting office for the 
service informed the Committee that the company's performance was bad 
enough that contracting personnel would not have recommended a 
subsequent contract award to the company for the service.
    The originally proposed fair market price for the service under the 
Committee's program has been reduced to reflect the nonprofit agency's 
award price for the current contract. The nonprofit agency informed the 
Committee that one reason the reduced 

[[Page 6235]]
fair market price is acceptable to the nonprofit agency is that the 
earlier price included a charge to restore the buildings from the 
condition the commenting company's poor performance had left them in. 
This restoration was completed during the nonprofit agency's first 
contract for the service.
    Addition of this service to the Procurement List will guarantee the 
creation of jobs for people with severe disabilities, who have an 
unemployment rate far above people without severe disabilities. The 
Committee believes that this outweighs the possible loss of employment 
by the commenting company's owners and employees, as they are more 
likely to find other employment than people with severe disabilities 
would be, even considering the state of the market for janitorial 
service. After consideration of the material presented to it concerning 
capability of qualified nonprofit agencies to provide the service, fair 
market price, and impact of the addition on the current or most recent 
contractors, the Committee has determined that the service 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 service to the 
Government.
    2. The action will not have a severe economic impact on current 
contractors for the service.
    3. The action will result in authorizing small entities to furnish 
the service 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 service proposed for addition to the 
Procurement List.
    Accordingly, the following service is hereby added to the 
Procurement List: Janitorial/Custodial DITCO Buildings 3600, 3178 and 
3179 Scott Air Force Base, Illinois

    This action does not affect current contracts awarded prior to the 
effective date of this addition or options that may be exercised under 
those contracts.
Beverly L. Milkman,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 96-3596 Filed 2-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-33-P