[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 203 (Friday, October 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61247-61249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5799]


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COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED


Procurement List; Additions and Deletion

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

ACTION: Additions to and deletions from Procurement List.

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SUMMARY: This action adds to the Procurement List products to be 
furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have 
other severe disabilities, and deletes from the Procurement List a 
product previously furnished by such agencies.

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 20, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase From People Who are Blind or Severely 
Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, 
Arlington, Virginia 22202-3259.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheryl D. Kennerly, Telephone: (703) 
603-7740, Fax: (703) 603-0655, or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Additions

    On August 19, and August 26, 2005, the Committee for Purchase From 
People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled published notice (70 FR 
48667, and 50299) of proposed additions to the Procurement List.
    The following comments pertain to Stamp 2000 Plus and Accustamp 
7520-00-419-5949 & 7529-01-324-6955:
    Comments were received from 21 persons in support of the nonprofit 
agency, urging addition of these products to the Procurement List, as 
they consider the addition to be critical to the nonprofit agency's 
plan to expand services for people with disabilities. The Committee 
agrees with these commenters that this addition will create jobs for 
such people.
    Comments were also received from one of the current contractors for 
these stamps. The commenter claimed that the stamps the nonprofit 
agency will be providing under the Committee's program are made in 
China, as opposed to the stamps the commenter assembles in the U.S. 
from components made in Japan and China, and that the Committee should 
not permit its program to displace U.S. products with Chinese products. 
The commenter claimed that it has been a Government supplier of the 
stamps for over 30 years, and has become reliant on these sales, which 
constitute a small minority of its total sales. The same contractor 
claimed the nonprofit agency's stamps are inferior to its own. The 
commenter asked the Committee to consider whether it could create more 
jobs by having workers with disabilities package the commenter's stamps 
rather than those it intends to produce.
    Contrary to the commenter's claims, the nonprofit agency will be 
using its employees with severe disabilities to assemble and package 
the stamps in the U.S. from components made in Austria, which is a 
designated country under the Trade Agreements Act, 19 U.S.C. 2501 et 
seq. Like the workers they may displace, the persons with severe 
disabilities who will produce the stamps are U.S. workers, but with an 
unemployment rate which is well above other groups, so the Committee 
believes that creating jobs for them, which is the mission of the 
Committee's program, is justified in this situation.
    The commenter, which claimed a long-term reliance on Government 
sales of these stamps, failed to provide the Committee with total sales 
data which would enable the Committee to assess the severity of impact 
of this Procurement List addition, despite being cautioned that the 
Committee

[[Page 61248]]

would interpret a failure to provide data as an indication that the 
contractor did not consider the impact severe. As for the commenter's 
claim that the nonprofit agency's stamps are inferior, the nonprofit 
agency has shown the Committee that its stamps meet Government 
specifications. At this time, it is not feasible for the Committee to 
require the nonprofit agency to replace its stamp component supplier, 
as the commenter suggests.
    The following comments pertain to Stamp Pad Ink and Accustamp 
(Applies to all other identified stamp NSNs not listed above:
    Comments were received from 21 persons in support of the nonprofit 
agency, urging addition of these products to the Procurement List, as 
they consider the addition to be critical to the nonprofit agency's 
plan to expand services for people with disabilities. The Committee 
agrees with these commenters that this addition will create jobs for 
such people.
    Comments were also received from a stamp manufacturer. The 
commenter claimed that the stamps the nonprofit agency will be 
providing under the Committee's program are made in China, as opposed 
to the stamps the commenter assembles in the U.S. from components made 
in Japan and China, and that the Committee should not permit its 
program to displace U.S. products with Chinese products. The commenter 
claimed that it has been a Government supplier of the stamps for over 
30 years, and has become reliant on these sales, which constitute a 
small minority of its total sales. The same contractor claimed the 
nonprofit agency's stamps are inferior to its own. The commenter asked 
the Committee to consider whether it could create more jobs by having 
workers with disabilities package the commenter's stamps rather than 
those it intends to produce.
    Contrary to the commenter's claims, the nonprofit agency will be 
using its employees with severe disabilities to assemble and package 
the stamps in the U.S. from components made in Austria, which is a 
designated country under the Trade Agreements Act, 19 U.S.C. 2501 et 
seq. Like the workers they may displace, the persons with severe 
disabilities who will produce the stamps are U.S. workers, but with an 
unemployment rate which is well above other groups, so the Committee 
believes that creating jobs for them, which is the mission of the 
Committee's program, is justified in this situation.
    The commenter, which claimed a long-term reliance on Government 
sales of these stamps, failed to provide the Committee with total sales 
data which would enable the Committee to assess the severity of impact 
of this Procurement List addition, despite being cautioned that the 
Committee would interpret a failure to provide data as an indication 
that the contractor did not consider the impact severe. As for the 
commenter's claim that the nonprofit agency's stamps are inferior, the 
nonprofit agency has shown the Committee that its stamps meet 
Government specifications. At this time, it is not feasible for the 
Committee to require the nonprofit agency to replace its stamp 
component supplier, as the commenter suggests.
    The following material pertains to all of the items being added to 
the Procurement List.
    After consideration of the material presented to it concerning 
capability of qualified nonprofit agencies to provide the products and 
impact of the additions on the current or most recent contractors, the 
Committee has determined that the products listed below are suitable 
for procurement by the Federal Government under 41 U.S.C. 46-48c and 41 
CFR 51-2.4.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    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 products to the 
Government.
    2. The action will result in authorizing small entities to furnish 
the products to the Government.
    3. 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 products proposed for addition to the 
Procurement List.

End of Certification

    Accordingly, the following products are added to the Procurement 
List:

Products

Product/NSN: Accustamp (For GSA Global Supply ONLY).
    NSN: 7520-01-207-4108--COPY--Red.
    NSN: 7520-01-207-4116--DRAFT--Red.
    NSN: 7520-01-207-4226--RECEIVED--Blue.
    NSN: 7520-01-207-4119--SECRET--Red.
    NSN: 7520-00-264-3718--Rubber Stamp Printing Set.
    NSN: 7520-01-207-4111--COMPLETED--Red.
    NSN: 7520-01-324-6955--COMPLETED--Blue.
    NSN: 7520-01-419-5949--CONFIDENTIAL--Red.
Product/NSN: Custom Stamp (For GSA Global Supply ONLY).
    NSN: 7510-00-386-2444--Custom Stamps.
Product/NSN: Stamp 2000 Plus (For GSA Global Supply ONLY).
    NSN: 7520-01-352-3019--Black.
    NSN: 7520-01-352-3018--Red.
Product/NSN: Stamp Pad Ink (For GSA Global Supply ONLY).
    NSN: 7510-00-782-6257--Black 8 oz.
    NSN: 7510-00-161-4240--Red 2 oz/roll-on.
    NSN: 7510-01-316-7516--Black 2 oz/roll-on.
    NSN: 7510-00-161-4237--Black 2 oz/roll-on.
NPA: The Arbor School, Houston, Texas.
Contracting Activity: Office Supplies & Paper Products Acquisition 
Center, New York, NY.
Product/NSN: Shirt, Woman's, Short Sleeve, Tuck-in.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-6979--4 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-6980--6 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-6981--8 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7023--10 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7105--12 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7113--14 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7116--16 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7118--18 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7120--20 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7186--22 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7232--24 Regular.
    NSN: 8410-01-414-7233--26 Regular.
NPA: Middle Georgia Diversified Industries, Inc., Dublin, Georgia.
Contracting Activity: Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Deletion

    On August 26, 2005, the Committee for Purchase From People Who are 
Blind or Severely Disabled published notice (70 FR 50299) of proposed 
deletion to the Procurement List.
    After consideration of the relevant matter presented, the Committee 
has determined that the product listed below is no longer suitable for 
procurement by the Federal Government under 41 U.S.C. 46-48c and 41 CFR 
51-2.4.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    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 may result in additional reporting, recordkeeping or 
other compliance requirements for small entities.
    2. The action may result in authorizing small entities to furnish 
the product to the Government.
    3. There are no known regulatory alternatives which would 
accomplish the objectives of the Javits-Wagner-

[[Page 61249]]

O'Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46-48c) in connection with the product deleted 
from the Procurement List.

End of Certification

    Accordingly, the following product is deleted from the Procurement 
List:

Product

Product/NSN: Pencil, Mechanical.
    NSN: 7520-00-724-5606--Pencil, Mechanical.
    NPA: San Antonio Lighthouse, San Antonio, Texas.
    Contracting Activity: Office Supplies & Paper Products 
Acquisition Center, New York, NY.

Sheryl D. Kennerly,
Director, Information Management.
[FR Doc. E5-5799 Filed 10-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353-01-P