[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 82 (Friday, April 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22942-22943]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09088]


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COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED


Procurement List; Additions and Deletions

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

ACTION: Additions to and Deletions from the Procurement List.

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

DATES: Date added to and deleted from the Procurement List: May 30, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely 
Disabled, 1401 S Clark Street, Suite 715, Arlington, Virginia 22202-
4149.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael R. Jurkowski, Telephone: (703) 
603-2117, Fax: (703) 603-0655, or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Additions

    On 11/27/2020 and 3/5/2021, the Committee for Purchase From People 
Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled published notice of proposed 
additions to the Procurement List. This notice is published pursuant to 
41 U.S.C. 8503 (a)(2) and 41 CFR 51-2.3.
    After consideration of the material presented to it concerning 
capability of qualified nonprofit agencies to provide the service(s) 
and impact of the additions on the current or most recent contractors, 
the Committee has determined that the service(s) listed below are 
suitable for procurement by the Federal Government under 41 U.S.C. 
8501-8506 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 service(s) to the 
Government.
    2. The action will result in authorizing small entities to furnish 
the service(s) 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. 
8501-8506) in connection with the service(s) proposed for addition to 
the Procurement List.

End of Certification

    Accordingly, the following service(s) are added to the Procurement 
List:

Service(s)

Service Type: Contractor Operated Civil Engineer Supply Store
Mandatory for: US Air Force, Whiteman AFB, MO
Designated Source of Supply: South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, 
Corpus Christi, TX
Contracting Activity: DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE, FA4625 509 CONS CC

    One (1) public comment was received in response to the Federal 
Register notice of November 27, 2020 (85 FR 229) regarding the proposed 
addition to the Procurement List of the requirement to operate a 
Contractor Operated Civil Engineer Supply Store (COCESS) for the U.S. 
Air Force at Whiteman AFB, MO. The commenter stated that the proposed 
service was not suitable for performance under the AbilityOne Program. 
The

[[Page 22943]]

commenter listed tasks that are typically performed by COCESS 
employees, as well as unusual tasks that may be required, which the 
commenter says cannot be performed by people who are blind. The 
commenter stated that the Commission's suitability criteria are not 
met, because there is potential impact the commenter's firm if the 
Commission decides to add additional COCESS operations to the 
Procurement List.
    The Commission has carefully considered each of its regulatory 
suitability criteria and found that they are established through the 
factual documentation supporting this proposed addition. There is 
employment potential for individuals who are blind or visually 
impaired. There is a qualified and capable nonprofit agency to perform 
the work. The Commission reviewed the specific Statement of Work for 
this requirement and found it to be very similar to retail operations 
already performed by the proposed nonprofit agency on similar military 
installations. The responsible Contracting Activity performed a 
capability survey and documented its finding that the proposed 
nonprofit agency is capable of performing this service.
    In accordance with the Commission's regulation at 41 CFR 51-2.4(e), 
the commenter is not considered to be impacted by the proposed action 
because the commenter is not the current contractor for the 
requirement. In summary, all regulatory criteria are met and are 
documented in the administrative record to support the Commission's 
decision that this work is suitable and is approved for addition to the 
Procurement List.

Service Type: Administrative and HR Support Service
Mandatory for: Military Sealift Command (MSC), MSC-Norfolk, Norfolk, 
VA
Designated Source of Supply: VersAbility Resources, Inc., Hampton, 
VA
Contracting Activity: DEPT OF THE NAVY, MSC NORFOLK

    The Committee finds good cause to dispense with the 30-day delay in 
the effective date normally required by the Administrative Procedure 
Act. See 5 U.S.C. 553(d). This addition to the Committee's Procurement 
List is effectuated because of the expiration of the Department of the 
Navy, MSC Norfolk, Administrative and HR Support Service, contract. The 
Federal customer contacted, and has worked diligently with the 
AbilityOne Program to fulfill this service need under the AbilityOne 
Program. To avoid performance disruption, and the possibility that the 
Department of the Navy, MSC Norfolk will refer its business elsewhere, 
this addition must be effective on May 16, 2021, ensuring timely 
execution for a May 17, 2021, start date while still allowing 16 days 
for comment. The Committee also published a notice of proposed 
Procurement List addition in the Federal Register on March 5, 2021, and 
did not receive any comments from any interested persons, including 
from the incumbent contractor. This addition will not create a public 
hardship and has limited effect on the public at large, but, rather, 
will create new jobs for other affected parties--people with 
significant disabilities in the AbilityOne program who otherwise face 
challenges locating employment. Moreover, this addition will enable 
Federal customer operations to continue without interruption.

Deletions

    On 3/26/2021, the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind 
or Severely Disabled published notice of proposed deletions from the 
Procurement List. This notice is published pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 8503 
(a)(2) and 41 CFR 51-2.3.
    After consideration of the relevant matter presented, the Committee 
has determined that the product(s) and service(s) listed below are no 
longer suitable for procurement by the Federal Government under 41 
U.S.C. 8501-8506 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 additional reporting, 
recordkeeping or other compliance requirements for small entities.
    2. The action may result in authorizing small entities to furnish 
the product(s) and service(s) 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. 
8501-8506) in connection with the product(s) and service(s) deleted 
from the Procurement List.

End of Certification

    Accordingly, the following product(s) and service(s) are deleted 
from the Procurement List:

Product(s)

NSN(s)--Product Name(s): MR 858--Extra Life
Designated Source of Supply: Industries of the Blind, Inc., 
Greensboro, NC
Contracting Activity: Military Resale-Defense Commissary Agency,

NSN(s)--Product Name(s):
    MR 1172--Sweeper Set, Wet and Dry
    MR 1174--Refill, Sweeper Set, Dry Cloths, 30 Count
Designated Source of Supply: LC Industries, Inc., Durham, NC
Contracting Activity: Military Resale-Defense Commissary Agency

NSN(s)--Product Name(s):
    MR 804--Grill Basket
    MR 889--Ergo Garlic Press
Designated Source of Supply: Cincinnati Association for the Blind, 
Cincinnati, OH
Contracting Activity: Military Resale-Defense Commissary Agency

Service(s)

Service Type: Transcription Services
Mandatory for: Equal Employment Office: Federal Bureau of Prisons, 
Washington, DC
Designated Source of Supply: Lighthouse for the Blind of Houston, 
Houston, TX
Contracting Activity: FEDERAL PRISON SYSTEM, CENTRAL OFFICE

Service Type: Preservation and Packaging
Mandatory for: New Cumberland Army Depot, New Cumberland, PA
Designated Source of Supply: ForSight Vision, York, PA
Contracting Activity: DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY, DLA SUPPORT 
SERVICES--DSS

Michael R. Jurkowski,
Deputy Director, Business & PL Operations.
[FR Doc. 2021-09088 Filed 4-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353-01-P