[Federal Register: October 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 198)]
[Notices]
[Page 60061-60062]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14oc05-27]
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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: Additions to 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.
EFFECTIVE DATE: November 13, 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 e-mail SKennerly@jwod.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 6, 2006, the Committee for Purchase
From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled published notice (70
F.R. 23979) of proposed additions 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.
The following comments pertain to Accustamp.
Comments were received from three of the current contractors for
these stamps. Two of the contractors 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 contractors provide, which
one contractor makes in the United States (U.S.) and the other
contractor 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. One contractor claimed that it has
been a Government supplier of the stamps for over 35 years, and has
become reliant on these sales, which constitute a significant minority
of its total Government sales. The same contractor claimed the
nonprofit agency's stamps do not meet Government specifications in four
specific areas. That contractor claimed that U.S. workers should not be
laid off to provide jobs for people with severe disabilities. Another
contractor cited the continuing impact of Procurement List additions on
its sales. Two contractors claimed, without providing supporting data,
that this addition will impact either the small businesses that supply
the products or the distributors who sell them.
Contrary to the contractors' 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 contractor 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
[[Page 60062]]
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 contractor 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 this
contractor's claim that the nonprofit agency's stamps do not meet
Government specifications, the nonprofit agency has shown the Committee
that its stamps do meet those specifications.
The cumulative impact of Procurement List additions over the past
three years on the contractor which objected to these impacts does not
reach the level which the Committee normally considers to be severe
adverse impact. As the two contractors which alleged impact on their
suppliers or distributors, respectively, failed to provide data to
support their claims, the Committee is unable to assess the claims and
is accordingly persuaded that these impacts cannot be severe.
The following material pertains to all of the items being added to
the Procurement List.
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/name(s)/NSN(S): Accustamp
7510-01-207-3959--Refill Ink (Blue)
7510-01-207-3960--Refill Ink (Blue)
7510-01-207-3961--Refill Ink (Black)
7520-01-207-4118--Top Secret (Red)
7520-01-207-4150--C.O.D. (Red)
7520-01-207-4151--2000 plus 6 band number Stamp S-226
7520-01-207-4188--2000 plus R40 time stamp 12 hours--(Blue &
Red)
7520-01-207-4190--Stamper 2000 6 Stamp Tray
7520-01-207-4194--Copy (Blue)
7520-01-207-4196--Approved (Blue)
7520-01-207-4202--Entered (Blue)
7520-01-207-4204--Priority (Red)
7520-01-207-4205--Expedite (Red)
7520-01-207-4206--Special (Red)
7520-01-207-4207--Posted (Red)
7520-01-207-4209--File (Red)
7520-01-207-4211--Draft (Black)
7520-01-207-4212--Copy for your Information (Red)
7520-01-207-4213--Official (Red)
7520-01-207-4216--Urgent (Red)
7520-01-207-4222--Original (Blue)
7520-01-207-4228--Cancelled (Blue)
7520-01-207-4231--Received (Red)
7520-01-207-4242--Unclassified (Red)
NPA: The Arbor School, Houston, Texas.
Contracting Activity: Office Supplies & Paper Products Acquisition
Center, New York, NY.
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.
G. John Heyer,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E5-5647 Filed 10-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353-01-P