Supporting Competition in the AbilityOne Program

The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (Committee), operating as the U.S. AbilityOne Commission (Commission), proposes to amend the Commission's regulations to incorporate specific recommendations from the "Panel on Department of Defense and AbilityOne Contracting Oversight, Accountability, and Integrity" (the Panel) review mandated by section 898 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017. The mission of the Panel, in part, was to assess the overall effectiveness and internal controls of the AbilityOne Program related to Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and provide recommendations for changes in business practices. Although the Panel focused on DoD-related procurements, the Commission's proposed revisions will apply to all Procurement List (PL) additions. The proposed revisions will clarify the Commission's authority to consider different pricing methodologies in establishing the Fair Market Price (FMP) for PL additions and changes to the FMP; better define the parameters for conducting fair and equitable competitive allocations amongst multiple qualified Nonprofit Agencies (NPAs); and clarify the responsibilities and procedures associated with authorizing and deauthorizing NPAs.