THIS NOTICE IS ALSO BEING PUBLISHED IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER TODAY COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED CLARIFICATION OF SCOPE OF PROCUREMENT LIST ADDITIONS; 2007 COMMODITIES PROCUREMENT LIST ADDITION; COMMENT REQUEST AGENCY: Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. ACTION: Clarification of Scope of the Procurement Preference and Sourcing Requirements for Commodities and other Products on the Procurement List; Additions to Procurement List. SUMMARY: The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (the Committee) is clarifying the scope of the procurement preference and sourcing requirements for commodities and other products on the Procurement List and providing notice of those which are proposed to be identified as satisfying Governmentwide requirements and thus subject to Governmentwide procurement preference for calendar year 2007. The full list of these products and commodities, identified by National Stock Number (NSN), noun name is listed in this Notice and may also be found on the Committee's web site at www.jwod.gov. Comments are solicited regarding the entire list and/or specific commodities as identified by NSN. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 9, 2006. ADDRESS: 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 OR TO SUBMIT COMMENTS CONTACT: Kimberly M. Zeich, Telephone:
+1 (555) 000-0000, Fax:
+1 (555) 000-0000, or e-mail
contact@example.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 47(a) (2) and 41 CFR 51-2.3. Its purpose is to provide interested parties an opportunity to submit comments on the proposed actions. The decentralized nature of today's Federal acquisition environment requires the Committee to more specifically consider and communicate the applicability of each Procurement List addition, depending on the type of product and scope of the associated requiring/contracting activities. There are effectively three categories of products furnished under the auspices of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program, each with a different level of procurement source preference. The first category (the A List) contains commodity-type products that are commonly used in office and light industrial settings. These products, when furnished by the JWOD Program, are widely available through multiple Government and commercial distribution channels, and are delivered to customers in timeframes consistent with industry best practices. For most office supplies, this means on a next-day or two-day basis. For oversize office products (e.g., chair mats), or janitorial/sanitary products, delivery times may be three to five days after receipt of order. All such products meet the broad preference requirements of the JWOD Act and must be purchased by Federal employees whenever they will meet customer needs and will be available within required timeframes. JWOD-authorized commercial distributors must stock the items, obtain them from wholesalers or, to the extent permitted, coordinate nonprofit agency shipments, to make A-List items available for quick delivery. The commercial equivalents to these products, as determined by the Committee, are identified to the Government and commercial distribution channels, and are excluded from contract sales to Federal employees in accordance with the Committee's regulations at 41 CFR 51-5.3(a). If a Federal customer orders an equivalent item, JWOD-authorized distributors will substitute and deliver the corresponding A List product instead. Examples of A List products include writing instruments, paper pads, desktop accessories, general purpose cleaner in retail-sized bottles, and disposable breakroom supplies. The second category (the B List) contains more specialized or niche products that are most often designed and manufactured to meet the needs of a single Federal agency, or a group of customers with a unique requirement. These products, when furnished under the JWOD Program, are typically sponsored by and have procurement preference for the specific Federal agency which defined the requirement. The JWOD procurement preference does not apply to Federal agencies that are not identified on the Procurement List documentation for such items. However, their placement on the Committee's Procurement List affords such products sole source purchasing availability to other Federal agencies that may choose to use those products. Commercial products that are equivalent to B List items are not prohibited on Government contracts or Schedule awards. An example of a B List product is latex examination gloves added to the Procurement List for the specific requirements of the Transportation Security Administration, but available to other Federal agencies who may purchase similar gloves. The third category (the R List) contains restricted products, which are manufactured under the JWOD Program for one or a few very specific military or civilian agency requirements, and are only made available to Federal customers through the distribution channels authorized by the requiring office. Products on the R List are not intended to fulfill a broad Government requirement, and are not commodities. Due to these restrictions, these products will not be offered in general distribution channels. Examples of R List products include chemical protective suits furnished to the Department of Defense and tree-marking paint manufactured for the U.S. Forest Service. In the future, when proposing to add a product to its Procurement List, the Committee notices published in the Federal Register will identify the category group (A List, B List or R List) to which the product has been assigned, and thus identify the scope of the JWOD procurement preference. In accordance with clarification of the scope of A List products provided above, the Committee is proposing to designate the following products as the A List for calendar year 2007. Consistent with the provisions of 41 CFR 51-5.3 (c), this action does not affect current contracts awarded prior to the effective date for the approved 2007 A List date or options that may be exercised under those contracts. The proposed 2007 A List is divided into three sections: 1. Products currently on the Procurement List that were on the A List for 2006, and are proposed to carry over onto the 2007 A List; 2. Products that are now on the Procurement List in a more narrow or limited scope (B List) , and are being proposed for the 2007 A List; 3. Products that are not currently on the Procurement List but are being proposed for addition and, if added, would be placed on the 2007 A List. IN DOCUMENT CP-06-01A AND CP-06-01B
