1428 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 7 / Friday, January 10, 1997 / Notices

Procurement List; Additions

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From

People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled.

ACTION: Addition to the Procurement

List

SUMMARY: This action adds to the

Procurement List commodities to be

furnished by nonprofit agencies

employing persons who are blind or

have other severe disabilities.

EFFECTIVE DATE: February 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase

From People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled, Crystal Square 3, Suite 403,

1735 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, Virginia 22202–3461.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beverly Milkman (703) 603–7740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

October 25, 1996, the Committee for

Purchase From People Who Are Blind

or Severely Disabled published notice

(61 FR 55268) of proposed additions to

the Procurement List. Comments were

received from the current contractor for

the Air Force women’s garrison caps.

That contractor described its position as

precarious and attributed the reductions

in its workforce over the past six years

to Committee decisions to place several

other military caps on its Procurement

List. The contractor advised that the

addition of the cap to the Procurement

List would put an end to its enterprise.

The Committee is aware that

substantial reductions in troop strength

in all military services in recent years

have decreased the requirements for

these caps and other types of headgear.

In fact, the nonprofit agency that would

produce these caps has experienced

significant reductions in orders for the

Air Force men’s caps, which is why it

is seeking the additional work

represented by the women’s caps.

The Committee believes it is primarily

the changes in troop strength and the

current contractor’s failure to secure

other Federal and commercial business

that have led to the decline in that

firm’s workforce and sales and not

previous actions by the Committee. This

belief is supported by the fact that the

current annual value of the types of caps

made under the JWOD Program that

have been made in the past by the

current contractor is substantially less

than the decline in the current

contractor’s sales over the past six years.

The Committee also noted that while

it has placed the Air Force men’s

garrison caps and a small portion of the

Army men’s garrison caps on its

Procurement List, the current contractor

will continue to have the ability to bid

on substantial other Government

business. This business includes the

vast majority of the Army men’s

garrison caps, the Army women’s

garrison caps, and all the Marine and

Coast Guard garrison caps. The current

contractor will also have the

opportunity to continue to bid on all

service cap covers. Moreover, the

Committee will not be adding any more

caps of this type or any service cap

covers to the Procurement List for at

least five years without the prior

approval of the current contractor and

another firm that makes these types of

caps.

The Committee also noted that the

caps in question did not represent a

substantial portion of the current

contractor’s business during the past

year and prior to August of 1996 had not

been supplied by the current contractor

for several years.

Since it has remained in business

without sales of this cap or the Air

Force men’s cap tor three to five years,

the firm is not, in the Committee’s

opinion, dependent on the sales of

either cap for its continued survival.

Overall, the Committee has concluded

that because of the significant

opportunities that will continue to be

available to the current contractor to bid

on other caps and cap covers and the

firm’s lack of dependence on this

particular item, addition of these caps is

not likely to result in an end to the

enterprise. However, to give the current

contractor additional time to adjust to

the market changes, the Committee has

decided to permit half of the initial FY

1997 requirement for the caps in

question to be procured competitively.

After consideration of the material

presented to it concerning capability of

qualified nonprofit agencies to provide

the commodities and impact of the

addition on the current or most recent

contractors, the Committee has

determined that the commodities listed

below are suitable for procurement by

the Federal Government under 41 U.S.C.

46–48c and 41 CFR 51–2.4.

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

commodities to the Government.

2. The action will not have a severe

economic impact on current contractors

for the commodities.

3. The action will result in

authorizing small entities to furnish the

commodities to the Government.

4. There are no known regulatory

alternatives which would accomplish

the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in

connection with the commodities

proposed for addition to the

Procurement List.

Accordingly, the following

commodities are hereby added to the

Procurement List:

Cap, Garrison, Women’s (USAF)

8410–01–381–5481

8410–01–381–5559

8410–01–381–5544

8410–01–381–5566

8410–01–381–5521

8410–01–381–5536

8410–01–381–5507

8410–01–381–5612

8410–01–381–5627

8410–01–381–5647

8410–01–381–5504

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.

Beverly L. Milkman,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 97–660 Filed 1–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6353–01–P

Procurement List; Proposed Addition

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From

People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled

ACTION: Proposed Addition to

Procurement List.

SUMMARY: The Committee has received a

proposal to add to the Procurement List

a service to be furnished by nonprofit

agencies employing persons who are

blind or have other severe disabilities.

COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR

BEFORE: February 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase

From People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled, Crystal Square 3, Suite 403,

1735 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, Virginia 22202–3461.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beverly Milkman (703) 603–7740.

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 persons

an opportunity to submit comments on

the possible impact of the proposed

action.

If the Committee approves the

proposed addition, all entities of the

Federal Government (except as