FAR 8.702—General.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 8.702 explains the role of the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, commonly called the AbilityOne Commission, in the federal supply and service procurement system. This section covers three core subjects: the Committee’s status as an independent Government activity with presidentially appointed members, its authority to determine which supplies and services must be purchased from AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies, its authority to establish prices for those supplies and services, and its authority to issue the rules and regulations that implement 41 U.S.C. chapter 85. In practice, this means the Committee is the central policy body that defines the mandatory source requirements under the AbilityOne program and sets the framework agencies must follow when buying covered items. For contracting officers and program offices, this section matters because it establishes that some purchases are not discretionary market buys; instead, they must be directed to designated nonprofit agencies when the Committee has identified the item or service. For contractors and nonprofit agencies, it signals that eligibility, pricing, and program participation are governed by a specialized statutory and regulatory regime rather than ordinary competition rules.
Key Rules
Independent committee status
The Committee is an independent Government activity, not a standard operating office within a single agency. Its members are appointed by the President, underscoring its governmentwide authority and special statutory role.
Mandatory source determinations
The Committee decides which supplies and services must be purchased by all Government entities from AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies. Once an item or service is designated, agencies must treat it as a required source rather than a discretionary procurement option.
Committee sets prices
The Committee establishes prices for the supplies and services it places under the AbilityOne program. Contracting personnel do not negotiate these prices in the same way they would for ordinary competitive acquisitions; they must use the established pricing structure.
Rulemaking authority
The Committee issues the rules and regulations that implement 41 U.S.C. chapter 85. This gives the Committee authority to define how the AbilityOne program operates in practice, including procedures agencies must follow.
Governmentwide applicability
The Committee’s determinations apply to all entities of the Government. Agencies cannot opt out of the program requirements when the Committee has designated a supply or service for purchase from an AbilityOne nonprofit agency.
Responsibilities
Committee
Determine which supplies and services are required to be purchased from AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies, establish the prices for those supplies and services, and issue the rules and regulations implementing 41 U.S.C. chapter 85.
Contracting Officers
Follow the Committee’s mandatory source determinations and pricing when acquiring covered supplies or services, and ensure solicitations, awards, and purchase actions comply with AbilityOne requirements.
Federal Agencies
Use AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies for items and services designated by the Committee and comply with the program’s governmentwide rules and procedures.
AbilityOne Participating Nonprofit Agencies
Provide the designated supplies and services under the program framework and operate in accordance with the Committee’s rules, pricing, and participation requirements.
Practical Implications
If a supply or service is on the AbilityOne procurement list, the agency generally cannot buy it through normal competition or from a preferred commercial source.
Contracting officers must check whether a requirement is covered before issuing a solicitation or placing an order, because missing an AbilityOne designation can lead to an improper source selection.
Pricing is not freely negotiated in the usual FAR Part 15 sense for covered items; the Committee’s established price controls the acquisition.
Program offices and buyers should coordinate early when a requirement may overlap with AbilityOne coverage, especially for recurring services or common-use supplies.
A common pitfall is treating AbilityOne as just another socioeconomic program; in reality, it can create a mandatory source obligation that overrides ordinary buying preferences.
Official Regulatory Text
The Committee is an independent Government activity with members appointed by the President of the United States. It is responsible for- (a) Determining those supplies and services to be purchased by all entities of the Government from AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies; (b) Establishing prices for the supplies and services; and (c) Establishing rules and regulations to implement 41 U.S.C. chapter 85 .