FAR 8.703—Procurement List.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 8.703 explains where the AbilityOne Procurement List comes from, what it contains, and how federal buyers determine whether a supply or service must be purchased from an AbilityOne participating nonprofit agency. It identifies the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled as the entity that maintains the list, points users to the official AbilityOne website, and gives contact information for questions about whether an item or service is listed. The section also explains that many listed items are marked in GSA, DLA, and VA catalogs with a black square and the words “NIB/NISH Mandatory Source,” and that those agencies serve as central supply agencies for certain mandatory-source items. In practice, this section is a gateway rule: before buying many supplies or services, contracting personnel must check the Procurement List to see whether AbilityOne sourcing is required. It supports the statutory mandatory-source program by directing federal demand to nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind or severely disabled.
Key Rules
Committee maintains the list
The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled maintains the official Procurement List. That list identifies all supplies and services that federal agencies must buy from AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies.
Check the official source
The Procurement List may be accessed on the AbilityOne website, and questions about whether an item or service is listed may be sent by email or referred to the Committee offices. This makes the official list the controlling reference for mandatory-source determinations.
Listed items are mandatory sources
If a supply item or service is on the Procurement List, it is required to be purchased from the designated AbilityOne nonprofit agency rather than through ordinary competitive procurement, unless another applicable exception or authority applies.
Catalog markings signal coverage
Many Procurement List items are identified in GSA, DLA, and VA catalogs by a black square and the words “NIB/NISH Mandatory Source.” These markings are a practical indicator that the item is subject to mandatory sourcing.
Central supply agencies have special roles
GSA, DLA, and VA are central supply agencies from which other federal agencies are required to purchase certain supply items on the Procurement List. Buyers must recognize that some mandatory-source items flow through these agencies’ catalog and supply systems.
Responsibilities
Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
Maintain the official Procurement List and provide authoritative information on whether supplies or services are on the list.
Contracting Officers and Buyers
Check the Procurement List before acquiring supplies or services and ensure items on the list are purchased from the required AbilityOne source or through the applicable central supply agency.
Federal Agencies
Use the Procurement List as a mandatory-source control and route covered purchases to the designated nonprofit agencies or central supply agencies as required.
GSA, DLA, and VA
Identify many listed items in their catalogs and serve as central supply agencies for certain mandatory-source supply items.
AbilityOne Participating Nonprofit Agencies
Provide the supplies and services designated on the Procurement List as mandatory sources for federal purchase.
Practical Implications
Before placing an order, acquisition personnel should verify whether the item or service appears on the Procurement List; failing to do so can lead to an improper source selection.
Catalog markings such as the black square and “NIB/NISH Mandatory Source” are helpful, but they do not replace checking the official list when there is any doubt.
Because the list covers both supplies and services, buyers should not assume mandatory-source rules apply only to commodities.
Questions about coverage should be resolved early, especially when requirements are time-sensitive, to avoid delays caused by re-sourcing or corrective action.
This section is a reminder that AbilityOne is a mandatory-source program, so normal competition rules do not control when a listed item or service is required from the designated nonprofit source.
Official Regulatory Text
The Committee maintains a Procurement List of all supplies and services required to be purchased from AbilityOne participating nonprofit agencies. The Procurement List may be accessed at: http://www.abilityone.gov . Questions concerning whether a supply item or service is on the Procurement List may be submitted at Internet e-mail address info@abilityone.gov or referred to the Committee offices at the following address and telephone number: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, 1401 S. Clark Street, Suite 10800, Arlington, VA 22202-3259, (703) 603-7740. Many items on the Procurement List are identified in the General Services Administration (GSA) Supply Catalog and GSA’s Customer Service Center Catalogs with a black square and the words "NIB/NISH Mandatory Source," and in similar catalogs issued by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). GSA, DLA, and VA are central supply agencies from which other Federal agencies are required to purchase certain supply items on the Procurement List.