Members and Staff

U.S. AbilityOne Commission: Presidential Appointees

Fifteen Presidential appointee members, eleven of whom represent government agencies (including Departments of Agriculture, Air Force, Army, Commerce, Defense, Education, Justice, Navy, and Veterans Affairs, and the General Services Administration) vote on the Procurement List additions. The remaining four members are private citizens knowledgeable about the employment problems of people who are blind or have other significant disabilities, including those employed by nonprofit agencies affiliated with the AbilityOne Program.

The Presidential Appointees who are private citizens serve five-year terms and may be reappointed. Federal Government Appointees serve for the period of time designated by their agency.

Responsibilities

Among its many responsibilities, the Commission:

• Determines which products and services purchased by the Federal Government must be procured from AbilityOne-participating nonprofit agencies;
• Establishes the fair market prices for these products and services, and revises the prices when appropriate;
• Ensures that nonprofit agencies comply with Commission rules and regulations (through on-site reviews of agency operations, annual certifications, and other means);
• Assists entities of the Federal Government in expanding their AbilityOne procurement; and
• Designates one or more distributors for AbilityOne products and services.

Senior and Executive Staff

To help carry out its mandate, the Commission has a full-time staff located in Arlington, Virginia. The staff reviews proposed products and services to ensure that the Commission has adequate data to determine their suitability for addition to the Procurement List. Information compiled by the staff is submitted to Commission members for consideration in deciding whether to add the products and services to the Procurement List.