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, Labor, 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 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 and with the assistance of Commission staff, 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.