Essentially the Same (ETS) Products

“Essentially the Same” (ETS) products are commercial products that are equivalent (but not necessarily identical) in form, fit, and function to products on the AbilityOne Procurement List.

When a commercial product is deemed ETS as an AbilityOne Procurement List product, Federal agencies should buy the designated AbilityOne product to comply with laws and regulations.

The U.S. AbilityOne Commission oversees the AbilityOne Program, a mandatory source program that requires Federal agencies to purchase designated products and services from nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind or who have other significant disabilities.

The Commission’s ETS policy is U.S. AbilityOne Commission Policy 51.541 - Requirement to Purchase Products on the Procurement List Instead of Essentially the Same (ETS) Items.

ETS FAQs

ETS Files

Below are links to files that identify commercial items (i.e., products) that are available from authorized AbilityOne wholesalers and have been determined to be “Essentially the Same” (ETS) as items on the AbilityOne Procurement List. Wholesalers stock items produced by AbilityOne Federal contractors. Distributors sell and deliver items to Federal customers.

For Federal government agencies, ETS commercial items should not be placed on any Federal contracts or Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs).

For authorized AbilityOne distributors, many of the ETS commercial items must be blocked from sale to Federal customers in an automated fashion through the distributor’s order-entry system.

Files available below are not comprehensive lists of ETS items. Other commercial items not available from authorized AbilityOne wholesalers may be considered ETS.

Challenges to Commercial Items Designated as ETS

The Commission will review challenges to commercial items that have been designated as ETS. This review is conducted in accordance with Commission Policy 51.541, Requirement to Purchase Products on the Procurement List Instead of Essentially the Same (ETS) Items, Section 7(b) Exception to Policy. The ETS Challenge Form can be downloaded at the link below.

Download ETS Challenge Form (DOCX)

Note: For automatic spreadsheet links to populate you need JavaScript enabled. You may also find the latest ETS spreadsheets directly at /distributors/independent.html.