Federal procurement officials have a new tool for buying office products and staying in compliance with laws aimed at helping disabled workers: JWOD.com.
The Web site, which sells office supplies, cleaning supplies and other business products made by the blind and disabled, was launched Monday by Online Office Supplies Co. (OOSC) and the National Industries for the Blind (NIB).
Under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act, federal agencies are required to purchase certain products and services from nonprofit agencies that employ the blind and disabled. NIB is an umbrella organization for such nonprofits for the blind.
"Technology is the great equalizer that enables people who are blind or severely disabled to compete effectively in the marketplace today," said Jim Gibbons, president of NIB. "Our strategic alliance with OOSC is another example of using technology to sustain employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities."
Agencies are required to purchase certain products through the JWOD program. JWOD.com will flag such products as mandatory, Gibbons said. "The site ensures that the JWOD act is adhered to," he said.
The Web-based distribution channel for JWOD products comes at a time when the future of federal warehouses that stock JWOD products is uncertain.
Last summer, General Services Administration chief David Barram announced GSA would close eight Federal Supply Service (FSS) warehouses that distribute JWOD products to government buyers. That decision would have had an unintended consequence of putting 1,400 blind and disabled workers out of work.
The warehouse shutdown is now on hold, but efforts to ensure the survival of the JWOD program, including the launch of the e-commerce Web site, have intensified.
"This is a new channel strategy to mitigate the risk associated with the GSA depot system," Gibbons said, "although, in October, David Barram and [FSS chief] Frank Pugliese recommitted their strong support for the JWOD program and said that they will do all things possible to ensure JWOD products get in the hands of government customers."
JWOD.com accepts orders online, by phone or by mail, and also accepts bulk orders. Next-day delivery for nearly 600 of the most popular JWOD items is available. Gibbons said that by the end of the month, the site will be compatible with the government's two largest e-commerce sites: the Defense Department's E-MALL and the General Services Administration's GSA Advantage! sites.
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