On behalf of the U.S. AbilityOne Commission (operating name of The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled) the independent federal agency that administers the AbilityOne Program, (National Industries for the Blind (NIB), a designated central nonprofit agency, is pursuing potential partnerships with U.S. commercial manufacturers of Peel-and-Stick nonskid traction materials for the purpose of providing employment for people who are blind or severely disabled. If successful, the result will be a co-brand agreement between the manufacturer and the AbilityOne Program, and its registered brands. The ultimate expectation is that the co-branded product will be placed on the AbilityOne Procurement List (PL). At minimum, the following product requirements must be met: 1. The Peel-and-Stick Nonskid product must be available in fine resilient, medium resilient, general purpose, coarse and conformable surface textures. 2. The nonskid material must be available in clear, white, yellow, black, and gray colors. 3. The Peel-and-Stick Nonskid material must meet and/or exceed the FAR and other published Federal standards, including Executive Orders and applicable agency-unique requirements. The material must be on the Navy Qualified Products List (QPL) and meet the requirements under MIL-PRF24667. The material must be TAA compliant and not contain Blood Minerals. 4. The self-stick adhesive backing must have a minimum application temperature of 40F. The standard maximum service temperature must be 175F; in applications where surfaces exceed 175F, the manufacturer must have the capability of modifying the adhesive to withstand higher temperatures. To be considered for the partner opportunity, the following criteria at a minimum must be met by the commercial manufacturer: 1. Possession of a nationally-known brand name that can be demonstrated to have significant appeal through evidence of substantial sales and market share. 2. Manufacturer's response must include the material safety data sheets (MSDS) and general product information. 3. Willingness to enter into a multi-year agreement, which includes on-going technical and production assistance while enabling the selected nonprofit agency to meet the suitability criteria of the AbilityOne Program; in the production process by delivering the material to the nonprofit agency's facility in bulk roll stock at a minimum of forty-eight inch widths for conversion into specified kits and pieces; and instructing the nonprofit agency in proper techniques to complete the manufacturing and subsequent packaging of the products, thereby creating employment for people who are blind or severely disabled. 4. The chosen commercial manufacturer must be willing to set a high priority for delivering the materials to the nonprofit agency in order to assure the agency of on-time deliveries to the end-use customers. 5. The chosen commercial manufacturer must be willing to provide after-market support to the nonprofit agency by assisting with application, performance, and quality issues and ensuring end-user satisfaction. 6. Commitment to working cooperatively with AbilityOne personnel to market the products to government customers under the AbilityOne Program. 7. Willingness to work with the selected nonprofit agency, NIB and the Committee to ensure that the products' price to end-users is a fair and reasonable price. 8. All products must be manufactured and lab tested, certified and customer tested to be effective according to their purpose. Test results and proof of certification MUST be provided WITH solicitation response. 9. Manufacturer's submission must demonstrate that the specific products meet the various criteria, as well as indicate what functions the nonprofit agency's employees would perform. Submission should recommend ways to maximize the employment for people who are blind or severely disabled in the fulfillment of the products. The deadline for response is December 4, 2017 The WRITTEN, ELECTRONIC, response should be directed to the contact listed in this Notice. Responses should address each of the product and manufacturer criteria specified above. Questions should be directed, in writing, to Michelle Grant at
[email protected]. NOTE: The e-mail's subject line should begin with ‘Question: Sources Sought CP-11-03-17-01 Product Name/Category'