One of the driving forces of
GSA is to provide quality products for the Federal Government.
To accomplish this, GSA Advantage provides access to thousands
of quality products produced by men and women who are blind,
have other severe disabilities or are inmates in Federal
prison rehabilitation programs.
AbilityOne/NIB/NISH
Under the
AbilityOne Program (formerly JWOD), two central nonprofit agencies
- the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and the National
Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) - work with
affiliate locations throughout the United States and have
established reputations as quality suppliers of products and
services, on-time and at fair market prices, to the Federal
Government. When you purchase items from the NIB/NISH, you
fulfill the "mandatory source provision" of the
Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (Public Law 92-28). In addition,
buying products from these sources - made in America for
America - helps people make a special contribution to society
while, at the same time, enabling these same people with
heightened feelings of independence and worth. AbilityOne products
are identified with a 
icon in GSA Advantage.
For More Information
To receive further information about NIB or NISH, please use the following numbers or
click on the link to each organization.
UNICOR
UNICOR is the trade name for
Federal Prison Industries Inc. (FPI), a wholly owned
government corporation established in 1934 as part of the
Federal Prison System. Disabled Americans and prison inmates
are given productive employment opportunities, education and
training through these programs.
UNICOR is a mandatory
source of supply for certain items similar to those on a
Multiple Award Schedule (see FAR 8.001). For a list of UNICOR
products and services, go to www.unicor.gov. If UNICOR
products meet the requirements of your ordering office, you
must purchase them from UNICOR unless UNICOR grants a waiver
(FAR 8.605) or one of the circumstances in FAR 8.606 applies.
If UNICOR has granted a waiver or one of the circumstances in
FAR 8.606 applies, you may obtain your products from another
source. UNICOR products are identified with a  icon in
GSA Advantage.
For More Information
To receive further information about UNICOR, please use the following number or
click on the link to each organization.
Section 508
Requirements
Purchase of 508 Compliant Products and Services on GSA Advantage:
Where applicable, contractors listed on GSA Advantage may provide links to 508 accessibility information for each product or service. If information has been provided, a  link will appear next to the product or service. Clicking the link will take you to the manufacturer's 508 website containing accessibility information for that product/line or service. You may also utilize the "Buy Accessible Wizard" at www.buyaccessible.gov to conduct market research and document Section 508 requirements that apply to a particular E&IT acquisition.
What is Section 508?
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, they shall ensure that this technology allows:
- Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that is
comparable to that by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an
undue burden would be imposed on the agency, and
- Individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services
from a Federal agency, to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to
that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities.
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (or Access Board) was charged with
developing technical and functional provisions to establish a minimum level of accessibility.
These technology-specific provisions address:
- software applications and operating systems;
- web-based information or applications;
- telecommunications products;
- video or multi-media products;
- self contained, closed products such as information kiosks and transaction machines, and
- desktop and portable computers.
They also address compatibility with assistive technologies that some people with disabilities use
for information and communication access.
For more information please visit www.section508.gov.
The GSA Advantage is Section 508 Compliant:
All data and information is accessible
to Federal employees and members of the public with
disabilities, in accordance with Section 508 which is a part
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This Act requires that
electronic and information technology developed, procured,
maintained, or used by the Federal government be accessible to
people with disabilities. To learn more about Section 508
compliance, visit www.section508.gov.
Socio-Economic Indicators
Special indicators are used to highlight business size
information applicable for each MAS contractor indicating the
socio-economic status of the contractor (i.e. small business,
veteran owned, woman owned, etc.). These indicators are as
follows:
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